IT looks set to be an interesting year for the sport of Formula 1. Some have predicted it is heading for a major crisis.
Others have said it is becoming boring, with Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel’s winning ways so emphatic that it’s a yawn fest for spectators.
It was a bit like that when Michael Schumacher was winning everything in sight. Sadly, he’s now fighting for his life, as all Formula 1 fans know.
However, judging by the early season testing, we could be in for a really exciting year, with the testing revealing that Mercedes and, surprisingly, Williams, have pace, power and reliability.
Ferrari is in the mix somewhere too, while Red Bull haven’t quite hit their groove just yet.
Even the four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel predicts a debacle for Red Bull unless they improve their car before the season opens at the Australian Grand Prix in two weeks.
“First of all, just getting to the finish would be a success,” the German told broadcaster Servus TV.
Even Force India look a little more menacing than in the past.
Off the track there’s some controversy as well, with Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone revealing that he is looking for someone to succeed him at the head of the sport, as he prepares to face bribery charges in Germany.
The 83-year-old British businessman is due to go on trial in Munich on April 24 to face allegations that he bribed a German banker during discussions over the sale of F1 championship rights in 2006.
Never a dull moment.
According to SuperSport, Ecclestone was charged last July in relation to a $44 million payment he made to former German banker Gerhard Gribkowsky, which was linked to the sale of F1 championship rights in 2006.
Gribkowsky was jailed in 2012 for eight and a half years for taking an illegal payment when the rights were sold.
Ecclestone has denied wrongdoing and claimed he was blackmailed by Gribkowsky, who had allegedly threatened to report the F1 commercial boss to the British tax authorities.
Meanwhile, the Formula One Teams’ Association (FOTA) has been disbanded after members decided it was no longer needed as a representative body.
FOTA said in a statement the teams had ‘re-evaluated their requirements in the face of a changing political and commercial landscape in Formula One’.
General secretary Oliver Weingarten said there had been some financial issues with unpaid subscriptions and also warned the sport was facing ‘a crisis or two around the corner’ without the association.
On the track, various changes are coming in to place, which will, supposedly, even the playing field a bit.
We’ll see how it all pans out.
Predicting a winner for the opening race in Australia won’t be an easy task, but it seems reliability will be key.
Teams and drivers:
Caterham – Marcus Ericsson and Kamui Kobayashi
Ferrari – Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen
Force India – Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg
Lotus – Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado
Marussia – Max Chilton and Jules Bianchi
McLaren – Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen
Mercedes – Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton
Red Bull Racing – Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo
Sauber – Esteban Gutierrez and Adrian Sutil
Toro Rosso – Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniil Kvyat
Williams – Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas
