2006 F1 Predictions

[E46Fanatic]

Most of the teams have launched their 2006 V8 challengers and have been testing together on the track. So far based on lap times, I think its gonna be a 3 way fight between:1) Ferrari2) Renault3) HondaFrank Williams recently made a remark to watch out for Honda... They have been testing extensively with 2 2006 cars and have very good reliability and speed. He says its just like the Honda he knew in the late 80's early 90's... I think Honda's gonna be very very strong.The Renault R26 was also extremely fast yesterday in testing beating out Shumi in the 2006 Ferrari followed closely by the 2 Hondas of Button and Barrichello.McLaren is in some limbo at least based on testing. Kimi mentioned some issues with the Mercedes V8 and the new car hasn't shown very good pace and reliability. Also their famed technical director and chief aerodynamicist has defected to Red Bull.. so I think they will really struggle for pace over 2006..

 

[DingChavez]

what about BMW???

 

[feisaldzul]

i think it will be a learning year for BMW Sauber Petronas, i am predicting they will be in the middle pack

i agree with e46F that those 3 teams will be fighting for the championship but I wont count the McL out of the picture

i think Honda has a strong package but dont think Button will win any GPs tho...Ruben might be able to win one or two depending on how well the car is performing...finally they managed to get rid of that crash prone Sato hehehe

ps-> wat a waste that Alex had a spin over the weekend...otherwise he was in good position after starting from last

 

[supergripen]

my vote goes to Honda..Rubino shud be good indeed.reliability shud be their strong point plus the power from that Honda V8 :yes:

 

[yohji_yen]

i will still go for Mclaren n KIMI ... but i think like E46F said , they will b struggle for this year coz of those things . i still dun think they rili show all their speed in practice .... mayb somethings is hiding inside their pants !!!

i too expect Ferrraris to b back on stage .... with new drivers line-up n of course "tyre" change is allow .

n this year mclaren uses some bad news (alonso) strategy to hit Renault down b4 starting of the season ...

 

[feisaldzul]

Qualifyin should be more interestin with new format as below:

Here’s how it will work during the one hour allotted for qualifying at a new time, 14:00 local time Saturday, at each race:

Part 1 – All race entrants can use this 15-minute session to run as many laps as they wish. At the end of this session, the slowest cars – at least five depending on the size of the entry list – will be eliminated and assigned the bottom five spots on the starting grid. These cars may be refuelled prior to the race.



Part 2 – After a five-minute break, the clocks are reset for another 15-minute qualifying session. Once again, the five slowest cars of this session drop out at the conclusion of this session, filling grid places 11-15 and being allowed to run any fuel level they desire in the next day’s race. The remaining 10 cars have five minutes to prepare for part 3, when the clocks are reset for the final knockout round.



Part 3 – Now the tension deepens as the fight for pole position pits the 10 fastest cars so far into a battle against each other – and the clock. The fastest lap of this session wins pole position. As in the other sessions, each car can run as many laps as desired within this final, 20-minute window. Each car must start with the fuel load it will run in the next day’s race. Weighed at both the start and conclusion of Part 3, each car will be topped up with fuel to the level at which it must start the Grand Prix.

Note: Taken from http://www.shell.com/home/Framework?siteId...qualifying.html

 

[Zoggee]

Long Live Toyota..!!!!


Long Live Micheal Schumaker..???

 

[DingChavez]

Shoemaker's going down h34r:

 

[dalcross]

BMW laaaaaaaaa

 

[E46Fanatic]

While they look promising, they should be in midpack I believe behind the top teams...

--
BMW Sauber is not yet a top team, team principal Mario Theissen admits.

The German insisted that, for the first year of full ownership by the Munich based carmaker, the idea is to build up a solid foundation throughout 2006.

"This starting phase will last for the whole season," he told Sport-Informations-Dienst.

For that reason, you won't hear reference to championships or wins - even podiums - just yet.

"The unification and development of the team has priority at the moment," Theissen said.

However, the newly launched F1.06, designed mostly by the team led by Peter Sauber last year, is showing postive signs.

"It seems to have noticeably more grip than its predecessor," Nick Heidfeld said. Canadian team-mate Jacques Villeneuve, additionally, says he is able to 'brake later' and 'drive more aggressively' with the new car.

But Mario Theissen insists that BMW Sauber should not yet be considered a top team, even if it is owned by a car manufacturer.

"But we want to become a top team as soon as possible," he concluded.
--

 

[supergripen]

like i said,i think Honda and Ferrari will be the top runners..i'd like to say McLaren,but with the loss of a few key members,they don't look so strong right now.Toyota is an unknown quantity..they've had a few years already under their belts but they haven't proven themselves to be top team material yet..maybe this year will change that.
having said all that,i'll still be supporting the BMW Sauber Team...looking for merchandise now!! :wink:

oh yeah like Feisal said,even qualifying will prove to be an exciting prospect..yehaaaa!!! :yes!:

 

[PiedPiper]

Hmmm... I agree with E46Fanatic, the three teams are gonna have a nice dog fight.

Ferarri seems very eager to win their title back but Renault will do a lot to make sure that they keep it and Honda has a fighting chance if they keep improving themselves, signing on Barrichello may just be the right move. He was a wingman to Schumacher for far too long and needs to chase his glory now before its too late.

But yeah, we should not discount McLaren at all. They have been near the winner's trophy to know the smell and they want it bad!

As for BMW, they may just have to feel their way through the year first, but the team may just be able to wrangle the 4th spot from McLaren.

 

[kelvinp]

Well McLaren "as usual" will struggle in the beginning of the season. Then later mid-season will unleash it's revenge as seen before. Maybe there's already an MP4-21B in the making.

I'm all out as ever for the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes.

p/s: it suck in orange though :dunno:

 

[supergripen]

McLaren already lost 3 key members of its team namely Adrian Newey!! they are in trouble even before the season starts man!! damn..
i pity Kimi cuz i think he deserves better..well,we'll see..hope for the best.

 

[E46Fanatic]

Looks like Schumi sees the same foes...

----------------
2006 to be Alonso VS Schumacher
Gerhard Berger makes his predictions
Tyres will be the critical factor for Schumacher

Gerhard Berger thinks the 2006 World Championship will be a duel between Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher.

The former racer said the victor's spoils will depend nearly exclusively on the fortunes of tyre suppliers Michelin and Bridgestone.

"If Bridgestone is strong, I see Michael Schumacher on top," Austria's Berger told the Tiroler Tageszeitung newspaper. "And among the Michelin teams, Fernando Alonso is my favourite."

Schumacher, himself, agrees that Michelin-shod Renault and Alonso are so far the pacesetters with their new R26 package.

After last week's test at Valencia in the 248 F1 machine, the German said: "And not far behind Renault, I see Honda and us. At the moment that is the way I see it."

Schumacher will test again this week, in Italy.

 

[king eric]

it's true.... :yes: :yes: :yes:
revenge of the red machine!!!!!! :aggressive: :aggressive:

 

[mtech320]

bmw rules....!!!