Aim: To beat Ferrari!

Of course the new regulations would had been a high point on the agenda, with many of the designers going back to the drawing board several times recreating front wings and side board profiles. But, the most important segment of the meeting would have been labelled ‘Beat Ferrari’, their main objective for the 2005 championship. So really, the future of the sport rested on three to four teams performing and taking the challenge to Ferrari, or suffering the result of an Italian and German national anthem for most of the season, its no wonder why they won’t share a meeting with the boys in red! 

McLaren were the first team to break cover, with ice-cool Kimi Räikkönen and red-hot Juan Pablo Montoya their driver line up for the 2005 championship. The anorexic front wing is gone, and a fatter (Montoya) front wing has been put in its place. Other then that it’s more of a hybrid version of last year’s racer, just with a few livery changes. But, can it kick Ferrari arse? Well, it’s more of a question will Kimi kick Juan Pablo’s arse or vice-versa, with it rumoured a clash on track is highly possible. Personally, we should expect some word exchange between both drivers, it’s apart of Juan Pablo’s personality, but which of them take the challenge to Ferrari is a different story. If the car is quick, expect them both to gang up on Ferrari like your average school bully, if not, expect to see some McLaren employees turning into mini-cab drivers in the not too distance future. 

Next to roll off the production line is Williams. Their 2005 challenger is more convectional, it has a proper front wing, and it is funded by a cash machine and has a German, Australian driver line-up. The high front wing reminds me of the 2002 Arrows, which had excellent aerodynamics around that end, so the first impressions are good. Mark Webber is like a wild kangaroo from the out back, so I accept him to be making his ‘point’ throughout the season. His new team mate, Nick Heidfeld has shown some impressive times during testing, and I can see him giving Mark a hard time. Maybe a strong side from Williams? Maybe, it could be a McLaren killer, like the spray you get to kill flies, but the main objective is Ferrari. Now that’s a hard one to call.

Finally we have Renault who has launched their 2004 challenger for the 2005 season. The only difference is a McLaren front wing found lying around a racetrack last season but the rest is 100% 2004. The curvy side pods, styled from J Lo’s backside is prominent on the car, like last years car, and although this is a upgraded version of last years car, I feel that they have used a photocopying machine to design this. Drivers Fernando Alonso and Giancarlo Fisichella looked happy with their 2004 version of the 2005 car, and I expect it to be just as difficult to driver as last years. Sadly it’s not up to McLaren’s or Williams’ level, and therefore isn’t a match for Ferrari. The idea of them challenging for the 2005 title is a bit like Skoda stating they are going to win this season’s World Rally Championship, big joke.

On comparing to Toyota is a bit like Tottenham vs. Arsenal. Toyota is not up to McLaren’s, Williams’ and Renault’s level, but it isn’t impossible that they will be sharing the same piece of racetrack with the Toyota manufacture near the end of the season.   

Nicholas Sparkes

02/02/05

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