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I think everyone will agree when I say that F1 fans have not had the best of the decade, with the dominance of Red Bull in the early parts to the emergence of Mercedes in the hybrid era, it has all been a bit one dimensional, with the exception of 2010 and 2012 of course.
The excitement of the race itself is lacking and we all could tell even before the teams got into the country who would be on the podium with a reasonable degree of accuracy. Tracks like Monaco, Hungary, Australia and Singapore certainly do not help the cause and the change in rule to forbid teams from re-fueling during the race itself because of 'safety issues' has deprived us of all the chaos and drama.
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So what has changed this season that is claiming otherwise? Well for starters, Ferrari and Red Bull have picked up the pace. All of you who have seen the first four races this season would agree to this. I don't know what to expect for the next race and this is the first time in a long long time I am feeling this way.
The so-called midfield is a lot closer to each other in terms of performance than in recent times. In fact, the performance is so close that any team can now overtake any other teams in the same bracket i.e midfield on midfield and top six on top six. And also If you didn't already know, this is the first time in history two quadruple world champions are on the track gunning for the fifth and ready to prove everybody why they are the best.
So let's take a look at what is different this season and why it will be the most exciting season of this era:
#1 Emergence of Red Bull and Ferrari
Yes, you saw this one coming didn't you? Well, obviously it's a no-brainer. The most glaring thing of the past season was the lack of competition up top. It had changed a bit last season when Ferrari were looking for a title push in the early parts but the challenge waned at the fag end of the season, the difference in performance was conspicuous in the Grand Prix of Italy, United States, Belgium and it was obvious that Ferrari needed to find a bit more to seriously push Lewis and the Silver Arrows.
In the previous seasons, if I ask you to tell me the one thing that will definitely happen on a race weekend, you would have told me that a Mercedes will be on pole. Specifically, if I asked about last season than you would have told me that Mercedes would be on pole in certain types of tracks and Ferrari on others. I dare you to do this now. Impossible right?
Also, it is obvious that Red Bull do not have the pace to compete in the qualifiers so far but their race pace is genuinely promising and when you have drivers like Ricciardo and Max who can find gaps where they do not exist, you know we've got a season on our hands like never before. Red Bull could genuinely have had a one-two in the Shanghai If not for Max's all or nothing moves when it was absolutely unnecessary.
#2 The midfield encounter
Let me start by saying Alonso in the McLaren is best of the rest at the moment. Toro Rosso in the Honda Engine I repeat Honda Engine has clocked the highest speed on the straights. Seriously who would have believed it? McLaren obviously need to improve as both their qualifying and race pace is not up to the mark but the sheer brilliance of Fernando with his fiery starts are the main reason why McLaren is best of the rest leading Renault by 1 point.
Toro Rosso in the Honda-powered engine have put in some very impressive performances and the Honda engine is finally starting to live up to its billing and had it not been for some unfortunate circumstances we would have for both Honda and Haas we would have seen a different picture of the standings.
The Mercedes powered Force India and Williams will always give these teams a run for its money. Mercedes still have a superior power unit when compared to the rest and it is more apparent in the midfield. But Renault and Haas seem to have a better package overall and this is why it's anybody's game from here on. So all of these teams have different bits and pieces that make up the midfield battle really intriguing and different from the past.
#3 Red Bull in the Mix
I can straight away assure you one thing. A Red Bull driver may or may not be in the top of the standings at the end of the day but you better believe me when I say that they will have an influence on it one way or the other. You can take Baku or Shanghai as an example.
In Baku, they took each other out and caused total chaos on the field. In Shanghai, Vettel was strolling towards the podium and you know what happened right. This is racing and that is how it is supposed to be. What has changed in the recent seasons is that Red Bull drivers now have a car that is competitive and with them being the best two over-takers in the grid, Hamilton and Vettel need to look over their shoulders a lot more for a raging bull that is ready to take them on.
Daniel Ricciardo has a lot to prove in order to be considered by Mercedes and Ferrari as he is running out of contract and Max needs to show everybody that the promise is not false. When you couple all these things you know we have got a fantastic season on our hands so folks grab your chips and coke and get ready for the lights out.
