![]() RBR’s new aerodynamic advantage (thanks to Adrian Newey) and the evident hunger to the win shown by both Ricciardo and Verstappen should keep the red cars at bay. The fight for second, however, should be an interesting one in which we will see if Ferrari’s experience as a team (and individual drivers) will be enough to challenge Red Bull. The 2017 season starts with a promise that we’ll be seeing speeds reminiscent of the V10 era, but with the momentum that Mercedes has gained over the past few years, it’s hard to believe that its reign will come to an end anytime soon. Nikesh Koverjee – EDM expert and journalist And Hamilton, stung by his runners-up disappointment last year, will disappear off into the distance. They will face a closer challenge from Red Bull and Ferrari, but Mercedes will win both titles again in 2017. The team’s focus during testing was on reliability and they racked up more miles than anyone else. The German powertrain remains the pick of the bunch and they know they have the speed. Unfortunately – and I say that because I would dearly like to see another marque end the Mercedes dominance – this will mean nothing as I’ve no doubt the Mercedes-AMG outfit was sand-bagging in Barcelona. And Ferrari? It’s certainly a more competitive car than last year’s dismal effort and times posted at testing in Barcelona look promising. Red Bull: yes, the new regulations play into aero-guru Adrian Newey’s hands and Renault looks like it has been able to extract more horses from the powertrain. People are talking up Red Bull and Ferrari … but my money remains firmly on Mercedes. Therefore, I am going to predict a left-field top three with Lewis losing out again… This can lead to mistakes and play into the hands of new teammate, Bottas. My prediction is, however, that he may be his own worst enemy and try too hard. Regarding the driver’s championship, it is Lewis’ to lose. Scuderia Ferrari impressed (my heart yearns for this team to bounce back) and so did Red Bull Racing, but I expect they were running flat-out on super soft rubber with barely any fuel on board to achieve competitive lap times. Mercedes AMG appeared unstoppable during testing and no doubt held back on ultimate pace to keep the opposition guessing. ![]() ![]() The feeling is that Bottas will surprise and won’t be too far from Hamilton and he can take heart from Rosberg’s performance last season.įerrari’s impressive pre-season testing showing has suggested they can also be optimistic for a strong season, and it could be one of the closest yet.Īll will be revealed at the Australian Grand Prix when it is ‘lights out, and away we go!’.New season, new car design, but probably the same result concerning the manufacturer’s title this year. ![]() Hamilton starts the season as favourite to claim his 4th world title and go level with Vettel, but insiders feel Red Bull pose a serious threat and are split between Ricciardo and Verstappen as to whom will come out on top. What of the rest? Can McLaren take inspiration from their new livery and get back to where they belong? How will Williams react after the departure of their main driver - replaced by the returning Felipe Massa? And can Force India replicate and even better their 2016 success? ![]() The most eagerly anticipated season in years poses several questions: will Mercedes’ dominance resume, will Red Bull mount a title challenge and if so how will they manage their two star drivers, and can Ferrari respond after an underwhelming 2016? Yet, all of this without the reigning World Champion here to defend his crown… The 2017 regulations present significant changes to the design of the car and promise increased speeds of between 2-5 seconds per lap (depending on what you read!) – with lap records set to be obliterated. Last year Rosberg was the early pacesetter with victory in Melbourne ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton with Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel occupying the final podium position. The 2016 season had plenty of memorable moments: the sham qualifying format which was quickly abandoned, Haas’s fantastic debut in Australia, Verstappen becoming the youngest ever race winner with his incredible victory in Spain on his Red Bull debut, the retirement of the 2009 World Champion Jenson Button, and a new driver's champion was crowned at the final race followed swiftly by his shock retirement. ![]()
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