2008 F1 season review

Last season ended in the most exciting climax F1 has seen in years, with three drivers poised to snatch the title. In end the driver with the outside chance - Kimi Raikkonen snatched the Drivers Championship, but will it be like that in 2008?

Constructors’ Champions Ferrari, and would be champs McLaren look set to slog it out again this year as Kimi Raikkonen and rookie runner up Lewis Hamilton lead the field of 22 drivers - four of them new to the full time circuit. Bookies have given Ferrari a slight edge over McLaren and installed Raikkonen as the marginal favourite to take the title this season, but as we saw last year anything can happen.

At recent pre-season testing in Barcelona McLaren posted some impressive times, but Ferrari were conspicuous by their absence. Certainly the British based team and their new wonder boy Hamilton won’t enjoy the head start they had over the prancing stallion marquee last year. They’ve also had to let go former champion Fernando Alonso who did a direct exchange with Heikki Kovalainen and went back to his old team Renault, whom he seems to get on better with.

There are no significant rule changes likely to favour any one team, but the continual crusade of the FIA to cap spending has helped some of the lesser teams improve. Teams will have to contend with a new circuit and a night race - a first for Formula 1 - at the Singapore GP on the 28th September, while the US GP has not-surprisingly disappeared off the calendar after the 2004 debacle.

The recently introduced Turkish GP has been moved forward to May, while the European GP this year has been awarded to Valencia.

Team changes

There has been quite a shake-up of drivers, but apart from changes at McLaren and Renault, it is the lesser teams who will sport new drivers this season. Only one team has changed name, the Spyker team has been sold to Indian billionaire Vijay Mallya and renamed Force India.

The most significant change is the direct exchange between Fernando Alonso and Heikki Kovalainen, settling the internal rifts that dogged McLaren last year, while Giancarlo Fisichella has left the team to join Force India, replaced by Nelson Piquet Jnr.

Ferrari and BMW Sauber, the top two finishing teams last season (following McLaren’s team points penalty) remain unchanged. As do Red Bull, Honda and possibly Super Aguri, who have yet to release full details of their team or car.

Williams, who tested well are Barcelona in February, have retained promising newcomer Nico Rosberg and paired him with new driver Kazuki Nakajima who impressed in testing. Ralph Schumacher seems to have left F1 for now and has been replaced at Toyota by well known back up driver Timo Glock.

Torro Rosso has opted for rookie Sebastien Bourdais, and have arrived with a much improved car, while new team Force India, have stuck with Adrian Sutil and taken on Giancarlo Fisichella.

Technical changes

This year’s changes are more technical than potentially contentious or liable to change the playing fields. The FIA have continued to try and cap spending by the richest of the teams and level the competition more, but have not reversed any of the major changes introduced such as the two tyre set rule.

All teams now have to use the FIA approved ECU electronic control unit which is far inferior to those previously developed, and will eliminate control over traction and engine braking systems, slowing the quicker cars down by up to half a second a lap. A higher cockpit protection stipulation for safety, with no speed or performance impact has also been imposed. Restrictions on materials used, to cut costs spent on exotic materials is also stipulated. Introduction of 5% bio fuels to the fuel mix is in line with motor industry greening trends.

Race and qualifying rule changes

The change that the fans will notice the most is yet more tinkering with the qualifying and practice sessions to add more excitement to the non-race days. These will last one hour, with seven cars eliminated after first 20 minutes, followed by a further 15 minutes lapping, to eliminate another 7 cars, leaving 10 with a fresh slate of 10 minutes to post the final times for grid line-up. However, since no 12th team has yet been added, 6 and 6 drivers will be eliminated in the first two sessions.

Also of significance, only two fully or partially assembled cars will be permitted at the race, and while an extra chassis is not included in this ban, a totally wrecked car in practice and qualifying will not be allowed to be replaced for the starting grid, possibly forcing a retirement.

Finally, gearboxes must last for four races, unless the car retires, otherwise a five place starting grid is imposed.