Already they are talking about an update coming out for the Malaysian GP. So no sooner than they have brought out their car and developed it, they think they need to update it very quickly. That shows they are not overly happy with what they have delivered so far.
At
Red Bull there have been some big changes over the winter and on paper it looks good.
They have a
Renault engine now which has been the class of the field the last couple of seasons. They have probably one of the best designers in recent years, in the shape of Adrian Newey, who has penned the new RB3.
Mark Webber has come in and he can definitely put a lap together when required. They also have the established star in
David Coulthard. So all the things are there that should make for a great combination - but, as we have seen so far in testing, it has not quite been there.
RBR are starting to change slightly in the way they look at the programme, it is no longer quite so much fun. It is about getting competitive and starting to win. That is when it is going to get very tough indeed.
As for Williams I believe this season will be a great year for them after a tough 2006. Having
Toyota on board is a boost and it should allow them to show what the engineering side of Williams is all about.
At the beginning of the year and halfway through I expect them to be poking their noses in places they haven’t been for a while.
Maybe halfway through they will be a little bit lacking and the bigger teams will come on stronger, but
Williams, in my view, just need a confidence boost. If they can get that under their belt quickly enough, that will set them up for the rest of the year.
For the three smaller teams,
STR, Spyker and
Super Aguri it won’t be easy as they have all launched late. It is a tough deal to turn up very late with your car – and although you want to make your car as late as possible, to get as much developments in as possible, it is always tough when you haven’t got any miles under your belt.
