lotus team principal Eric Boullier has warned the rest that Kimi Raikkonen will be hard to stop ahead of the Malaysian GP this Sunday. The Finnish driver pulled off a shock victory at the Australian GP last week to ring early warning bells for the likes of Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso & lewis Hamilton. Foray Sport gives you a lowdown on the contenders and debutantes this Formula 1 season
As Kimi Raikkonen and his lotus team basked in the glory of winning the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Formula One heavyweights Red Bull and Mclaren were left to ponder how things went so wrong.
Raikkonen took out last Sunday’s race by a comfortable margin and, in an ominous statement for his rivals, said it was one of the easiest of his 20 career wins.
Prior to the race, when Red Bull locked up the front row on the grid, many observers were worrying about the potential for a season of Red Bull domination and the seeming inevitability of Sebastian Vettel marching to a fourth straight championship.
A couple of hours later, after Vettel finished a distant third and teammate Mark Webber scrambled to place sixth, Red Bull chiefs were searching for answers.
One thing was clear: the 2013 Red Bull car seems to be much harder than rival cars on the new rapid-degradation Pirelli tires. While Vettel sped away from pole position in trademark style, he was drawn back to the field after just a couple of laps and was the first of the front-runners to pit.
Team principal Christian Horner put the problem down to unusually cool conditions at the Albert Park circuit, which were similar to the conditions of European winter testing when Red Bull had serious difficulties with the tires.
“The conditions were a significant factor today and we were just out of the window,” Horner said after the race. “All things considered, third place was actually a very, very good result.
“We have learned an awful lot today and hopefully it will not be quite as chilly next weekend.”
Well, chilly is not a word readily associated with Malaysia, which will host the second round of the championship this Sunday at the Sepang circuit outside Kuala lumpur.
Ferrari
Fernando Alonso, 31, Spaniard
Two-time F1 champion (2005 & 2006), Second last year
Race wins: 30
Pole Positions: 22
Alonso put a miserable 2011 season for Ferrari behind him as he came very close to winning his third F1 title and first since 2006 last season, finishing just three points behind Vettel as a thrilling championship duel went down to the last race in Brazil. After winning three of the first 10 races, he opened up a 44-point lead over Vettel but then failed to win another race in the next 10. Speed, rather than driving ability, ultimately cost Alonso the title as he secured only two pole positions compared to six for Vettel. The 31-year-old Spanish driver will be confident of mounting another challenge this year.
Felipe Massa, 31, Brazilian
Second in 2008, Seventh last year
Race wins: 11
Pole Positions: 15
Massa recovered some form last season, finishing all but one race and earning two podium finishes — compared to none in 2011 when he failed to finish higher than fifth and tangles with lewis Hamilton overshadowed his driving skills. The Brazilian driver seems a long way from the one who finished second to Hamilton by just one point in the 2008 championship. Still, Ferrari has stuck by Massa since his breakthrough season in 2006.
Mclaren
Jenson Button, 33, British
2009 Champion, Fifth last year
Race Wins: 15
Pole Positions: 8
Button remains one of the slickest drivers around, whatever the conditions on the circuit, and again proved that last season with three GP wins. Now that lewis Hamilton has left to join Mercedes, the 33-year old Button will be Mclaren’s undisputed No. 1 and benefit from having the fastest car, which wasn’t always the case when Hamilton was around. Tensions between the two crept into the Mclaren camp last year and that proved a distraction to both drivers. With 230 GPs to his name, he should also provide his new teammate Sergio Perez with plenty of advice and guidance.
Sergio Perez, 23, Mexican
10th last year
Race Wins: 0
Pole Positions: 4
The fire to Button’s ice, the lightning-fast Mexican driver has already made his mark on F1 with two second-place finishes at the Malaysian and Italian GPs and third place in Canada last season. Although he failed to finish higher than 10th after Monza, retiring from three of the last six races, the 23-year-old has massive potential and should have little trouble making the step up from Sauber to an elite team like Mclaren. With veteran Button — 10 years his senior — around to guide him, Perez will be confident of grabbing the first F1 race win of his promising career and becoming a national hero back home.
