The 2017 F1 season starts in less than two weeks with the Australian GP. This year, we have new regulations, new owners of the sport and several young drivers that could become the mainstay on the grid for years to come.
Also Read: 2017 Inside Line F1 Podcast: Which F1 Team is sandbagging?
And while the two pre-season testing sessions are over, we have just a vague idea about what to expect this year. Nevertheless, here are five things you should watch out for.
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#1 The new cars
The new regulations for 2017 have drastically altered how the cars look. There are wider tyres and the aero work has given them a more aggressive stance. That said, the shark fins have been hammered by many and there are rumours that the teams could be asked to get rid of them.
Nevertheless, what matters is how the new cars perform. From the pre-season testing, two things are clear - cars will be more taxing on the drivers and much, much quicker. Naturally, we will have faster lap times but that may not necessarily improve the track action.
Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa have warned that overtaking will become more difficult as drivers will lose a lot of downforce when trailing another car. Furthermore, the new Pirelli tyres have improved durability, which means teams might get away with a one-stop strategy at many circuits.
#2 Ferrari and Red-Bull challenge for Mercedes
Since 2014, Mercedes has dominated F1. They have won 51 of the 59 races and claimed all the championship titles en-route. Fans and Liberty Media, for that matter, will hope that the German outfit gets more competition from Ferrari and Red Bull this year.
On paper, Ferrari had the fastest car during the pre-season and many critics believe that the Italian outfit will finally have a car capable of winning the title. On the other hand, Red-Bull had a subdued testing because of troubles with the Renault powertrain. Yet all the teams were experimenting with the set-ups and sandbagging, so we can’t draw much conclusions. Red Bull will be stronger and Ferrari could be a lot a weaker (like last season when the topped the pre-season charts but didn’t win a GP).
That said, the consensus is that Mercedes will still be the quickest. But that isn’t an issue as long as Red Bull and Ferrari can genuinely challenge for wins and poles. For all the excitement of the title battle between Nico Rosberg and Hamilton in 2016, the championship was quite boring as a whole.
Only two races were won by a non-Mercedes driver and that too after at least one of them faced retirement. And given that overtaking will be harder in 2017, one can only wish that Ferrari and Red Bull will have the outright pace to trouble Toto Wolff’s men.
#3 Bottas-Hamilton Rivalry
Many believe Hamilton will easily dominate Valtteri Bottas this year. After all, with 53 race wins, 61 poles and three world championships, he is one of the best racers ever seen in F1. Not to forget, only twice has the 32-year-old finished a season behind his teammate - in 2011 when Jenson Button beat him, and last year, when Rosberg won the title.
Yet Bottas has got impressive credentials to back him. The Finn is a consistent performer, a pretty no-nonsense guy off the track - perhaps a bit like his compatriot Kimi Raikkonen, has a driving style admired by many (including F1 race coach, Rob Wilson) and regularly outperformed Massa at Williams.
One will argue that Bottas is yet to win a GP, but this will be the first time the 27-year-old will be driving for a title contender. Hamilton will be very difficult to beat but Bottas is capable of taking the fight to the Briton.
#4 Mclaren Honda and Alonso
McLaren had a dismal pre-season outing as Honda has been unable to provide it with a powertrain that can come anywhere near the top teams in terms of performance or reliability.
This means Fernando Alonso’s miserable luck in F1 is expected to continue into the 2017 season. The Spaniard is confident of beating anyone among the current set of drivers but no one knows when he will get the car to prove that.
The 35-year-old is frustrated with Honda and publicly criticised the Japanese company a few day ago, “There is no reliability and there is no power- we are 30 km/h down on the straight,” he said about the Honda powertrain.
#5 The youngsters
Max Verstappen, the 19-year-old prodigy and F1’s youngest-ever race-winner, is considered the next big thing in F1. Many even view him as the next Ayrton Senna, traits of which were on display in his masterful drive in the rain at Interlagos last season.
However, the Dutchman isn’t the only youngster vying to impress this year. Stoffel Vandoorne, Carlos Sainz, Dany Kvyat, Esteban Ocon, Pascal Wehrlein, Lance Stroll and Kevin Magnussen are all proficient drivers and yet to turn 25.
They will most likely not get to see the podium in 2017, assuming Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull will have the fastest cars, but we hope to see them in the points regularly.
