Mar 20 2009
F1 2009: All bets are off
In all the years running up to this one, if you wanted to bet on who’d win the Formula One Championship you’d have a choice of either Ferrari, McLaren or Renault. The last major changes before 2009 were back in 2005 where they switched engine formula from V10s to V8s and until 2008, it’s just been cost-cutting (engine freezes and so on) and aero restrictions all the way.
It’s too long to describe all the new changes here but suffice to say, it’s been a sea change, and some might say not even that as even the cars look different: they now look more like Formula 3000 or GP2 cars.
The season’s not yet begun and there have already been some surprises thrown up by winter testing: there’s been nary a red or silver car in sight at the top of the time sheets but some small outfit called Brawn GP in an unmarked white and fluoro yellow car posting the quickest times.
If you’ve not been in the loop then Brawn GP is the ex-Honda F1 effort bought over by technical director and now team principal, Ross Brawn, the man widely regarded as responsible for that Schumacher guy’s seven world titles.
Personally I’d be very happy if Rubens Barrichello, the most experienced driver in Formula One and Schumi’s eternal number two, would be able to capture a few race victories, and maybe even a championship at the twilight of his career.
It’d prove that eventually, dreams do come true, and you don’t need to be a multi-million dollar powerhouse or a kid raised by a racing company to win.
And it would also put to rest the ten-year saga of a Formula One team, once known as Tyrrell (which won championships with Jackie Stewart) but which has endured mostly heartbreak and setbacks since its takeover and morphing into first the BAR Honda and then Honda F1 team.