Mercedes
Nico Rosberg, 27, German
Ninth last year
Race Wins: 1
Pole Positions: 1
Although Rosberg finished higher than his illustrious Mercedes teammate Michael Schumacher in 2011, his real breakthrough came last year when he secured his first pole position and first win as he led from the front to win the Chinese GP. It promises to be a crucial season in determining the rest of his F1career, as he searches for the consistency needed to be a complete driver.
lewis Hamilton, 28, British
2008 Champion
Race Wins: 21
Pole Positions: 26
Hamilton is used to the spotlight but it will be on the British driver more than ever after his switch from Mclaren to Mercedes — a risky move that will give him more freedom but at the expense of a more reliable car. Hamilton showed glimpses of his brilliance last season, clinching seven pole positions and winning four races, but he also retired five times and finished a disappointing fourth overall.
Red Bull
Sebastian Vettel, 25, German
Three-time defending F1 champion
Race Wins: 26
Pole Positions: 36
Having already joined F1 greats Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher by winning three consecutive F1 titles and becoming the youngest triple champion in the sport’s history, Vettel will try and match Fangio and Schumacher’s feat of four straight titles. The Red Bull driver’s third F1 crown was hard-earned as Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso pushed him all the way. Despite his steely determination, Vettel’s fun, down-to-earth personality also sets him apart from the calculating and businesslike approach that Schumi had in his prime.
Mark Webber, 36, Australian
Third in 2010 and 2011, Sixth last year
Race Wins: 9
Pole Positions: 11
Webber’s chances of winning the F1 title are getting thinner and last season saw him finish sixth, a massive 102 points behind teammate Vettel. He won two races in the first half of the season at the Monaco and British GPs but then tailed off with only two podiums in the second half and retiring in two of the last three races. Webber’s age and role within Red Bull are again likely to be talking points and he will likely have to make a strong start to the campaign to improve his prospects of keeping his seat next year.
Marussia
Max Chilton, 21, British
1st year
Race wins: 0
Pole Positions: 0
Chilton is one of two rookies driving for Marussia this year. The Brit has starred on the GP2 circuit, winning two races last year while plying his trade as a reserve driver for the Russian team. The Russian-owned team is one of three which finished out of the points in 2012 and is hoping the infusion of fresh talent will help it improve this year. Chilton got his start in racing at the age of 9, when his brother launched a karting series called T-Cart.
Jules Bianchi, 23, French
1st year
Race wins: 0
Pole Positions: 0
Bianchi is probably just happy to be racing for anyone. He had a dramatic pre-season testing where he missed out on a spot with Force India only to be picked up by Marussia when it rescinded an offer with Brazilian luiz Razia over sponsorship problems. The former French pilot has gradually moved up the ranks from winning the French karting title in 2006.
Caterham
Charles Pic, 23, French
2nd year
Race wins: 0
Pole Position: 0
Pic is hoping a change of teams can improve his fortunes in 2013. His rookie season was forgettable, as he finished 23rd in the drivers’ standings with Marussia. It’s unlikely he will do dramatically better this season, since the team has struggled to prove it can challenge the mid-level teams and decided not to introduce a newly-designed car.
Giedo van der Garde, 27, Dutch
1st year
Race wins: 0
Pole Position: 0
Is making his F1 debut after a season as a reserve driver and a driver for its GP2 team where he won twice. Is one of the older rookies on the grid, having tested in 2007 for Spyker and Force India. Won the World Karting in 2002 and raced in Asia with the GP2 Asia series.
Toro Rosso
Daniel Ricciardo, 23, Australian
2nd year
Race wins: 0
Pole Position: 0
Ricciardo is entering his second season with Toro Rosso after making his debut with the now-defunct HRT. His first season was marked by plenty of setbacks, as he finishing no higher than ninth four times and ended the season 18th in the drivers’ standings. Ricciardo has said he “feels more confident” going into his second season.
