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Formula 1 season preview

This year will feature V8’s for the last time with turbocharged V6’s coming in for the 2014 season. Which team will manage its development programme for 2014 alongside its 2013 title challenge the best to give its driver a chance of walking away with the glory?

Then there are a multitude of other questions too: Who would bet against Red Bull? Will Fernando Alonso finally win a world title with Ferrari? Can Lewis Hamilton win with Mercedes or will Nico Rosberg see off another champion? Will Maldonado and Grosjean keep on the straight and narrow and make use of their undoubted speed? And, how will the contingent of new drivers get on?

Let’s go through the grid, team-by-team and work out to the best of our ability who the runners and riders of this year’s Formula 1 World Championship will be. Last year was a cracker, so let’s hope this year lives up to the hype!

Red BullRed BullAustria, 2004 > present12 models
1049 photos
3 videos
– title favorites

Can Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel make it four in a row? Personally, I wouldn’t bet against it. The Red Bull has been the car to beat for the last few seasons and Sebastian Vettel has been the driver to take advantage of his equipment. Vettel has overshadowed Mark Webber and I expect that to continue this season too, although Webber would like to think that he starts the season with just as good a chance of the honors as his young German foe. The Red Bull has looked decent in pre-season testing, just as expected and the team not only has the budget to continue its winning run, but it also has Adrian Newey (chief designer and boffin) to drag them over the finishing line.

Sebastian Vettel will try to defend his title for the fourth time in 2013

FerrariFerrariItaly, 1947 > present233 models
5131 photos
37 videos

Ferrari will always be there or thereabouts. The team has a massive budget and plenty of resources including not one but two test tracks and some of the finest drivers around to drag them to the front. Link this to the fact that the lure of the prancing horse means that irrelevant of their position on the grid people like Fernando Alonso will always fancy a spell in Italy. Fortunately for Fernando he will start the season as a close second favorite behind ‘Seb’. The Ferrari also seems to be a bit more to Felipe Massa’s liking too, and the Brazilian driver seemed to be on better form at the end of last year. You wouldn’t be wrong thinking that the manufacturer’s title could be a story of Alonso vs. Vettel and Webber vs. Massa.

Fernando Alonso is on Vettel's heels to win the title for Ferrari

McLarenMcLarenUnited Kingdom, 1963 > present92 models
1883 photos
12 videos

I like Sergio Perez but it is fair to say that McLaren signed him on the strength of his performance in the first half of last season, not his error strewn finish. That said, Perez showed enough pace to suggest that he can be a champion and kept his head on numerous occasions too. He’s good with tyres and fast in the wet. Then we’ve got Jenson Button: fast, consistent and over and above he’s well liked in the team. He’ll bring Perez on nicely and there should be more team harmony in 2013 spec McLaren. McLaren are third favorites for the title this year, which is where they were last year although I expect them to be closer to the sharp end this year and challenging for a title right up until the end of the season.

Will McLaren be a close contender for the title?

LotusLotusUnited Kingdom, 1952 > present68 models
951 photos
7 videos

Lotus will do well to score the points it gained in 2012 again this year. That said, I expect them to get another win and Romain Grosjean to be more consistent…he’s fast already so that’s the last piece of the jigsaw. The Lotus has looked very solid in pre-season testing too, although it doesn’t have the design budget that the big three and Mercedes benefit from. It’ll be interesting to see how Kimi Raikkonen progresses as well. He was consistent last year and had a decent turn of speed but he was overshadowed over one lap by Grosjean, so if there is one area I’d like to see a bit more from it’s qualifying from the flying Finn.

Grosejan and Raikkonen are excellent drivers that make Lotus a serious competitor

MercedesMercedes-BenzGermany, 1924 > present197 models
9852 photos
33 videos

Must do better…than last year. And they’ve signed up Lewis Hamilton to do it. He and Nico Rosberg go back to their karting days. So, Ross Brawn will hope that the pair won’t have the problems that Hamilton has attracted with negative press for in the past and his speed will give a true marker of Rosberg’s pace, although the German is bullish after seeing off seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher. In pre-season testing the Mercedes looked fast, with Rosberg topping the timesheets on a regular basis although there was an embarrassing trip into the gravel for Hamilton. Mercedes should be aiming for third in the championship this year, although fourth would be a success in my eyes. Could they beat last year and get two race wins?

