If 2008 is to be a better year than 2007 for [tag]Toyota Racing[/tag], they need to improve the long run pace if the car. The [tag]TF108[/tag] has proven to be quite quick on low fuel single lap sessions which may get them a fair qualifying position with [tag]Jarno Trulli[/tag], but that’s all. The pressure is on from above and Toyota need to improve and impress much more sooner than later.

I have posted before on how astounded I am that a giant like Toyota with far reaching resources and money can compete so poorly. Is it because the wrong people are in positions calling the shots? Maybe so, but at Toyota, everything remains the same as last year with the exception of the addition of [tag]Timo Glock[/tag].

Pre-season testing had the car with new look pieces added frequently in attempt to add speed, but alas, all that was seen on the time sheets was the same as what was seen last year. Nothing the team did to the TF108 seemed to make any difference. The season is a long one and there are a number of new developments being made in the car that could see it gain a tenth or two by season end. By that time, almost full on recourses will be dedicated to producing the 2009 car. At least Honda brought in a capable man to lead them through that process.

Having just come from GP2, Timo Glock may have an edge throughout the race in a car without traction control. He is use to it and is in a groove with it whereas Jarno Trulli is still adjusting to the new style of driving.

I give Toyota points in a lot of races, but no podium finishes.

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The goal for [tag]Red Bull[/tag] has to be to gain some race pace and definitely make a more reliable car than the 2007 RB3. Too many problems and too many dnfs sealed the season for Red Bull.
Talking about reliability, the [tag]RB4[/tag] seems so far throughout February to be a much more reliable car. Balance and stability under braking have been one thorn in their side that they haven’t been able to solve, hence a strange looking fin has sprouted over the engine cover. The fin has stayed on the car and it appears we will see it for Australia at least.

Both [tag]David Coulthard[/tag] and [tag]Mark Webber[/tag] were regulars in the top 10 on most of the pre-season testing time sheets which leaves them some work to do, but the pace for Australia is ok.

Neither drivers are very exciting to watch, but Mark Webber is the faster in qualifying with David Coulthard easily faster in the race. I don’t see any reason for this to change in 2008.

It is hard to believe that a team with as much in resources as they do don’t do better than they have and will do this year.

I can give them points most races, but never a podium.

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2007 was a complete disaster for Honda. An embarrassment to a great [tag]Formula 1[/tag] team that they vowed would not happen again. Well, at least it will start out that way. After an anticipated car launch, the team seemed positive with newly hired [tag]Ross Brawn[/tag] as Team Principal and were eager to get on to testing. However, memories of 2007 began to haunt them from the start and have continued throughout testing.

Honda even scheduled a private test session at the end of the schedule in attempt to salvage a very poor month. Now that they have done that, positive remarks have come from the team, but that is what we have heard throughout the month of February.

It is highly likely that Ross Brawn is looking to start fresh with the new rule changes in 2009 with an entirely new car. For them we could call it a ‘concept car’. With this in mind, I don’t expect very much from Honda this season as they will probably shift focus from 2008 to 2009 fairly early in this season.

This brings me to Ross Brawn. With the team in disarray, and 2007 a bad memory as well as a good portion of 2008, it is clear Brawn is to clean up the team and look to 2009. If he has any influence on the car, it won’t show until later in the season. For Honda, this is really good news and probably why they are still so upbeat. For fans of [tag]Honda Racing[/tag], 2008 will be a year to get to mid field from the back.

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It seems as soon as Williams parted with BMW they began spiraling down hill. That was in 2006, but now in 2008 with [tag]Toyota[/tag] engines, they were quite a nice surprise in testing.
[tag]Frank Williams[/tag] has a proud history in Formula 1 with his team and he’s done it with much fewer resources than [tag]Ferrari[/tag] or [tag]McLaren[/tag] and has had to hunt for sponsors. A testament to Sir [tag]Frank Williams[/tag].

For this year they have [tag]Nico Rosberg[/tag] who turned down a terrific deal with McLaren to be at [tag]Williams Toyota[/tag], and former test driver [tag]Nakajima Kazuki[/tag]. Neither driver has much experience, but have shown good pace in testing this winter. This of course is in part to the new [tag]FW30[/tag] that seems to have enough through long runs and qualifying sims to match [tag]Renault[/tag] and [tag]BMW-Sauber[/tag]. The FW30 has been quite reliable after solving the matter of a front wing problem that sent Nakajima into the wall.

