2007 World Champions

[ArrowsFA1]

It's very early still and perhaps we can come back to this thread at the end of the season, but what are your predictions for the 2007 WDC & WCC?

Can Renault retain both their titles, or will the loss of Alonso hit them hard? Will Fisichella step up his pace to replace him? Can Ferrari survive Schumacher's retirement and adapt to Kimi, or will Massa use all he's learnt and beat the Finn? Will Heikki & Lewis live up to their promise and challenge for wins?

I'm assuming that Renault, Ferrari & McLaren will continue to lead the way but can Honda, Toyota or BMW break into the top three and challenge for titles with the drivers they have, or can Williams and/or Red Bull spring a surprise or two?

My best guess, in answer to my own question :p : , is WDC = Kimi, WCC = Ferrari. Why? Because although Ferrari are going through major changes I think they have the best chance of maintaining their level of performance. It may take a season for those changes to hit hard, and until then Kimi will show that all he has been waiting for is a reliable car.

[Mark]

All the teams are going through massive changes this year, in one way or another. But I agree, the best placed to be able to cope with it all is Ferrari.

Renaults driver line up isn't strong enough. McLarens are but unless their car is a vast improvement, they won't challenge the WC. Honda will get wins but again, their car/engine won't match Ferrari.

I think a Honda, McLaren, Renault and Ferrari will all get wins but it'll be Ferrari that takes the championship.

[Ranger]

I keep having the recurring thought that Renault will still be very very good next year, possibly champions.

McLaren may/may not be good. They have a habit of unpredictability which McLaren and Fernando hope they can wipe out and normalise consistancy. But you never know. Ferrari in 1995 before Schumacher joined was pretty much in the same state without the serious title challenges.

It can only go up for McLaren. They have the only WDC on the grid and the man who possibly won't ever leave McLaren a la Gilles Villeneuve and Ferrari - Hamilton. He has a lot of potential and should be a WDC contender in the future, based on very substantial past achievements.

Ferrari are almost expected to win. They will not be dominant, much the same as this year, but they may come out on top. Most people have commented on this so I won't.

Several teams are rising quickly, but any serious title challenge or charge apart from the above four teams seems extremely unlikely, but it could happen.

Outside of the top 4, Watch for Red Bull, BMW and most notably Honda.

[ATF]

I agree with all that. I don't really like Ferrari and was gutted to see Kimi move there, but if Ferrari have to win, I suppose it's better him winning it.

You're right Mark, Reno's driver line-up isn't strong enough - Fisi isn't good enough to be champion and McLaren (well, Alonso) could challenge for the title but it would depend on a car matching the Ferrari, which I doubt they will have.

Kimi and Ferrari all the way! Massa could possibly win it if Kimi had bad luck and they started team orders quite early on!!! :(

[ottostreet]

kimi & ferrari, pretty much without question. id love to see kovaleinen bring it though...that would be great fun!

[Mifune]

In this case with all changes at the top teams, I think in terms of the drivers it will be whoever is willing to mould the team around him and put in the peripheral effort (a la Schumacher/Senna) for Raikonnen and Alonso its really there for the taking, but McLaren seems to be making a lot of noise about really catering everything for Alonso, I think that’s what it will take these days, a full commitment to and from one driver, I don’t know if Raikonnen is capable of giving that much of himself to dominate at Ferrari or even if a team still grieving for Schumacher, will be willing to give their all for a newcomer , but I have no doubt Alonso can at Mac, in the long term that will decide who is triumphant.
In the short term, Renault may be able to coast on the inertia of recent success, as may Ferrari.

[EuroTroll]

I've always agreed with Niki Lauda that Kimi made a mistake by going to Ferrari, because his personality is simply not suited for such an emotional team. However, for 2007 everything seems to have arranged itself so that Kimi can win his well-deserved Drivers Championship.

At least he'll probably never again get a chance as good as this.

The WCC will almost certainly be Ferrari's, because the only driver pairing that can compare will likely have a much worse car.

[DocF225]

Agreed, Kimi and Ferrari don't seem like a good fit.

If they mesh, they will be the team to beat for both WDC and WCC. Might be Kimi's last best shot at the WDC.

[BeansBeansBeans]

I've always agreed with Niki Lauda that Kimi made a mistake by going to Ferrari, because his personality is simply not suited for such an emotional team.

It's funny that Lauda would say that, as his personality was ill-suited to Ferrari as well, but they managed to acheive great success together.