Mercedes has to achieve substantial improvements over last season, Hamilton is the big hope

SauberSauberSwitzerland, 1970 > present21 models
166 photos
4 videos

Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Gutierrez will line up on the grid for Sauber this year. The team will feel slightly disappointed after designing a cracking car last year and a series of mistakes costing valuable points to leave them sixth in the championship after Brazil. Hulkenberg arguable outshone Paul di Resta at Force India last year and is a future champion in the eyes of this writer, so if Gutierrez can get close he’ll be doing a good job. Sauber will be in the mid-field and Hulkenberg will probably score most of its points. Could Nico be off to a big team in 2014?

All eyes are on Nico Hulkenberg to see if he can compete with the big ones

Force IndiaForce IndiaIndia, 2007 > present8 models
118 photos

Despite Vijay Mallya’s problems with parent company Kingfisher the squad seems to be unaffected. Paul di Resta should be revved up to prove his worth to a ‘big team’ after he felt overlooked in this year’s driver merry go round. Meanwhile Adrian Sutil is back on the grid after his Shanghai nightclub controversy: look out for frosty glares between himself and Hamilton after the two fell out. Sutil is very fast though, so it seems that he has been picked on pace alone…that has to be a good thing surely? The mid-field will be Force India’s stomping ground and it could beat Sauber to sixth in the championship if things go well, especially with two experienced drivers picking up consistent points.

Force India will contest the mid-field with Sauber

WilliamsWilliamsUnited Kingdom, 1977 > present37 models
255 photos

Williams had a fast car last year, that much was evident from a few standout performances from Pastor Maldonado who has been retained this year, and that’s nothing to do with all that Venezuelan money (your honour). However, if he can stop crashing into things Maldonado could score heavily for the team. Valtteri Bottas has been promoted from test driver to race driver for 2013 and it is a triumph for talent in many people’s eyes. He’s quick, consistent and he’s done enough laps in a Williams for many not to see him as the ultimate rookie that someone like Max Chilton is. I hope the Williams will have the pace that it showed last year again…the Grove based squad deserve it.

Williams fields fresh talent with driver Valtteri Bottas

Toro RossoToro RossoItaly, 2006 > present10 models
110 photos
1 video

Toro Rosso have stuck with Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo this year. The pair claimed that they didn’t have the car underneath them in 2012 to show what they could do on a regular basis so the pressure is on both sides. Red Bull wants the team to provide them with the next Sebasitan Vettel and the drivers need to repay the faith. Ricciardo was the better qualifier last year and Vergne will need to address that to have any future in the sport, though Ricciardo did not romp away in the races. The team would like to break into the lower echelons of the mid-field this year.

Toro Rosso will try to make it into the mid-field in 2013

CaterhamCaterhamUnited Kingdom, 1973 > present9 models
354 photos
1 video

Score a point! That must be the shout coming from Malaysia. Caterham have been pretty safe in 10th position in the world championship for the last few seasons, but with the reliability of modern day F1 cars it hasn’t broken into the top 10 yet. Charles Pic was great last year and will feel like Caterham is a step forward for him and he is partnered with the experienced GP2 driver Giedo van der Garde.

Caterham's main concern for 2013 should be to score minimum points

MarussiaMaRussiaRussian Federation, 2007 > present4 models
62 photos

Marussia is the only team to field two rookies this year. Jules Bianchi was on the Ferrari Academy scheme and Max Chilton came on a treat in GP2 last year. Bianchi and Chilton have both got their chance and now they must grab it…Marussia will be pleased if one of these two can grab a point or nudge the team above Caterham into 10th in the standings at the end of the year.