2014 is set to be a cracker of year. New regulations, new drivers and new circuits sees the field turned completely upside-down. Here we take a look at the expected front-running teams.
Mercedes: Arguably the strongest team in terms of reliability and outright pace has to be the German Mercedes outfit. Having had the least amount of technical issues of any team during the winter, the W05, which will be piloted by Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton is set to be title-favourite for 2014.
The squad, who re-entered Formula 1 in 2010 endured their best season last year and look to improve on that form with the outright advantage over any other team in the field, with both drivers topping the timesheets on several occasions and stating that there is more potential to come once they hit the track in Melbourne.
With Ross Brawn deciding to retire during the off-season, Mercedes decided not to reinstate his position and have kept virtually the same management structure as last season, with Toto Wolff and Niki Lauda still holding Executive positions within the team.
It is looking to be Mercedes's year to lose, with a strong driver line-up, dominant car and capable management team, anything short of a podium or win in Australia would be a disaster.
Red Bull: 2013's title winners appeared to be optimistic of good things to come after signing Daniel Ricciardo to replace the outgoing Mark Webber, however after only 21 laps were completed by the Austrian-funded team at the first Jerez test, it looked as if Red Bull would be in serious trouble for 2014.
The problems appeared to be attributed to various cooling issues, as well as ongoing problems with the new V6 Renault Power Unit, hampering the squads running and sending designer Adrian Newey back to the drawing board to try and amend the issues in time for the Bahrain tests.
Despite his and the teams best efforts, they proved to be unfounded as both Vettel and Ricciardo continued to struggle and only managed to get one full day of testing in, completing race simulations.
Although both have issued warnings stating that they will be off the pace this weekend, their one lap pace has been generally positive and it wouldn't be surprising if they can pull something out of the bag come Saturday. But, it looks to be a tough season ahead for the four-time World Champions.
McLaren: The Danish Kevin Magnussen partners Jenson Button for 2014 and after issues on the the first day of testing at Jerez, it looked as if McLaren would be facing another grueling season. These fears though proved to be unfounded, with the British squad easily topping the timesheets the following day, with Button behind the wheel.
Controversy was aplenty however, with the field in up-roar at the unique 'butterfly' rear suspension on the MP4-29, which is something that will take time for the other teams to develop. A protest was meant to occur, however this never took place.
Despite this, their good fortune continued, with Magnussen proving to be blindingly quick by topping the leaderboard on the third day and completing over 100 laps on the fourth. The team continued to demonstrate their ability in both Bahrain tests by completing some stunning race simulations, despite some mechanical gremlins.
McLaren look set to be a very serious threat to Mercedes in 2014 and, if reliable, we may see the now Ron Dennis led team on top once more.
Ferrari: With the Scuderia deciding to re-sign Kimi Raikkonen in place of Felipe Massa, who will partner Fernando Alonso, it would appear that they have the most raw-talented and potentially volatile pairings on the grid.
The name for their 2014 car, the F14 T was decided in an online poll by fans and was unveiled on January 25th, ahead of the first test in Jerez. The Italian squad got off to a slow start, with Kimi Raikkonen stopping on track. Despite never topping the timesheets, their running improved as the test progressed with over 200 laps completed by Alonso and the Iceman.
Controversy was again present however, with the teams' 'turbo cover' being investigated. The FIA's rules state that in the event of the turbo failing or coming loose, that it would not simply break through the engine cover and potentially injure a member of the crowd or another driver.
Although no action has been taken against Ferrari, it has been the subject of question surrounding the winter. Bahrain proved to be no problem for Maranello-based outfit, although they were again off the pace relative to the front runners.
It looks to be an interesting season for Ferrari, a strong driver pairing but mediocre car may put their championship on the back-burner before they have turned a wheel in Australia.
Williams: Perhaps the most surprising team in terms of performance are the Grove-based Williams squad. With new Mercedes power and having signed Felipe Massa to replace the Lotus-bound Pastor Maldonado, as well as retaining Vatteri Bottas for a second season, it would appear that the squad have a strong driver line-up in 2014.
Pre-season testing in Jerez proved to be encouraging, with the FW36 topping the timesheets on Day 4 in the hands of Felipe Massa and general reliability proved to be strong throughout the test, something that continued over to Bahrain with Bottas showing his hand by topping the final session of the second test, again on Day 4.
To replace Maldonado's PDVSA sponsorship, the British squad have agreed a multi-year title sponsorship with the popular drinks company, Martini. Also announced was a partnership with the Brazilian multi-national energy firm, Petrobras. Shortly afterwards, Felipe Nasr was announced as their Reserve Driver.
It's looking to be a promising season for the Williams squad, with ex-F1 driver Mark Webber tipping the team to dominate 2014. Let's hope the order for Australia is shaken, not stirred!
Would you like to stay up to date with the latest Lewis Hamilton and Formula 1 news from GPtoday? Activate free push notifications and be the first to know!
0
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
I. Hadjar
A. Antonelli
C. Leclerc
78 members have this team as their favourite
