On the eve of the first on track action for the new season, we’re taking a look team by team at their chances for the 2016 season.
Mercedes
Drivers: Lewis Hamilton (British) & Nico Rosberg (German)
Team Principal: Toto Wolff
Team Nationality: German (based in Brackley, England)
Car: W07
Engine: Mercedes
Mercedes go into the third season of this turbo-hybrid era once again looking to utterly dominate proceedings. In 2015 the team commanded the season, securing 18 poles, 15 front row lock outs, 32 podiums and 16 wins. Hamilton took the drivers title in 2015 for the third time in his career. Though his team mate Nico Rosberg seems to be renewed for a title long fight this season after winning the last three races of the 2015 season. Pre-season testing didn’t give much away in terms of the raw pace of the car. But it is believed they are still the fastest team on the grid. Mercedes have struggled with managing their drivers over the last two seasons, with various flashpoints resulting in the relationship between the two breaking down. If the pair are up for a title long fight, it might be worth the team taking part in some team bonding exercises before the season opener.
Ferrari
Drivers: Sebastian Vettel (German) & Kimi Raikkonen (Finnish)
Team Principal: Maurizio Arrivabene
Team Nationality: Italian (based in Maranello, Italy)
Car: SF-16-H
Engine: Ferrari
Ferrari made their 2016 aims clear when they launched their car in February, Team Principal Maurizio Arrivabene is looking for a season long title fight with Mercedes. Sebastian Vettel was the only non-Mercedes driver to win races last season, with the four-time world champion taking three victories. And while team mate Kimi Raikkonen suffered the brunt of the unreliability of the car, he did manage three podiums for the team. Pre-season was on the whole positive for Ferrari. They topped the time sheet five of the eight days during the two tests, and worked on the cars reliability too. The thing to remember is they topped the time sheets in 2015 as well, before Mercedes went on to dominate the season. The question remains though, have Ferrari closed the gap to Mercedes enough to challenge them for the whole of the 21 race season.
Williams
Drivers: Felipe Massa (Brazilian) & Valtteri Bottas (Finnish)
Team Principal: Sir Frank Williams
Team Nationality: British (based in Grove, England)
Car: FW-38
Engine: Mercedes
Williams have managed to secure third in the Constructors Championship the last two years, which is a big deal considering they’re operating on a much smaller budget than the other teams they’re fighting with. The team had a quiet 2015 season, with drivers Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa scoring four podiums between them. Williams were well and truly leapfrogged by Ferrari last season. And when the team were presented with the chance to capitalise on their position they made some silly, and often costly mistakes. The team topped one day of Pre-season testing, though it is difficult to say where exactly they are in terms of the pecking order, since Williams tended to hide the pace on the FW-38. For 2016 the team need to invest to catch up to the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari. And if they are there when the teams falter, and provided they don’t make mistakes themselves, then it could look good for Williams getting that elusive comeback win.
Red Bull
Drivers: Daniel Ricciardo (Australian) & Daniil Kvyat (Russian)
Team Principal: Christian Horner
Team Nationality: Austrian (based in Milton Keynes, England)
Car: RB12
Engine: Tag Heuer branded Renault engines (Renault is a swear word in Red Bull right now)
Red Bull come into this season on the back of one of their worst seasons in the sport for a long time. Two years ago Red Bull stood as the undisputed champions of F1. Fast forward to 2015 and they’ve failed to secure a win for the first time since 2008, three podiums were the highlight of the season for the team. Aerodynamically, the car is one of, if not the strongest car on the grid. But their 2015 season was dominated with a very public falling out with engine provider Renault. The team said they would split with them, they talked to the other engine suppliers, and ended up back at Renault, running Tag Heuer branded engines, not what the team wanted. Pre-season testing for Red Bull is difficult to read. The team didn’t top the times sheets at all during testing, but they did show some pace during the tests. The belief is Red Bull will be there or there about with Williams and Force India, again it is difficult to say where exactly they are in terms of the pecking order.
Force India
Drivers: Nico Hulkenberg (German) & Sergio Perez (Mexican)
Team Principal: Vijay Mallya
Team Nationality: Indian (based in Silverstone, England)
Car: VJM-09
Engine: Mercedes
Force India come into 2016 off of one of their most positive seasons since they joined the sport. They well and truly punched above their weight in the 2015 season, with a podium in Russia the highlight for the team. With just a fraction of the budget of the big teams, the midfield outfit have shown just what they are capable of. Pre-season was again positive for the team. With Nico Hulkenberg scoring the fastest time on one of the days of testing. Expect more of the same fight from Force India this season, only without the shaky start they had last season waiting for the B-Spec car to be ready. In terms of the pecking order, it’ll be interesting to see the battle they may have with Red Bull, and possibly Williams as well.
Renault
Drivers: Jolyon Palmer (British) & Kevin Magnussen (Danish)
Team Principal: Frederic Vasseur
Team Nationality: French (based in Enstone, England)
Car: RS 16
Engine: Renault
2016 has already been described as a “transitional year” for the Renault team by Team Principal Frederic Vasseur. The team have brought out the former Lotus F1 team, over winter break, and have worked towards making sure the team and car is ready for the season ahead. The team have GP2 champion and F1 rookie Jolyon Palmer, as well as Former McLaren driver Kevin Magnussen driving for them. Pre-season proved tricky, with the team missing out on running due to reliability issues. It hasn’t helped they current car was designed around a Mercedes engine than now has to have a Renault engine shoehorned into it. The expectation is the team may have a difficult season ahead of them.