[jens]

We have already two threads talking about 2007 champions. :dozey: I've got to some kind of standstill and freeze in my position at that kind of topic as I've already on several occasions said my thoughts and I won't bring out any new thoughts before new cars will be released. :)



---

Several teams are rising quickly, but any serious title challenge or charge apart from the above four teams seems extremely unlikely, but it could happen.

Outside of the top 4...
--

You talk about four teams, but have mentioned only three (McLaren, Ferrari, Renault)?! :p :

[EuroTroll]

It's funny that Lauda would say that, as his personality was ill-suited to Ferrari as well...

Was it? In what way?

[Ian McC]

I think the loss of Alonso will hurt Renault, really it looks like Ferrari all the way. Would love to see McLaren improve on this years effort but it will be Kimi to win it.

[BeansBeansBeans]

Was it? In what way?

Lauda was cold, calculating and completely un-romantic about motor racing. The exact opposite of Ferrari really. I love Niki Lauda though. He's certainly the funniest Grand Prix driver I've heard.

[BDunnell]

You're absolutely right about Lauda. His completely different personality to that to which the team was used, when allied to the abilities and style of di Montezemelo, managed to turn a chaotic team around.

[Hawkmoon]

As much as I would love to see either Raikkonen or Massa win the title next year, I'm not so sure it will happen. Too much has changed and whilst Raikkonen is extremely fast, he's not the team leader that Schumacher was. I think Massa has more potential to fill that role but I don't think he has the consistent, outright speed to make it work.

The key will be whether Ferrari need to have a focal point like Schumacher to operate at their best. They've worked that way for the last 11 years, so it may be quite a culture shock to have Raikkonen simply driving the car and not bonding the team together as Schumacher did.

That's not a criticism of Raikkonen per se, it just that his apparent personality and way of doing his job is so different from Schumacher's that the team may struggle to adapt quickly enough.

As for the other teams, McLaren have the driver but probably won't have the car (you can't tell with Ron's boys, consistency not being one of their strong points at the moment).

Renault have the car but probably don't have the drivers. Fisichella has already shown he is not up to it and Kovalainen is a largely unknown commodity.

Of the rest, Honda are the best placed to move up but if Valve is correct and Davidson is as good as Valve says he is, then Honda will miss his input a great deal. I also don't think Button is good enough to lift the team past the other contenders if the cars are about equal.

The rest are just making up the numbers.

My heart says the title is going back the Maranello where it belongs ;) , but my head has enough doubts to make me think it's going to be a very close and exiting season.

[Thor]

I'm sure of it will be Heikki Kovalainen,and I guess Mercedes will not manage to build a good engine for the next season.
Therefore I say it will be Heikki Kovalainen and Renault

[Hawkmoon]

I'm sure of it will be Heikki Kovalainen,and I guess Mercedes will not manage to build a good engine for the next season.
Therefore I say it will be Heikki Kovalainen and Renault


With the exception of Farina in 1950 (which doesn't really count), I don't think a rookie has ever won the world title.

So young Kovalainen has the weight of 50 plus years of history against him.

[Viv]

I too feel Kimi doesn't suit Ferrari. Maybe Ferrari should've signed Alonso :p :
I still feel Ferrari will pull it off...though I wish McLaren will break their duck this season. I think Renault will do well too, but I think it'll be Kimi for WDC Ferrari just ahead with a close battle between McLaren, Renault and Honda for second in the WCC.

[V12]

While Fisichella maybe isn't quite top-drawer, there are a lot of parallels with him and Damon Hill 11 years ago. All his rivals are swapping teams, he may find himself in the best car next year, and partnered by a rookie teammate...Probably a long shot, but it will certainly be the best chance he'll ever get!

[ShiftingGears]

You talk about four teams, but have mentioned only three (McLaren, Ferrari, Renault)?! :p :

This is what happens when you don't get enough sleep. :p :

[Ranger]

While Fisichella maybe isn't quite top-drawer, there are a lot of parallels with him and Damon Hill 11 years ago. All his rivals are swapping teams, he may find himself in the best car next year, and partnered by a rookie teammate...Probably a long shot, but it will certainly be the best chance he'll ever get!

Fisi may be in the best car next year.

But he won't be in a dominant car, like Hill had in 1996.

Hence IMO he will not win the title or come very close. But we will see - It is not beyond comprehension.

[Bolton Midnight]

Ferrari all the way, Massa may even beat Kimi.

Alonso will be 2nd or 3rd

Renault will fall off the radar and have their worse year since Fisi and Button were team mates.

