Whether we see the fight early on from
McLaren, I am not sure. Ron Dennis' men might be a little bit adrift from what we have seen from testing but, as always, you never really know until the first race.
Lewis, though, is going to be improved because he knows what is going to be coming at him this year. He has got a season of experience and knows what to expect and what not to expect.
He goes into all the circuits now - except for those ones that are new to everybody - understanding what they are all about. He knows how a grand prix team ticks and he knows what he needs to do to get the most out of them. He knows what mistakes he made last year and he should be much stronger.
It just depends on whether he has got the car and what other distractions he has had going on throughout the winter.
The spy row is still rumbling on with the legal investigation in Italy, and that is a concern. As big as McLaren is, everybody is feeling the impact of what is, and has been, happening to them.
In one way then, the start of the season will be a great 'fix point' for them to target and actually go there and say: 'Right, now the races are back on, we will get focused on that and carry on', but there are still many, many rumours floating around, not least with people speculating that Ron is going to step down.
Whether Ron should, or will, stay on, I don't know. What is clear, I think, is that he has been at the head of McLaren for a very long time. He has got to the point in his life when maybe he is starting to think about what else there is to do. There is life outside of motorsport and maybe that is something he is reflecting on.
Whatever happens, however, if he stays or steps down, there will still be a big part of Ron Dennis running through the veins of all at the McLaren Group. I don't think he will be going far if he does go somewhere either.
As for the likes of
BMW,
Renault et all, I'll look at how I think they might do in part 2 of my preview for Australia.
MB