Toro Rosso
Drivers: Max Verstappen (Dutch) & Carlos Sainz (Spanish)
Team Principal: Franz Tost
Team Nationality: Italian (based in Faenza, Italy)
Car: STR11
Engine: Ferrari (2015 spec)
Toro Rosso look to be a genuine threat for some good points this season. Last season the youthful line up of Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz surprised many with their daring overtakes, breathing life back into the sometimes stale midfield. The team even managed to beat their big sister team Red Bull in races like Malaysia. This year the expectation for the 2016 season is for the team to move on up the constructors table. Pre-season went well, with the team clocking up the second most miles in testing, while putting in some decent lap times too. Suggesting the team are working on their reliability, one of the biggest issues in 2015, particularly for Sainz. Toro Rosso look to be in a good position, with a 2015 spec Ferrari engine in the back of their impressive chassis. The engine should be a step up in terms of performance from their Renault engine. And if Max and Carlos can continue to put in solid performances. We could see the team capitalising on other teams having shaky season starts.
Sauber
Drivers: Felipe Nasr (Brazilian) & Marcus Ericsson (Swedish)
Team Principal: Monisha Kaltenborn
Team Nationality: Swiss (based in Hinwil, Switzerland)
Car: C35
Engine: Ferrari
Sauber come into this season once again needing to make an impression on the points. The 2015 season for Sauber was, ordinary, if that is a word you can use to describe this sport. They had a few good results with Felipe Nasr. But otherwise they consistently scored in the mid to low teens, occasionally slipping in at the very back of the points positions. They’re a solid team, they just need to improve the car to challenge for regular points. Pre-season was difficult for the team. Their 2016 car was not ready until the second test meaning they only had four days running in it, compared to the other teams who got eight days. The drivers did go out on the first test in the 2015 car to gain some more driver miles. But from the pre-season tests there’s nothing really to suggest Sauber are going to be regular threats for high points positions. Add onto this the financial trouble the team seem to be in, with February’s salaries being paid late, this could be a difficult season for the Swiss team.
McLaren
Drivers: Jenson Button (British) & Fernando Alonso (Spanish)
Team Principal: Eric Boullier
Team Nationality: British (based in Woking, England)
Car: MP-4-31
Engine: Honda
McLaren are looking for 2016 to be better than their 2015 season, it can’t be any worse can it? 12 retirements, two non-starts, and in one weekend alone the team picked up 105-grid place penalties between the two cars. Both Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso are back for another year, though you get the feeling if all is not sorted at McLaren this year, all hell will break loose with these two former world champions. Pre-season on the whole was more positive than last year. While the team didn’t challenge the big teams like they used to, they were comfortably in the upper mid field, while the drivers both got some mileage in the car. The engine seems to have gained some performance, but it is still down on power to the Mercedes, Ferraris and even the Renault power units. Honda seemed to have concentrated efforts on improving the reliability of their engines, which was one of their biggest weaknesses last year. One thing is for sure. No matter what the season brings, McLaren and Honda cannot have another season like they had in 2015.
Manor
Drivers: Pascal Wehrlein (German) & Rio Haryanto (Indonesian)
Team Principal: Dave Ryan
Team Nationality: British (based in Banbury, England)
Car: MRT-05
Engine: Mercedes
Two new drivers, a new engine and gearbox, a new team behind Manor. The 2015/16 winter was a busy time for Banbury based team. Throughout the winter Manor have been hiring some big names for roles within the team. Dave Ryan, Nikolas Tombazis, and Pat Fry all join the team that is now running a Mercedes engine, with a Williams F1 gearbox too. Pre-season seemed to show that there is some pace in the Manors, or at least enough to challenge the back of the midfield more. Pascal Wehrlein showed some impressive form in the car, scoring some decent lap times across the two tests. And while Rio Haryanto did have a few offs in testing, he seems to be settling into the car well. Good, solid management will be needed for the team if they are to make an impression this year. If the team are able to get the car working in harmony then they could be a serious threat for the lower mid field next year, and who knows. If a few of the other team’s struggle, there may even be the chance of world championship points for the team as well.
Haas
Drivers: Romain Grosjean (French) & Esteban Gutierrez (Mexican)
Team Principal: Guenther Steiner
Team Nationality: American (based in the US, England and Italy)
Car: VF-16
Engine: Ferrari
Formula 1 welcomes back an American team to the grid for the first time in almost three decades. Though don’t be fooled, no team has come into the sport with as many advantages as Haas have, these guys are the real deal. Effectively Haas are a Ferrari ‘B’ team, running as many parts as they possibly can on the car from Ferrari. In fact, the relationship between the two teams was so close, rules have had to be clarified regarding the relationship between the two. The team are targeting points. And with their Ferrari baseline, that should provide them with a good starting base for development for the season ahead. Pre-season testing was difficult for the team. One the one hand, the team managed some good mileage with the drivers, and showed some competitive lap times as well. The issue is they also suffered from reliability issues, while a front wing failed completely on Romain Grosjean’s car. Proving once again that it doesn’t matter how prepared you are, F1 really can be a case of baptism by fire.
The first race of the new Formula 1 season gets underway in Australia on Friday the 19th of March, with the first of the free practice sessions. If you want to know more about what to look forward to from the 2016 F1 Season you can find an article here.
Feature Image Credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2015_Malaysian_GP_opening_lap.jpg
