Ferrari and Mercedes have both spoken negatively of Liberty’s vision for F1 post-2020, with the former threatening to quit unless the sport’s owners revise their future plans. Toto Wolff has suggested a rebel series “could happen” (David Davies/PA)Īmerican conglomerate Liberty Media is set for its second full season in charge and the jury is out as to whether it has got what it takes to move the sport forward.
Fernando Alonso has a year to run on his McLaren deal but it is unlikely the 36–year-old Spaniard, who won the last of his two titles 12 years ago, will hang around in 2019 if he is fighting for only the menial points-paying places.
Senior figures at McLaren now believe that fifth in the constructors’ championship will resemble a good season for the Woking marque, but that would surely rank as somewhat underwhelming for an outfit which has delivered a combined 20 team and drivers’ titles. Despite teaming up with Renault, it was an all-too familiar scene for McLaren during their fortnight of winter testing as they struggled with a host of reliability issues. The divorce from Honda power was supposed to usher in a new era for McLaren, but Britain’s most successful team have arrived in Melbourne firmly on the back foot.
Just a handful of laps in – not an ideal start to #F1Testing for McLaren ? #F1 /atANeIlr7L The wheels quite literally came off for Fernando Alonso earlier ? Both Ferrari and Vettel, who made significant errors when under pressure (Azerbaijan, Singapore and Mexico all spring to mind) must take lessons from their failures if they are to stand any chance of glory in 2018. Vettel and Ferrari posed a major threat to Hamilton’s all-conquering Mercedes team last year, but failed to deliver the Prancing Horse’s first world championship in a decade following an inexplicable collapse in the second half of the season. Sebastian Vettel, right, led the championship before struggling in the second half of the campaign (Martin Rickett/PA)įor the first time in the sport’s history, it is expected that two four-time world champions – Hamilton and Vettel – will go head-to-head for title number five. For the good of the sport, however, let us hope it is. But whether that proves strong enough to give the might of Mercedes and Ferrari a consistent run for their money remains to be seen. Red Bull looked strong enough in pre-season testing and are certainly at a better stage of their development than this time last year.
Max Verstappen won two of the last six grands prix and expect the 20-year-old Dutchman to lead their their challenge this season. Red Bull’s resurgence at the back end of last year provided us with enough hope that the former world champions could pose a major threat to Mercedes and Ferrari in 2018. The new season starts right here! ? #givesyouwings /Nn58NLlMHQ A post shared by Lewis Hamilton on at 9:16am PST
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