piboye
Well-known member
Below were my predictions that I made for this season after pre-season testing. If you combine the total points that Force India got (how could I have predicted their name would change and thus lose their points?), then I was only wrong about Sauber. They really, really improved this year.
[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]F1 has just finished testing. While you can't make truly accurate predictions from testing, it is still fun to try. What did you think about each of the teams and what order do you think they will finish the season in?[/font]
[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Here are my opinions (don't hold these against me at the end of the season, or even the start).[/font]
[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]1. Mercedes - They didn't put in the fastest times, but they didn't do that last year either. I don't feel like they dominated testing this year like last and that the fight at the front will be even harder. I think they will still win, but not by a very big margin.[/font]
[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]2. Ferrari - I think they looked better this year than last at testing. I think they will be able to put even more pressure on Mercedes this year.[/font]
[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]3. Red Bull - They looked good, but still not quite good enough. I think they will frequently be on the podium and have a few more race wins. We may even think of them as title contenders at some point in the season, but won't fully deliver.[/font]
[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Now, the midfield is really hard to judge. They all seem pretty close and the predicted final order may change on a race to race basis. (You guys could probably easily convince me that this order is completely wrong).[/font]
[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]4. Renault - Good driver line-up. Their car looked pretty quick. A few glitches in testing, but everyone deserves some leeway. I think they will be the most improved team from last year.[/font]
[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]5. Force India - They had a really quiet testing like they did last year. Nothing from them really impressed me, but nothing really told me they would really fall down the order. I was expecting them to do better in testing, but they probably didn't do any low fuel runs (like Mercedes). So, hard to judge.[/font]
[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]6. Haas - Ok, ok, you know that I have wishful thinking for Haas, but they really surprised me during testing. Their goal was to be within 1 s of the top teams and it seemed like they managed that. They didn't seem to run into any major issues during testing and put in some really fast laps (one tweet I read said that Magnussen's time on the supersofts was faster than Vettel's time on the hypersoft if you correct for tire compound). So, I'm hopeful.[/font]
[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]7. McLaren - I feel like they should be up with Renault on pace, but they just had too many technical failures during testing. That was a theme of testing (has McLaren broken down yet?). I think they will get respectable points on many races and then double DNF on many others.[/font]
[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]8. Toro Rosso - They also had a really good testing with their Honda engine. Although, I expect that most people kept their engines in a more conservative range and when they start pushing them, the Honda engine will start to be left behind. I also don't think they have the best driver lineup.[/font]
[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]9. Williams - This could be too low for Williams, but I wasn't very impressed by them. They had problems, seemed slow, and I'm a little skeptical about their driver lineup. [/font]
[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]10. Sauber - I really want Charles LeClerc to do well. I think he has potential. And I think Sauber probably is the closest to the pack it has been in years. But, even with Alfa-Romeo helping, I don't think they have the resources to truly develop the car and get themselves off the back of the grid.[/font]
[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]F1 has just finished testing. While you can't make truly accurate predictions from testing, it is still fun to try. What did you think about each of the teams and what order do you think they will finish the season in?[/font]
[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Here are my opinions (don't hold these against me at the end of the season, or even the start).[/font]
[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]1. Mercedes - They didn't put in the fastest times, but they didn't do that last year either. I don't feel like they dominated testing this year like last and that the fight at the front will be even harder. I think they will still win, but not by a very big margin.[/font]
[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]2. Ferrari - I think they looked better this year than last at testing. I think they will be able to put even more pressure on Mercedes this year.[/font]
[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]3. Red Bull - They looked good, but still not quite good enough. I think they will frequently be on the podium and have a few more race wins. We may even think of them as title contenders at some point in the season, but won't fully deliver.[/font]
[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Now, the midfield is really hard to judge. They all seem pretty close and the predicted final order may change on a race to race basis. (You guys could probably easily convince me that this order is completely wrong).[/font]
[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]4. Renault - Good driver line-up. Their car looked pretty quick. A few glitches in testing, but everyone deserves some leeway. I think they will be the most improved team from last year.[/font]
[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]5. Force India - They had a really quiet testing like they did last year. Nothing from them really impressed me, but nothing really told me they would really fall down the order. I was expecting them to do better in testing, but they probably didn't do any low fuel runs (like Mercedes). So, hard to judge.[/font]
[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]6. Haas - Ok, ok, you know that I have wishful thinking for Haas, but they really surprised me during testing. Their goal was to be within 1 s of the top teams and it seemed like they managed that. They didn't seem to run into any major issues during testing and put in some really fast laps (one tweet I read said that Magnussen's time on the supersofts was faster than Vettel's time on the hypersoft if you correct for tire compound). So, I'm hopeful.[/font]
[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]7. McLaren - I feel like they should be up with Renault on pace, but they just had too many technical failures during testing. That was a theme of testing (has McLaren broken down yet?). I think they will get respectable points on many races and then double DNF on many others.[/font]
[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]8. Toro Rosso - They also had a really good testing with their Honda engine. Although, I expect that most people kept their engines in a more conservative range and when they start pushing them, the Honda engine will start to be left behind. I also don't think they have the best driver lineup.[/font]
[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]9. Williams - This could be too low for Williams, but I wasn't very impressed by them. They had problems, seemed slow, and I'm a little skeptical about their driver lineup. [/font]
[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]10. Sauber - I really want Charles LeClerc to do well. I think he has potential. And I think Sauber probably is the closest to the pack it has been in years. But, even with Alfa-Romeo helping, I don't think they have the resources to truly develop the car and get themselves off the back of the grid.[/font]
