The Slipstream: 10 Questions For Those Who Are About to Race...

Welcome back to another edition of the Slipstream.  So here we are race fans, in just a few short hours the 2009 F1 season will roll off and the carbon fiber encased chariots will embark on another world wide battle for the world championship. 

An assignment was passed across my desk to ask and then answer the ten questions that will define the 2009 season.  So here they are, the ten questions that are flying around the cyclone of cynicism this week. 

10) Is a sport like Formula 1 still relevant after the fiscal crisis that has befallen the planet?

-If this was 10 years ago, I would have answered a very definite no, but with the new rules package, I can say with confidence yes it is.

These new cars do not just represent a paradigm shift in competition adjustment, but they represent a clear path towards relevancy in a world that is more interested in cost cutting while maximising  large investments. 

The KERS system represents true innovation with legitimate applications to the road cars of the 21st Century.  Yes, I know paddle shifters and advanced synthetic motor oil have come out of F1 and been put into road cars, but the KERS is true technological and importantly marketing gold. 

Slimmer, sleeker cars mated with the most radical piece of technology since the introduction of ground effects in the KERS system make the FIA Formula One Grand Prix Championship the new model for global compeition and corporate involvement.

9) Will the new rules help or hurt the sport?

-If the pre-season testing numbers were indications of something strange going on in the sport, the practice sessions in Melbourne prove those numbers to be just previews of a season where anything really is possible.

Without a doubt, these new rules will bring in more attention, along with better competition and variety on the podium since every race is a true test session with points on the line. 

Gone are the days of Ferrari and McLaren taking the lions share of the races, leaving the rest of the factory teams to pick up on the Big Two's mistakes.

We are now looking at a legitimate new era in F1 and as I have said before, I had my doubts, but after seeing the cars in motion with each other, I don't have any issues with the new rules, even the winner take all title format for 2010.

8) What will be the major news stories of 2009?

-Fernando Alonso being announced as a Ferrari driver in 2011 will be one of the large mid to late season news stories. The clues have been in place for some time, with the major one being Banco Santander moving from McLaren to Ferrari. 

Alonso will be replacing Raikkonen, with the Finn's future probably leaning towards full on retirement with the Scuderia. Rumors will swirl around Robert Kubica as his contract with BMW draws to a close. I am sure a certain Woking based team will take a good look at him or Nico Rosberg to partner Lewis Hamilton for 2010.

As mentioned in other articles but one I am in full agreement with, is that there is going to be a full on purge of drivers during this season.

Nelson Piquet, Nick Heidfeld, and Heikki Kovalanen will all gone by the end of the year from their respective teams. Looking for French talent, Sebastian Bourdais will be signed to the Renault team in some capacity, perhaps in the mid year after Piquet is given the boot.

Jarno Trulli, Gincarlo Fisichella, and Mark Webber will also be slowly retired in order to clear the way for new talent that have been waiting in the wings. 

If Toyota cannot produce a win or two this year, I am sure the team will be shopped to investors backed by Japanese interests.

The only reason why Toyota has stayed in the game this long to begin with, is due to the large amount of influence Panasonic has with the team.

If the factory team pulls out, expect Panasonic to join up with Renault, who will be searching for a title sponsor following the departure of ING at the end of this year.

7) Who will be the suprise winners of 2009?

-With the aforementioned new rules package and the lack of pace from Ferrari and McLaren, the time is ripe for more than a few shocking winners. Nico Rosberg, Mark Webber, Timo Glock, and even Brawn GP driver Jenson Button are all candidates for suprise wins.

Expect the real surprises to come early as the issue with the new front diffuser will more than likely result in some kind of rules "clarification" where the teams running it, will be forced to remove it.  

By the Grand Prix of Monaco, expect a more consistent playing field.  Until then, it is anybody's ball game, save for maybe the Force India McLarens.

6) Is Vettel the real deal?