Red Bull as the dark horse team

[harsha]

its a dream of mine of kimi winning the WDC and Mclaren winning the constructors,let's hope it comes through,so what if Kimi is driving a ferrari :D

[555-04Q2]

its a dream of mine of kimi winning the WDC and Mclaren winning the constructors,let's hope it comes through,so what if Kimi is driving a ferrari :D

This is gonna be your boys best chance to win a WDC next year. He just has the slight problem of FM in another Ferrari ;)

[Juppe]

This is gonna be your boys best chance to win a WDC next year. He just has the slight problem of FM in another Ferrari ;)

Nah, there will be 2008 and 2009 as well.

Why is it that the guys who are the most vocal of their chances before the season, never quite seem to make it? ;)

[ioan]

Nah, there will be 2008 and 2009 as well.

Why is it that the guys who are the most vocal of their chances before the season, never quite seem to make it? ;)

You mean DC and JB?! ;)

[jens]

Drawing the parallel between Fisichella and Hill is interesting, but we have one vital difference here - Hill was #1 already in the previous seasons and before the start of 1996 there wasn't much doubt that he is the main favourite for the title. But even if Renault dominates the winter testings, then there will stay doubters about Fisi's driving abilities. And doubt if anyone puts him as #1 favourite. What concerns the competitiveness of the machinery, then I think Ferrari is the only team that Renault's car might fail to match (which means that Ferrari will dominate). Doubt if McLaren with all those changes can develop so rapidly and get past Renault. At the moment they are still clearly behind.

Actually I have one doubt that might be faithful for Renault in terms of the competitiveness of machinery. That they won't be able to make such a huge turnaround and suddenly build "Fisi's (or Heikki's) car" instead of "Alonso's car" that they have been used to.

[eloyf1]

The only Championship that we can guess the Champion is the Constructors' one... Ferrari has the most equilibrated team, and the best car... McLaren will earn points since the first race thanks to Alonso, but Hamilton will need an adaptation time... Renault has a good car and a good "team", but either of its drivers have chances of being World Champion (Kovalainen will finish better than Fisico: I bet all I have :p )... BMW and Honda will win some races, but I can't see them like World Champions... The other teams will have a similar role than in 2006...

Sorry for my English... I know it sucks, but I write here to improve it...

[Viv]

Hamilton might need some adaptation time but I think that'll be time required to win racs. I don't see why he can't score points from the first race especially after testing during the winter..he should be able to acclamatise himself with the car n the mechanics. The race experience will be alcking but if McLaren can produce a reliable car then I think both the drivers will score from race 1.

[Ian McC]

You mean DC and JB?! ;)

You could argue that JB has never had the right car under him, DC, well, if you were looking for a reason you could blame the Hakk :D

[eloyf1]

I don't see why he can't score points from the first race especially after testing during the winter...
Because it's not the same thing to make trainings or races... Hamilton know how to be speed (He will make good qualifications...) but he haven't done any race as long as a F1's one... It's not as easy as we think to race for more than half and hour...

[agwiii]

It is a very long time until March 19, 2007.

[Viv]

Because it's not the same thing to make trainings or races... Hamilton know how to be speed (He will make good qualifications...) but he haven't done any race as long as a F1's one... It's not as easy as we think to race for more than half and hour...

Like Agwii said..there's a lot of time till March 18,'07. Hamilton will have ample time to simulate race distances during testing. I do agree that it is difficult to race for more than half an hour or 1 hour if u like but I think drivers do amke it through the race distance..I haven't seen anyone retire because he wasn't fit enough to complete a race..he may get tired but quit??I doubt that. Besides a person like Ron Denis wouldn't select a driver who he thought was incapable of lasting race distances...especially coming off a season like 06.

[samuratt]

Ferrari for both titles, unless McLaren makes a decent car, in that case i am not so sure that a Ferrari will be WDC. They should be WCC in any case though! :tongue:

Apart from those, I can only see Renault and/or Honda winning...

[eloyf1]

Like Agwii said..there's a lot of time till March 18,'07. Hamilton will have ample time to simulate race distances during testing. I do agree that it is difficult to race for more than half an hour or 1 hour if u like but I think drivers do amke it through the race distance..I haven't seen anyone retire because he wasn't fit enough to complete a race..he may get tired but quit??I doubt that. Besides a person like Ron Denis wouldn't select a driver who he thought was incapable of lasting race distances...especially coming off a season like 06.
Test drivers make lots of kilometers too, and they don't earn points always...

[Viv]

Test drivers make lots of kilometers too, and they don't earn points always...

Well test drivers who have decent speed and in a top team do get points almost everytime they finish if not every occasion. and you urself accepted that Hamilton is fast. So I think it's safe to say Hamilton will get points in almost every race he finishes next year...and that includes the first race.Kubica is an example..and the Macca is faster than the BMW.

