by Rob Wilkins


While the 2006 F1 season will probably be remembered most by the general public for the battle between Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher, the fight between Renault and Ferrari was just as fierce, if not more so.

Here Crash.net columnist, Mark Blundell gives his verdict on the performance of the eleven teams in the sport and while he is full of praise for the efforts made by the 'top two' - and the likes of Honda, BMW Sauber and Super Aguri, he wasn't at all impressed with Toyota and Red Bull.

Want to know why?

Get reading…



Q:
Mark, did the right team take the constructors' title?

Mark Blundell:
I think they did. If you look at it and what went on with the mass damper issue and a number of things, which got put against Renault as the season went on, they coped with all of those problems well. Renault had the consistency, reliability and outright pace when it came to it too - they had that from race one, when they rolled out of the pit lane in Bahrain all the way to the end of the championship in Brazil. The fact they were that strong throughout means they deserved to win.

Q:
Ferrari put in a brilliant performance to fight back. Overall they probably had the stronger driver-car-tyre package at the end didn't they, despite not taking the ultimate honours?

MB:
They probably did have the strongest outright performance, from mid-season to the end. But that is only good for exactly that - and you can't win a championship with it. You need to be strong and consistently strong throughout and that was what cost them and meant they didn't win the championship. They put in a valiant effort, the team dug deep and Michael Schumacher definitely dug deep. We saw some outstanding drives from him and the Schumacher that we have seen time and time again did some remarkable things in a car. But for some reason the luck didn't quite run with him. We have seen over the years, Schumacher has had things go against him, but he has been very lucky and they have all turned out to be positives at the end of it. Even if it was getting run off the track, suffering a puncture, there was always a bit of late luck on his side. For some reason this year that seemed to run out and it cost him.

Q:
McLaren ended the season 'best of the rest' behind Renault and Ferrari, but how much will it hurt them that they didn't win?

MB:
It is quite a big deal for them not to have won a grand prix, because it has been several years since they haven't managed that. What it will have done though is make them re-focus and take time to re-evaluate where the requirements lie in going forward. They have lost some big personnel over the last 15 months.

They are definitely re-grouping with a world championship winning driver installed in their team, in the shape of Fernando Alonso. They also have a young rookie coming in - Lewis Hamilton, who is going to have a lot of pressure on his shoulders. He has been groomed over the last nine or so years with McLaren and that is what it has taken to get him to this point. There is going to be a lot of commitment and dedication going in to make sure they progress. But it is going to be tough, that is for sure. It isn't easy when you come off the end of the table and then you have to climb back up the table leg to get into the middle and be first on offer. It is not going to be an easy task for McLaren - full-stop.

Q:
Honda in contrast did manage to win, have they turned a corner now?

MB:
They might turn up and surprise a few people down the pit lane next year. We have seen some progress throughout last season that will give them a good baseline to go and get stronger. We saw that a couple of seasons ago though and then they faltered and had a hiccup. They have just got to get over the top of that mountain now and if they do that, then they are going to make an impact. Even in the off-season testing we have seen some relatively strong performances by them. It is however, a massive deal to try and keep the momentum going - and to try to produce results weekend in and weekend out at grand's prix. You see the level of commitment what is required and the level of motivation from people like Ferrari and Renault and even the drop off with McLaren, it is amazing to get to that level. Honda has got the makings of it, but whether it will show in '07 we will have to wait and see.

Q:
How impressed were you by the 'new' BMW Sauber team? BMW's influence made a big difference didn't it?

MB:
BMW had a definite influence in terms of stability and providing resources. They gave the whole outfit a bit more direction. They started to really step up to the plate and now they have got to a point as well, like Honda, with themselves to be able to say: 'Right: how do we go the next step now?' and 'what is it going to take?' The BMW element will be the key now to doing that because that is where everything is going to be driven from and we are going to see whether or not they are going to make the next cut. That will be interesting to see.

Q:
I think it is fair to say, both Toyota and Williams underperformed. Which team was the bigger disappointment?

MB: