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With the 2005 season just about to start, let us see what you think will happen this year.
This thread is for the drivers as there is a Poll for the Drivers' Championship.
Tell us what you think ? Will Michael dominate yet again or will one of the other drivers give him a scare or even topple him ?
(If there are any other drivers you want added to the poll let us know)

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Michael Schumacher will be hard to beat this year (even if Ferrari/Bridgestone aren't any quicker). He is such a perfect driver that he can certainly win a race with a slower car but in the past two season's we've seen him struggle in a race or two (China last year and Japan in 03). He is getting older and so he may have a few more of those and if he doesn't have luck on his side then the others will have a chance!

For me though I hope Kimi Raikkonen wins the championship

Michael of course!

But I agree the fight between Montoya and Raikkonen will be very interesting but I don't think the McLaren will be reliable.

I think second place will be Button then Alonso

Well I'd love to see JV win it again but being realistic I think Raikkonen will win it.

Michael will lose his spark this year
Button has caused too much damage at BAR
Montoya won't be a match for Raikkonen
Alonso may finish second
Fisichella may be good but won't match Alonso
Webber is good but I doubt Williams will deliver

I think we`ll see a number of different race winners(please!), but Schuey will always be in the mix there somewhere. The rest will cut each other up in the points race, while Schuey will be consistently on the podium i think. This will really show at the end of season when all is said and done.

Kimi and Juan in particular, even if the McLaren is reliable, will be clashing and stealing points from one another all season long. Whilst this will be great to watch, we all know Schuey does`nt have this concern with his team mate & will always get the maximum points of the two(as long as it does`nt look too conspicuous...lol).

Cheers..

Webber, by a couple of points over schuey, with kimmi third. Schuey and Montoya will take each other out a couple of times tipping it in Marks favour.
Schuey knows he cannot bully Webber.

Interesting that most of the predictions so far are focused on Michael or the McLaren duo. It seems that the exciting combination of Kimi and Juan Pablo is influencing that. Webber is also a worthy candidate but I think it will be harder for him as it is his first year with Williams.

Not discounting any of those drivers, I reckon Button is up there with a chance. BAR made a big leap forward last year (sure partly due to McLaren and Williams stuff up) but I doubt that they will just drop back. On the contrary their confidence is boosted by their result and should move forward. The question for them is how much of a negative effect will David Richards departure have and will Honda start meddling now that they are part owners ?

Also the Alonso/Fisichella combination may turn out as exciting as the McLaren pairing. Last year Alonso wasn't really pushed by Trulli (except at Monaco) but with Fisichella's reputation I think either of them (but particularly Alonso) can be in for a shot. The Renault engine was remarkable in its debut year last season so expect a big improvement this year.

It is very hard to pick. Michael may once again dominate but the competition he will have this year is tougher and we may have a close fight between 3 or 4 drivers. Let's hope so!

I think that the new tyre rules will help Mark Webber. Having seen him consistantly stuff his F.Ford down the inside in braking duels with good drivers, and still have enough rubber to finish bodes well.He and schuey are, in my opinion, the" thinkingest" drivers in F1, and Webber's recent experiences driving "dogs" will stand him in good stead with regard to tyre wear strategy. Whereas Schuey has by comparison had a "limo" ride!

julian mayo wrote:I think that the new tyre rules will help Mark Webber. Having seen him consistantly stuff his F.Ford down the inside in braking duels with good drivers, and still have enough rubber to finish bodes well.

True however there are a few factors that will hurt Webber's chances. The first is that this is his first year at Williams, the second is that Williams themselves need a big improvement to have the car that could match Ferrari or the others and third, he never won a race nor finished on a podium (yet).

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see Webber take it this year but I don't like to have high hopes and then be dissapointed
When was the last time a driver won the Championship in their first year with a team. The most recent was Prost in the Williams in 93 I think and the Williams then was dominant and Prost was already a winner and a World Champ.

Sure, if all things are equal Michael Schumacher will probably win again, but you all are forgetting one small thing:
Bridgestone may not win the war and if that happens it does not matter how fast Michael or his car is.

Crash wrote:We all know Schuey does`nt have this concern with his team mate & will always get the maximum points of the two(as long as it does`nt look too conspicuous...lol).

Cheers..

That is the one thing I despise Ferrari for.
They take advantage of the rules and will go to any length to win.
While they aren't to blame to producing a fast and bullet proof car, they are to blame for adding to the boredom we witness today in Formula 1 by not allowing their drivers to race.
I don't think any other team goes to this length. Particularly McLaren and Williams. When they were dominant, their drivers provided the entertainment at the front. Remember Senna - Prost ?

I'd love to see Webber take it but he has no experience in winning.

I am going for Montoya this year. I am expecting him to surprise everyone and beat Raikkonen.

Alonso and Button will be strong too

no experience in winning ? I assume you are referring to f1 only. Don't underestimate his pre F1 experiences. I think that upside down, backwards whilst airborne,twice, is a pretty good apprenticeship for any motor racing, including winning. Senna, Prost, et al., had no experience of winning before they did. I agree that no experience of winning could be a hindrance for a lot of drivers. I do believe that the only drivers with the 100% race long ability to focus on the end result are Webber, Schumaker, and to a slightly lesser degree, Button. I think that, and the determination he has shown to get where he is single him out as outstanding. Sir Frank rarely makes a mistake in picking drivers, and he only wants winners. 2 Oz Gp,s ago Montoya went to a go-kart track in Melbourne and punched out a few laps. On pitting, he was told that he had done the second fastest lap ever. He demanded to know who had the fastest time, and was told that on e M. Webber had set fastest time in a ten lap outing in his first, and only trip to the venue. If the Williams is nearly competitive, I think Schuey is in for a wake up. Ferrari tactics will be interesting: I can see the number two car involved in the odd "incident" if Schuey is under pressure. I have a lot of respect for "Barra" , but team orders are team orders.

Alonso will win 4 races and the championship

julian mayo wrote:no experience in winning ? I assume you are referring to f1 only.

Indeed I am referring to F1. Winning a race is hard and winning a championship is even harder and doing it with a new team would be very very hard. I don't know if anyone in the past has done this.

That is why I rate Webber's chances of winning this year as pretty low. Next year, well that is a different story.

But hey, it will be great to finally see an Aussie fighting for top places