[jso1985]

WDC.- hard to tell, surely Raikkonen and Massa are favourites, if McLaren gets things right then Alonso is the favourite, if Ferrari and McLaren mess up with their cars, then Fisichella, Button, Barrichello, Heidfeld or even Kovalainen or Kubica have a slight chance.

WCC.- this one is easier, unless they have a bad car, Ferrari is the only top team with two drivers capable of winning races on a constant basis.

[F1boat]

IMO it will be close and interesting season. I think that Renault need to make very dominant car if they want to win the championship. If they do, it'll be a good chance for Fisi. I can't imagine that he'll be beaten by a rookie.
Ferrari are favourites to win it. It is unlikely that they will lose ground to Renault. They have very good drivers, proven race winners. They have experience. I think that they will be the team to beat next year. However, I do think that if Kimi and Massa are evenly matched Ferrari may have trouble with the WDC.
McLaren-Mercedes are an enigma to me. They can make a very fast car, but I doubt that it'll be reliable. Also it always seems that something happens to the McLaren. If not the car, a pit mistake. I doubt that Alonso will win again. But then, anything is possible. About Lewis, I think that he is overestimated. But I may be wrong.
Honda should be competitive, even more than last year. I hope so, because I'll cheer for Button. If the car is right, I think that he can surprise many people next year.
I think that other teams would not be very strong. Toyota may best BMW and Red Bull because of his experience with Bridgestone, but it is unlikely to enter top 4 again. Williams IMO will be even weaker, STR and Aguri might overtake it :(
But it is still early to tell. We'll see!

[Cozzie]

Renault-Alonso=troubles
Ferrari-Schuey, Brawn, Todt etc=troubles
McLaren+2 new drivers=troubles
Honda=no troubles
BMW=not troubles
2007 is the time for Honda and BMW-Sauber to step up.

[chickensupreme]

Ferrari for the constructers, with challenges from McLaren (if Hamilton does well) or Renault. Drivers- I'm hoping that Kimi can do the buisness, but I wouldn't be that suprised if Alonso takes it.

[Bezza]

The title will go to Raikkonen and Ferrari, with Massa, Button and Fisichella running him fairly close. I can't see any one team dominating (at least I hope not!).

Honda are the only top team to keep their line-up and have been gradually improving, so I expect them to be good. Button has the measure of Barrichello.

McLaren is a long-term thing - I still think reliability is too big a problem for Alonso to mount a title bid. He may win a couple of races but nothing more. Hamilton will need time to get used to everything.

My prediction in full: Top 10:

1. Raikkonen (6 wins)
2. Button (4 wins)
3. Massa (2 wins)
4. Fisichella (3 wins)
5. Alonso (1 win)
6. Barrichello
7. Hamilton
8. Kubica
9. Heidfeld
10. Kovalainen

[Alfa Fan]

Here's the finishing positions for 2007

1. Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari (Austalian GP, Monaco GP, US GP, Turkish GP, Italain GP)
2. Felipe Massa Ferrari (Bahrain GP, Canadian GP, Belgian GP, Brazilian GP)
3. Heikki Kovalainen Renault (Malaysian GP, German GP)
4. Jenson Button Honda (British GP)
5. Robert Kubica BMW (French GP, Japanese GP)
6. Giancarlo Fisichella Renault (Chinese GP)
7. Jarno Trulli Toyota (Hungarian GP)
8. Mark Webber Red Bull
9. Nick Heidfeld BMW
10. Fernando Alonso McLaren (Spanish GP)

11. David Coulthard Red Bull
12. Alex Wurz Williams
13. Rubens Barrichello Honda
14. Lewis Hamilton McLaren
15. Ralf Schumacher Toyota
16. Nico Rosberg Williams
17. Takuma Sato Super Aguri
18. Anthony Davidson Super Aguri
19. Tiago Monteiro Spyker
20. Vitantonio Liuzzi Toro Rosso
21. Christijan Albers Spyker
22. Scott Speed Toro Rosso

[W8&C]

According to Briatore, Renault thinks that „...Alonso was the anti-Schumacher...“ and they hope „...that Heikki can be the anti-Alonso...“. (http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=240160&FS=F1)

While the first is true with the second it seems they don´t rate Fisichella very high. In contrary he didn´t mention him at all. So playing second fiddle whats his true role at Renault? Lapdogging Kovalainen? At least its an indication that there is a clear one – two hierarchy within the Renault driverline.