I’m a little worried about Nico Rosberg who lately seems to be quite high on himself. Rookie mistakes plagued him last season and as young and inexperienced as he is, he best learn as much as he can. I think Williams could grab points in most races this season and a podium or two isn’t out of the question.

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[tag]Kimi Raikkonen[/tag] stole the 2007 [tag]F1 Drivers Championship[/tag] from [tag]Lewis Hamilton[/tag] in the last race and the high of that incredible win is paying off in dividends. This along with being left pretty much unscathed from the 2007 espionage scandal with the exception of [tag]Nigel Stepney[/tag], has made pre-season a worry free event.

Their budget is safe and more than comfortable, and their drivers Kimi Raikkonen and [tag]Felipe Massa[/tag] have a lot of [tag]F1[/tag] experience. Contrast this with their immediate rivals [tag]McLaren Mercedes[/tag] who incurred a 100 million dollar fine and have 2 drivers in their second year in F1 only and the title looks in the books.

The [tag]F2008[/tag] has been an impressive car in testing from day one, but didn’t improve too much from there on in. McLaren, [tag]BMW-Sauber[/tag], [tag]Renault[/tag], and [tag]Williams[/tag] have all closed in on [tag]Ferrari[/tag] by the end of testing, but the gap is still too much for all but maybe McLaren.

Kimi Raikkonen will most certainly be hungry for another championship in 2008 after getting a taste of what it is like to be champion. he is a cold relentless hunter on track, methodical in his approach, he won’t take foolish chances, but before you know it, he is in front of you and pulling away.

Felipe Massa is the bride’s maid once again this year despite what he says about no number one status at Ferrari. In a sense that is too bad because he has the ability to push Kimi and from time to time beat him. However, I have seen too many times Felipe losing his edge or getting frustrated when problems occur leading to him blowing his race.

Ferrari gets an 9 of 10 with Kimi Raikkonen taking the title by a slim margin over Lewis Hamilton.

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[tag]Renault[/tag] are finding themselves in a difficult position this year after what would be called a very poor outing in 2007. They officially finished third in the [tag]constructors championship[/tag] in 2007, but without the disqualification of [tag]McLaren[/tag], they were a lower fourth.

This year [tag]Fernando Alonso[/tag] returned and has brought with him some renewed energy elevating the team’s confidence. Alonso doesn’t like Renault’s chances of even making it to the final qualifying round, but I consider at least him to be there. It is worth noting that as I looked through test times, not once did a Renault R28 record a fastest lap time, even when conducting simulated qualifying. A podium at the [tag]Australian Grand Prix[/tag] isn’t something I’d bet on though.

One thing Renault will be counting heavily on is Alonso’s expertise in car setup and drive to push the team hard. He will be the number one driver this year with [tag]Nelson Piquet Jr[/tag]. essentially learning the ropes behind Fernando.

Both Renault and [tag]BMW-Sauber[/tag] have been accused of ‘sandbagging‘ a little throughout the test season and if so, true race pace is hard to figure out.

I give Renault a 7 out of 10 whereas I would have given them an 6 out of 10 last season. Points and podiums will come, but not until later in the season.

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Operating from a stellar performance in 2007 and finishing as the third best team behind Ferrari and McLaren, ambition is high this season. How to catch these leaders? [tag]Willy Rampf[/tag] calls it ‘taking risks’ and that’s where he’s taken the [tag]F1.08[/tag].

Pre-season has been one with a lot of questions and head scratching. For at least 3/4 of testing, the car didn’t perform even well enough to be 5th best team and in order to tame it, the car began growing all sorts of interesting parts.

Leadership of [tag]BMW-Sauber[/tag] falls on [tag]Mario Theisssen[/tag] who has done a great job in moving the team forward in expansion without causing any disruption in progress. Technical director Willy Rampf has done a fairly good job with a moderate budget and remains confident the F1.08 will surprise.

The F1.08 got off to a pretty rocky start and according to both [tag]Robert Kubica[/tag] and [tag]Nick Heidfeld[/tag], was an impossible beast on the track. Balance was an issue for quite a long while and being such a complex car, proved difficult to set up. As I mentioned earlier, many new and radical parts appeared on the car including a new pair of antlers sprouting up from the nose of the car.
The team did admit they spent a lot of time testing on full fuel tanks as echoed by Fernando Alonso so the car could actually be faster than we have seen.

Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica are in charge of the driving and so far in testing Rober Kubica has been the most impressive of the two. He has been so impressive that finishing ahead of Nick is quite a possibility come the end of the season.

I still pick this team to finish 3rd in the constructors championship behind Ferrari and McLaren.

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[tag]Super Aguri[/tag] is my next 2008 season team preview. They have just been resurrected in a partnership with Magna Group so it is fitting to preview them right now.

This pre-season has not been good to them has been absolutely terrible to them. Financial issues that plagued Super Aguri last season have continued in earnest. Testing has been almost non-existent with only about 300 laps put in and until now, they haven’t even been able to officially confirm their drivers. However, good news came yesterday when the acquisition by Magna was officially announced and the team’s equipment could be seen arriving in Melbourne.

What car will they use? They call it the [tag]SA108[/tag], but if you peel off the sticker you will find [tag]Honda RA107[/tag] underneath. Not so good, but at least it is a start for a team literally picking itself up off the floor only a few days before the [tag]Australian Grand Prix[/tag]. Hopefully they will receive the new Honda before long.

It’s been a long winter for both [tag]Anthony Davidson[/tag] and [tag]Takuma Sato[/tag] having no real assurance they will drive this year until now. Takuma Sato may fair a little better than Anthony Davidson at the back of the grid.

This season will with no doubt be a season long testing period for Super Aguri who will be looking to the future and 2009.

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[tag]McLaren[/tag] will definitely be hard in the fight this year. The fact that they have been able to put aside the embarrassment of last year and get to where they are now after testing is a testament to the [tag]McLaren Mercedes[/tag] organization.

Spain has been good to McLaren, or should I say McLaren has been good to Spain. From the first day when they found themselves with a large deficit to Ferrari, they have worked the kinks out of the [tag]MP4-23[/tag] and are now right up them. The only thing left from 2007 to get over is the fine of 100 million dollars. So far so good, but later on when financing turns to development on the 2009 car and the rule changes beginning that year. We’ll see what kind of a cushion McLaren has at that time.

In contrast, their immediate rivals [tag]Ferrari[/tag] have no financial issues to worry about and their drivers have much more experience. With only one year of [tag]F1[/tag] each, [tag]Lewis Hamilton[/tag] and [tag]Heikki Kovallainen[/tag] may have to cuddle up to [tag]Pedro de la Rosa[/tag] for his knowledge and experience in setting up and improving the car. This isn’t a bad thing as Lewis did alright last season with [tag]Fernando Alonso[/tag]’s expertise.

As far as the car goes, the MP4-23 has been solid as a rock in the reliability category all throughout testing with only the expected minor problems. One other question looms and that is how will the car be with the tires. Will it be hard on them or easy. We really don’t know that until the hard on track racing begins in Australia. Lewis Hamilton isn’t the easiest on tires either.

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[tag]Toyota[/tag] is a question mark this year, and could be in a good fight with [tag]Red Bull Racing[/tag]. I think the [tag]TF108[/tag] has more in it this year than it has shown in testing and it is disappointing they couldn’t streamline it any quicker.

[tag]Jarno Trulli[/tag] is the star on this team I think. [tag]Timo Glock[/tag] isn’t near as quick as Jarno and will be out classed by him. I’m not putting any stock at all in Jarno Trulli’s stunning lap time on final day of testing as I’m sure the car was set up for a one time miracle lap for one reason or another. It’s just not near as fast as that.

I have two big disappointments this season so far and one of them is Red Bull. The changes to the car, largely with weight distribution (so they say) haven’t given them any better pace than last season. I give them 5 races to show something better or the car is not good. [tag]Mark Webber[/tag] can get them into Q3 and maybe if he is lucky Q2 once or twice. He’s always been a very fast qualifier.

I’m hoping for [tag]David Coulthard[/tag] to do about as good as he did last year. His career is winding down so I can’t see a huge leap for him. He’s a consistent, fast and smooth driver who hasn’t lost too much in the last few years, but his experience is Red Bull’s biggest asset.

So far, qualifying on Mark Webber’s part will be the most exciting thing I see from Red Bull.

Speaking of Red Bull, [tag]Toro Rosso[/tag], still using last year’s car may be a good thing for [tag]Sebastian Vettel[/tag]. This young and innocent looking kid is someone to watch for later on. His performance last season in a one race sit in at [tag]BMW-Sauber[/tag] was impressive.

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