With
Renault still a little behind the eight ball, and
BMW's real potential set to be realised,
Williams appears best placed to step in as
F1's 'third team', especially given the performances of
Nico Rosberg,
Kazuki Nakajima and the FW30 in pre-season testing. Both drivers have taken the new car into the top three places at various circuits around Europe, but the team is keen to play down speculation that it is to lead the pursuit of the 'big two'.
"Heading to the first race of the year is always an exciting time for everyone, and there is a great buzz among the teams before the racing starts again because it allows us to see where our performance lies relative to each other," technical director Sam Michael allows, "From the last race in 2007 to the first race in 2008, testing provides some indication, but not the solid reference point that racing offers."
Nakajima is one of four newcomers on the grid this season - along with Piquet,
Timo Glock and
Sebastien Bourdais - and it is the Frenchman who could prove to be the biggest 'find' of 2008. Finally granted a seat at top table after plying his trade - ultra successfully - in America's now defunct Champ Car World Series, Bourdais has gone well with Toro Rosso's 2007 car in winter testing and could, along with
Sebastian Vettel, help push the minnow into the battle for regular points. Bourdais has a point to prove after being overlooked for so long and, while his attitude may grate with some, it will be interesting to see how he acclimatises to life at the blunter end of the grid.
Vettel, meanwhile, was one of the stars of late 2007 and, Fuji blunder aside, marked himself out as one to watch for the future. Whether he can continue to impress at Toro Rosso remains to be seen, but the Italian team had the measure of big sister
Red Bull Racing in testing, and could benefit from running the tried and tested 2007 car while RBR gets to grips with its new RB4.