-This one will take a few races to play out, but I do think that early indications are that given the correct set of circumstances, he is.  Unlike some drivers who have the ability to craft a race in their favor, Vettel has a great talent for adjusting to his surroundings and is a perfect fit for the Red Bull team. 

Once Webber is told to leave, or walks away on his own accord, he will be paired with somebody of his talent level, but from the in house Red Bull driver program.  While some may think that the future of F1 rests with the German, I believe that he is a key part of the future, not the embodiment of it.

5) Is the USF1 Team a legitimate effort or another flight of fancy?

-Any other point in the recent history of F1 I would have dismissed the USF1 team effort as just another attempt at putting Americans on the grid. The new rules allow for this kind of team to have a serious chance at making it to the grid. This effort however, has some serious traction. (pun not intended)  With major backing in the waiting and a wealth of talent ready and hoping for a shot at F1. 

There are a few things that were raised in the latest issue of RACER that gave me cause for concern.  All that could be talked about is how to "sell" F1 and how it was going to be their main goal to package and sell F1 to the US viewing audience. 

If that is your approach, then take the time, money, and resources, and put them into improving the SPEED channel coverage of races. It is that kind of attitude that will wind up getting Danica Patrick a race seat over somebody who might actually be able to compete against the best drivers in the world (sorry NASCAR).

If you want to "sell" F1, package the team in such a way that a true USGP is brought back to the North American continent.  It is just going to be hard to find mass appeal with most race fans in the US hooked on a serious dose of BOOGITY BOOGITY BOOGITY.

4) Can Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen regain championship form?

-With both men winning several races last year, but failing to challenge for the world title in the final rounds, it seems that these two former champions are facing rapidly approaching expiration dates.

Alonso is doing his best with a Renault team that is hindered by Nelson Piquet, who to be honest shouldn't be there anymore, and Kimi is driving against the man who was world champion for about 90 seconds in Brazil. 

These new cars and new uncharted territory represent an opportunity for these two former champions to show the rest of the grid that they were able to challenge Michael Schumacher himself, and in Alonso's case, be the man who ended the Red Baron's reign and denied him a 8th world title.

3) When will it be time to panic?

-I would say that the best gauge for a team is after the Canadian Grand Prix, but since somebody decided to ax that race from this year's calendar, I would have to say after the GP of Germany. 

Early season shockers and mid-season crying will lead to a few "adjustments" being made to the rules package to ensure teams like Ferrari, McLaren and Renault stay in the title fight for as long as possible. 

If your team isin't in top form by Germany, you might as well pull the plug on the current car and push your resources towards the development of the 2010 challenger. 

2) Who will win the Constructor's Championship?

-The safe bet is to pick BMW Sauber F1 since they have been working on their car the longest. In the debut of the Slipstream, I picked BMW to win the WCC and I stand by that choice. 

This year is a whole new ball game and I will not be going with the boys from Hinwill  They might have been working on their car the longest, but it will more than likely be the car that is the most conservative with these new rules. 

I do believe that we are in for a shocker in this category and I am going to go out on a limb and say it will be AT&T Williams Toyota F1 that takes back it's former glory, with Ferrari, Renault and Toyota in a close fight for the second and third spots this year. 

The rules are just too new and the driving talent in Nico and Kazuki is just too good of a risk not to take up.  Williams is too crafty not to realize that this is the last opportunity for the team to regain at least some of it's old form. 

1) Who will win the World Driver's Championship?

-Take the top eight drivers, put their name in a hat, shake the hat up and pull out a name and that is the man who will be world champion. It's that wide open this year.

Gone are the days of Ferrari and McLaren dominance, gone are the days of cookie cutter races and glorified parades. 

We are now embarking into a new era where the true skills of drivers will be tested, and new technologies put to the ultimate test. 

Sit back, relax, snap open a cold energy drink and get ready for one intense ride. To paraphrase a former McLaren world champion, it is going to be maximum attack, and the Slipstream will be here to cover each and every battle.

F1 09 IS GO!!!!!!!!