Jean-Eric Vergne, 22, French
2nd year
Race wins: 0
Pole Position: 0
Much like his teammate, Vergne struggled in his rookie season as he got his first look at many of the F1 circuits. He did show his skills at times, finishing as high as 8th four times including early in the season in Malaysia. Introduced to karting at the age of 4, Vergne said he now feels he has gotten the basics of F1 down.
Force India
Paul Di Resta, 26, Scottish
Third year, 14th last year
Race wins: 0
Pole Positions: 0
Di Resta hails from a famous Scottish racing family and is the cousin of Indycar star Dario Franchitti, and sportscar racer Marino Franchitti. But he has yet establish himself as a force inF1, having never won a race in his first two seasons and finishing 14th in the driver standings in 2012. But he showed potential last season, grabbing six top 10 finishes including a sixth placed in Bahrain and a career-best fourth in Singapore.
Adrian Sutil, 30, German
Sixth year
Race wins: 0
Pole Positions: 0
Sutil has been given a second chance with Force India, after he was replaced following the 2011 season by fellow German Hulkenberg. Sutil was with the team from 2007-11 but lost his seat following an 18-month suspended sentence for assaulting Renault owner Eric lux in a nightclub. During his first stint with Force India, the 30-year-old showed gradual improvement after claiming only six points his first two seasons.
lotus
Kimi Raikkonen, 33, Finnish
2007 Champion, Third last year
Race Wins: 19
Pole Positions: 16
Raikkonen picked up where he left off when he returned to F1 last season after three years. He has lost none of his single-mindedness, as he proved last year when he told team officials over the race radio: “leave me alone. I know what I’m doing” — as they tried to guide him home to victory at Abu Dhabi.
Romain Grosjean, 26, French
Eighth last year
Race Wins: 0
Pole Positions: 0
Grosjean made a name for himself for differing reasons last season. First, there was his excellent driving skills with podium spots in Bahrain, Canada and Hungary. But there also was his erratic, sometimes dangerous driving, with the Frenchman causing numerous first lap crashes and sometimes infuriating his rivals.
Williams
Pastor Maldonado, 27, Venezuelan
Third year, 15th last year
Race wins: 1
Pole Positions: 1
Maldonado showed signs of brilliance early last season, winning the Spanish GP for the team’s first win since 2004. But then he struggled, finishing no better than fifth in Abu Dhabi and retiring four times.
Valtteri Bottas, 23, finnish
1st year
Race wins: 0
Pole Position: 0
Bottas won both the 2008 Formula Renault Eurocup and the 2008 Formula Renault Northern European Cup. In doing so, he repeated the feat of Filipe Albuquerque, who won both the NEC and Eurocup in the same season, in 2006.
Sauber
Nico Hulkenberg, 25, German
11th last year
Race wins: 0
Pole Positions: 1
Hulkenberg drove consistently for Force India last season with his 10 top-10 finishes — a fifth-place finish in Valencia and fourth at Spa suggesting he deserves a faster car. He will get the chance this year with Sauber in what is shaping up to be a crucial season for the German. He made a promising start to his career three years ago, securing a spectacular pole position in the rain at the Brazilian GP.
Esteban Gutierrez, 21, Mexican
1st year
Race wins: 0
Pole Positions: 0
Gutierrez is among a host of rookies that will line up in Australia this year. Following in the footsteps of Perez, Gutierrez will be the second Mexican on the grid this season. He first showed his potential by winning the GP3 Championship in 2010 and then moved onto GP2 where he finished third last year. The 21-year-old knows Sauber well, having joined the team in 2010 as an affiliated driver and working as a reserve driver the past two seasons. The youngest of six, Guiterrez remains close to his family and his parents Roberto Manuel Gutiérrez Muguerza Clara can often be found trackside.