Blundell's view: 2007 F1 season preview.

by Rob Wilkins

The dust may have only just started to settle on the 2006 season, but since the chequered flag fell on the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos on October 22, all thoughts have turned to 2007. 2007 promises to be a very different year - if only, because the man who has dominated the sport for so long, a certain Michael Schumacher, will no longer be competing and out on the race track.

Here Crash.net columnist Mark Blundell puts on his thinking cap, grabs his crystal ball and gives us his thoughts on just what might happen in the coming year...

Q:
Mark, what do you think we can expect in 2007?

Mark Blundell:
I believe we are going to have a good season. We have got a control tyre and in some ways that will make it easier to compare the performance of car, driver and engine packages as there is a common denominator between all of them.

I think we will see the birth of some new superstars with some credible results coming out of them, with the likes of Robert Kubica and maybe people like Lewis Hamilton stepping up the plate and giving us something to cheer about.

There are a lot of new team-driver packages for '07 as well and that has a level of excitement attached to it. Will Fernando Alonso make it work at McLaren? Will McLaren supply him with something to get the job done? Will Ferrari and Kimi Raikkonen gel and go off into the distance?

Anthony Davidson is coming out of a test role after some five years too: does he have what it takes to go and race - because testing is one thing and racing is another. We saw his grand prix debut [with Minardi back in 2002] and it didn't go according to plan, but will he actually step up and deliver as well?

So there are many new questions to be answered and I think with '07 coming along with the tyre and the controlled engine side of things, we may have as good a base line to start a year off as we have seen for a long time. That is going to produce better racing and hopefully some different results. One thing is for sure, we won't have any results with Michael Schumacher at the top of the list, because that is not going to be anymore. So that is the end of that, but as I say, new stars are coming.

Q:
How much are we going to miss Michael Schumacher and does his exit mean 2007 will be even more open?

MB:
It will make it open in many ways. Open on the circuit because there will be one less guy with the level of ability and resource to take top results. It will also be open as there will be one guy who is not going to be in the F1 arena, who has such a big history behind him that he swamps the rest of the pit lane. It just opens up F1 a little bit more.

That is not to say it is a good or bad thing, it is just a change. I think, everyone at this point now, is quite looking forward to that and there is some excitement to see what does come out.

Q:
Can Renault continue to maintain their form in light of the fact Giancarlo Fisichella will be leading the team?

MB:
That is the big question - can he do it? I think everyone will be looking at him to try and prove many people down the pit lane wrong, because there is a lot of belief that he won't be able to cut it.

Personally I believe that Giancarlo Fisichella can step up and can take the team leader role. He has learnt a great deal, even in the environment he is in now. In some ways he has probably learned some stuff from Alonso even though there is a difference in the level of experience and age. Obviously, Alonso is a great talent and he has seen how he operates and if he can emulate that, he can produce the goods for Renault.

He is going to have a strong team-mate though, because Heikki Kovalainen is no slouch. The Finn is definitely a hot-shot behind the wheel and that is something Fisi is going to have to keep in mind. But again, championships are won by developing a team around you and producing results on a regular basis and that is something that Fisi has got to do.

Q:
Will Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa be able to keep the Scuderia at the top of the pack?

MB:
That is also something that we are all going to have to wait to see. Anticipation levels are high to see what Raikkonen does in a Ferrari. You have to say, he knows how to win grand's prix. He has done that several times and the time is right now to see Raikkonen have a new era, because I think he will have a level of maturity now to take the weight of Ferrari on his shoulders and get stuck in and do something with it. But he is an individual with some differences attached to him, which are plain to see and we have all seen those. He gets the job done when needed but it is going to be something different to have the 'red car' sitting there waiting for him on a Sunday afternoon. That is something he hasn't had to deal with yet and it does have pressure attached to it.

Q:
Two more Brits will join the fold in 2007, with Anthony Davidson and Lewis Hamilton joining David Coulthard and Jenson Button in race seats. What do those two drivers' need to achieve?

MB:
Well firstly it is great to have four Brits in F1 - that is fantastic. The Lewis Hamilton scenario is something, which is still for me, a little bit of a concern. There is going to be a lot of pressure on his shoulders to deliver, maybe not in the teams' eyes, but in the world's media's eyes, outside of the pit lane, because he comes in with such high credentials. He will be the first black driver in Formula One and that in its own right is going to be something very difficult to deal with, in terms of the amount of requirements and time that is going to be taken away from what is needed behind the wheel. Also as much as they will probably try and shield him from those outside pressures it will mount. Lewis is however, a remarkably calm and collected young man. He knows how to win races and he can definitely operate behind the wheel to the highest levels. I have no doubt he will deliver some outstanding results. He is alongside the current world champion, Alonso and that is something - if he is focused and I am sure he will be - he will be able to take on board and learn from. I think that could really benefit him and he will learn at a greater pace than many other rookies, because he has got someone of that level in the other car. So we shall see.

Anthony Davidson has been around a long time now and is somebody we have watched every Friday in practice, when he has come out and done an outstanding job. As I said a moment ago though, now is the time, to see him develop inside a race team as a race driver. He will need to try and get some results now, which will underline his credentials as a driver and which we have seen so strongly on a Friday. It is not going to be easy and it is not going to be something that will come naturally for the moment. He has not been in that situation regularly for some five or six years, but first and foremost he must beat his team-mate, Takuma Sato. If he gets that one under his belt, then he will move forward quickly.

Q:
Can Jenson Button win races regularly?

MB:
We hope so. We want to see Jenson win some races. It will be great for Britain if he can win and win races regularly. I think Jenson can make that happen. Wouldn't it be great to see him win at Silverstone in 2007? So fingers-crossed for that...

Q:
How tough will David Coulthard find it with Mark Webber as a team-mate? Will those two help push the Red Bull Racing team and the new Adrian Newey designed car to new heights?

MB:
That will be a strong combination. Mark Webber is very good - especially in qualifying, we have seen him qualify with some great laps. David Coulthard is a sensible guy and is solid and you will always have a strong bet for him to be there at the end of a grand prix.

They have both got different reasons for wanting to get good results. Webber still has a strong set of results behind him but nothing, as yet, to say he is a potential grand prix winner because he hasn't been in the right car. But with an Adrian Newey-designed Red Bull with a Renault engine, all of a sudden, he and DC have got something there that has all the hall marks of being a great little package. So, we will see.

DC is getting towards the end of his career, as he knows, but don't underestimate the guy. He knows how to win grand's prix and we have seen that 13 odd times. If there is going to be another chance for him to develop and put something else in behind the wheel for another season, if he has got the car there, you will see it. Age, as we have just seen with Michael Schumacher, is not always a problem. DC will deliver when it is required.

Q:
You mentioned F1 going to a control tyre, how much will those teams new to Bridgestone, after working with Michelin, struggle? Will those that have worked with Bridgestone in 2006 have an advantage, at least early on?

MB:
They will have an advantage because they are already in an existing relationship. They will already understand how Bridgestone work and how the cars operate on Bridgestone tyres. So in that way, yeah, there will be strengths. But it doesn't take long for people in F1 to catch up and we won't see the advantage there for long.

Q:
Finally, who will win the 2007 drivers' title and the 2007 constructors' crown?

MB:
I am going to go for Kimi and Ferrari. I think that has got to be the strongest package. At this point, that is who my money is on.

Coming in 2007: More thoughts from Mark, in his regular previews before each and every grand prix.