F1 2007 written 3 years ago

The 2007 Forumula One Season will soon be upon us:

Location	Track	Date
Australia	Melbourne	Mar 18
Malaysia	Kuala Lumpur	Apr 08
Bahrain	Bahrain	Apr 15
Spain	Catalunya	May 13
Monaco	Monte Carlo	May 27
Canada	Montreal	Jun 10
USA	Indianapolis	Jun 17
France	Magny-Cours	Jul 01
Britain	Silverstone	Jul 08

Location	Track	Date
Germany	N?rburgring	Jul 22
Hungary	Budapest	Aug 05
Turkey	Istanbul	Aug 26
Italy	Monza	Sep 09
Belgium	Spa	Sep 16
Japan	Fuji Speedway	Sep 30
China	Shanghai	Oct 07
Brazil	Sao Paulo	Oct 21

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Drivers

Since I missed the majority of races last year, I’ve made a quick summary of the driver’s performance in 2006, and also pointed out some of the newbies.

Renault

1. Heikki Kovalainen Finnish, 1981

   Newbie for this year, previously Renault’s Third Driver.

2. Giancarlo Fisichella Italian, 1973

   Joined Renault in 2005 after being in F1 since 1997. Finished 4th in last year’s Drivers Championship.

McLaren

1. Fernando Alonso Spanish, 1981

   With 2 Drivers Championship’s under his belt, Fernando Alonso has a lot to prove by moving to McLaren.

2. Lewis Hamilton British, 1985

   Winning the GP2 Championship last year on his first try, McLaren are keen to try out their new protege.

Ferrari

1. Kimi Raikkonen Finnish, 1979

   Moving from McLaren after not winning any races in 2006, owing to poor car performance.

2. Felipe Massa Brazilian, 1981

   After finishing 3rd in 2006 Championships, behind Michael Schumacher, Massa will be keen to prove himself, now Schumacher has left.

Toyota

1. Jarno Trulli Italian, 1974

   Sticking with Toyota, despite a poor 2006 season, finishing 12th.

2. Ralf Schumacher German, 1975

   Again, sticking with Toyota after only managing one podium last year.

Williams

1. Nico Rosberg German, 1985

   Despite promising performances in 2006, reliability and other calamities put Rosberg at 14th position in 2006.

2. Alex Wurz Austrian, 1974

   Coming from McLaren in 2005, and being test driver for Williams last year, Alex Wurz gets his first real driving position, since 2000 for team Benetton.

Honda Racing

1. Jenson Button British, 1980

   A disappointing 2006 for most Brits, Button finished 6th overall, claiming one win in Hungary, and only two other podium places throughout the year. Will 2007 be the year where Button displays his true potential?

2. Rubens Barrichello Brazilian, 1972

   Making the move in 2006 to Honda from Ferrari was obviously a tough transition to make. Finished 7th overall in 2006.

Red Bull Racing

1. David Coulthard British, 1971

   Other than scoring Red Bull’s first podium, it was a relatively dull season for David in 2006, finishing 13th overall. Will the car’s reliability and performance be upped for 2007?

2. Mark Webber Australian, 1976

   Joining Red bull in 2007, after a dismal season with Williams — retiring from more races than he completed.

BMW Sauber

1. Nick Heidfeld German, 1977

   Scoring the team’s first podium last year, and in a car which seems to be slowly improving, this year might prove to be profitable for Nick.

2. Robert Kubica Polish, 1984

   The first time a Polish driver will be starting the season in the driving seat, after replacing Villeneuve for the final 6 rounds in 2006.

Spyker F1

1. Christijan Albers Dutch, 1979

   Zero points scored in 2006, put Albers as an outsider on the championship.

2. Adrian Sutil German, 1983

   New for the Spyker team, after winning the Japanese Formula Three title in 2006.

Scuderia Toro Rosso

1. Vitantonio Liuzzi (TBC)
2. Scott Speed (TBC)

Super Aguri F1

1. Takuma Sato Japanese, 1977

   Coming from BAR in 2005, difficulties with the car in early 2006 meant that this Japanese driver didn’t make much of an impact, but will probably do better now the Super Aguri team has matured some more.

2. Anthony Davidson British, 1979

   Coming from being Honda’s Third driver in 2006, Davidson takes his first driving role for Super Aguri.

Four British Drivers in the line up, with Lewis hamilton, and Anthony Davidson joining David Coulthard and Jensen Button, might make this year more interesting for the British viewer.

Rule changes

• Although the FIA had planned to switch to a single tyre manufacturer from 2008, Michelin has announced they will end participation in Formula 1 after 2006, leaving Bridgestone as the sole supplier for 2007.

• The teams finishing 5th?11th in the previous seasons’ Constructors’ Championship will no longer be allowed to run a third car on Friday following a rule change. The teams that finish 1st?4th are already banned from doing so.

• Engine development will be frozen from the 2006 Japanese Grand Prix, with these engines being used for the whole of 2007 and 2008. This is described as engine “homologation” by the FIA. It was previously set to be introduced in 2008.

• All cars will be fitted with red, blue and yellow cockpit lights. The purpose is to give drivers information concerning track signals or conditions. The lights must be LEDs each with a minimum diameter of 5mm and which are fitted in order that they are directly in the driver?s normal line of sight.

• In order to give rescue crews an immediate indication of accident severity each car must be fitted with a warning light which is connected to the FIA data logger. The light must face upwards and be recessed into the top of the survival cell no more than 150mm from the car centre line and the front of the cockpit opening and as near to the marshal neutral switch as is practical.

• The two Friday practice sessions will expand from 60 minutes to 90 minutes. Any team will be allowed to use two cars, which may be driven by either the two race drivers or a nominated third driver.

• The engine penalty will now only apply in the second day of the grand prix weekends. Any engine change in the first day will not be penalised.

• No car will be allowed to enter the pits during a safety car period until all cars are in the group following the safety car. This prevents drivers from racing to the pits immediately after a safety car is deployed. In addition, any lapped cars in front of a car on the lead lap will be required to pass the safety car and restart at the end of the line-up instead of maintaining their physical position.

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