Poor Fisichella...

[Ranger]

Symonds thinks differently and rates Fisichella very highly.

But new blood in Flavio's outfits has always seemed to work out, so Flavio would have enough reason to support Kovi over Fisi.

[F1boat]

According to Briatore, Renault thinks that „...Alonso was the anti-Schumacher...“ and they hope „...that Heikki can be the anti-Alonso...“. (http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=240160&FS=F1)

While the first is true with the second it seems they don´t rate Fisichella very high. In contrary he didn´t mention him at all. So playing second fiddle whats his true role at Renault? Lapdogging Kovalainen? At least its an indication that there is a clear one – two hierarchy within the Renault driverline.

Poor Fisichella...
I don't know, but for Fisi it will be major humiliation to be bested by a rookie driver.

[Dzeidzei]

Symonds thinks differently and rates Fisichella very highly.

But new blood in Flavio's outfits has always seemed to work out, so Flavio would have enough reason to support Kovi over Fisi.

Dearest Mallen,

while I do agree with you, I strongly suggest not to nickname Heikki as "Kovi". All the real nicknames (Schumi, Fisico etc.) actually work on the drivers mother tongue. "Kovi" doesnt.

Maybe there should be a poll on the international nick name for Heikki? He´ll be needing one pretty soon, I think.

[ioan]

Dearest Mallen,

while I do agree with you, I strongly suggest not to nickname Heikki as "Kovi". All the real nicknames (Schumi, Fisico etc.) actually work on the drivers mother tongue. "Kovi" doesnt.


What does Kovi mean?!

[EuroTroll]

What does Kovi mean?!

To the best of my understanding, it's not so much what it means (as it doesn't mean anything), but that it makes a Finn want to gnash his teeth, pull his own hair out, and stab the person who said it in the eye. It's simply sounds so horribly wrong. (To illustrate, an equivalently annoying nickname for Damon Hill would probably be something like Dilly-Willy-Poo.)

Therefore, a preferable nickname for Kovalainen would perhaps be "Kova", which means "hard" or "tough" in Finnish. Not that Kovalainen is particularly hard or tough. But at least it doesn't make a Finn to want gnash his teeth, pull his own hair out, and of course stab you in the eye. ;)

[Ranger]

To the best of my understanding, it's not so much what it means (as it doesn't mean anything), but that it makes a Finn want to gnash his teeth, pull his own hair out, and stab the person who said it in the eye. It's simply sounds so horribly wrong. (To illustrate, an equivalently annoying nickname for Damon Hill would probably be something like Dilly-Willy-Poo.)

Therefore, a preferable nickname for Kovalainen would perhaps be "Kova", which means "hard" or "tough" in Finnish. Not that Kovalainen is particularly hard or tough. But at least it doesn't make a Finn to want gnash his teeth, pull his own hair out, and of course stab you in the eye. ;)

Ok, point taken. :)

[ClarkFan]

I'll go for the incumbent plays.

Ferrari to be the fastest car, because of their previous experience with Bridgestone. The former Michelin teams will catch up in testing, but I think that Ferrari will retain a solid advantage for at least half of the season.

And Massa to be World Champion, as he already has experience with Ferrari and is now a proven race winner. Raikkonen will catch up to him by the end of the year, but changing team in this high-tech era is difficult, and I expect Kimi to have a learning curve in the red cars.

ClarkFan

[Dzeidzei]

To the best of my understanding, it's not so much what it means (as it doesn't mean anything), but that it makes a Finn want to gnash his teeth, pull his own hair out, and stab the person who said it in the eye. It's simply sounds so horribly wrong.

Therefore, a preferable nickname for Kovalainen would perhaps be "Kova", which means "hard" or "tough" in Finnish. Not that Kovalainen is particularly hard or tough. But at least it doesn't make a Finn to want gnash his teeth, pull his own hair out, and of course stab you in the eye. ;)

Well, it doesnt make me want to do any of those things. It just simply sounds stupid. And even more, it doesnt make Heikki sound stupid, it makes the guy who says "Kovi" sound stupid. So unless you deliberately want to sound stupid (I know quite a few guys here who do want that) I would suggest to use something else.

Kova doesnt work either, for the obvious reasons studiose already pointed out. Heikki does come from Karelia, so perhaps a nickname related to the Kalevala legends would be appropriate....

Or not :)

[jas123f1]

My opinion is (today) of the teams that Ferrari, Renault and McLaren are all getting wins but Ferrari takes the championship and if i'm looking for surprises it will be Honda or Red Bull Racing with their Ferrari engines and their Newey designed car.