Who Will Be Racer X in the 2008 World Championship Battles?

Hello, and welcome, to the first edition of the Slipstream. Inside the 'stream this week are my predictions for who will become the 2008 World Champion(s).

For starters, I would like to comment on what has been an interesting season and an interesting couple of years in the world of Formula-One racing.

Ever since Fernando Alonso took the checkered flag and ended the reign of seven-time World Champion, Michael Schumacher, the eyes of more than a few fans were clouded with doubt about the Spaniard's true pace, and also his true skill in the cockpit.

Questions such as "Did Fernando Win? or Did Kimi Lose?" dogged his first world title win. Alonso's second world-title win came down to the wire in Brazil. A valiant effort by Michael Schumacher towards the end of the season brought a title fight that many thought would not be repeated for at least a few years; all of us were dead wrong about that.

The buzz word in American politics for 2008 is change, but for 2007, change was in the air across the F1 paddock. Double world-champion Fernando Alonso was paired up with rookie Lewis Hamilton. Kimi Raikkonen joined Michael Schumacher's protoge', Felipe Massa, at Ferrari. Robert Kubica teamed-up alongside Nick Heidfeld at BMW Sauber, to spearhead the German/Swiss team's first full-effort after the transition year of 2006.

A lot of questions followed the teams across the world as they tested and plugged away at development. Needless to say, from Melbourne in March to Sao Paulo, and all stops in between, the fans of F1 were given a season to remember, and a fight to the absolute finish amongst three top drivers. A headline from Autosport's preview of the final race summed up F1 in three short but very sweet lines, "3 Heroes, 2 Titles, 1 Race".

2008 started off with much of the same kinetic energy that coursed through the veins of the paddock through much of 2007. New drivers, and even a new team (Force India F1), walked in the Albert Park sunshine as traction control, engine braking, and other driver aids were removed under the new FIA technical regulations.

Alonso's return to Renault, and the apparent lack of pace with the R28, along with the paring with Nelson Piquet Jr., son of three time world champion, Nelson Piquet, raised many doubts about the Spainard, and his legacy as a double world-champion was being brought into question. Kimi Raikkonen was set to defend his world title from the presumptive challenger, Lewis Hamilton, now the No. 1 driver at Vodaphone McLaren Mercedes.

Waiting in the wings to shed its "best of the rest" title, is BMW/Sauber, a team that has demonstrated impressive pace in short sprints, but still lacks the straight-line speed to compete with McLaren and Ferrari for the top step on the podium...for now.

Predictions for the 2008 season are as plentiful as there are flags and bullhorns at a Grand Prix, so I will raise my flag and sound my bullhorn with the following prediction.

2008 World Driver Champion: Kimi Raikkonen 

The Iceman's pace has never been doubted, even from his early days at the Ferrari-engined Sauber Petronas team back in 2001. He has been able to demonstrate, a few times this year and many times last year, that he is able to work his way through the grid and set his goals very well.

Unlike his teammate and Lewis Hamilton, who have both demonstrated difficulty in winning when not from the front or second row of the grid, Kimi's second world-title will not be won in the dramatic fashion of his first, but in a academic and calculated matter, perhaps one or two races before the end of the season.

Now that he has a solid car under him, and the lack of driver aids has leveled the playing field somewhat, it is easy to predict the Iceman to hoist the world driver's championship over his head in Sao Paulo on November 2nd, 2008.   

World Constructor's Champion: BMW Sauber

The Hwinli-based team has fielded two very impressive drivers this year, and their ability to collect maximum points each and every race augments the design, cunning, and tactical prowess of team boss, Dr.Mario Thiessen.

The pole at Bahrain sent a message right to the factories at Woking and Maranello that BMW has arrived, and in grand fashion. It will be through their ability to run the field and, with a little help from the DNFs of Felipe Massa and other top drivers, that BMW Sauber, once regulated to being an engine provider for Williams and Brabham, will secure itself in Formula One for many years to come.

With these predictions, you, the reader can hold me to them through the whole season. As a disclaimer, I amm, and have been, a fan of Fernando Alonso for many years, and I am sorry in advance for any bias I may hold for or against him. Thank you for reading, and I hope to hear feedback in the weeks to come as the Slipstream crosses many forms of motorsport.