Formula 1 2014 Season predictions

The Formula One season starts this weekend, with the the shriek of V8s put into retirement, the new "power units" (engines) come in, V6 Turbos, ugly noses and a lot of unpredictability. Bit of a change from my gaming blogs, hope everyone enjoys it just the same!

Rule Changes

The 2014 season brings in the biggest shake-up of rule changes in recent memory, the biggest change coming in the shape of V6 turbo (hybrid-ish) "power unit" replacing the "dinosaur" V8s of the past. The biggest factor of this change-up of the power unit is the noise; performance is expected to be similar. The V6 Turbo engines puts up around 600 Brake Horse Power (BHP), the Energy Recovery Systems, which convert heat from braking (kers) and the turbo (ters) create up to 180 BHP. 780 BHP is very similar to the V8s. Now the noise, I was lucky enough to have watched formula 1 in Silverstone and Monoco, its a very unique experience, theres a very distinct sound that V8s make from a distance causes goosebumps, then when you get up close, to the cars, they are deafening! The new V6's however sound like normal cars from hearing them on TV- reports say that you don't need ear plugs while track side and from what I've heard through clips, they sound a bit weak, however the fizzing turbo does sound very cool! Another rule change which is slightly controversial is the height of the nose, it's been lowered from last year which has resulted in some pretty ugly designs to get around it. The controversy of this is that it was so a car couldn't go over the top of another car in a side on collision, however now there are fears of a car being flipped in the same situation! Probably would be better to be upside down than have 700kg of car hitting your head! There are also some minor changes to aerodynamics at the rear, the wing must be shallower, there can be no lower beam on the wing and the exhaust must be centrally exiting out the back.

My Predictions

Mercedes: 1st

Mercedes are the team that are the favourites for the title for a lot of people... normally I like to be different but all signs point to this being the obvious choice; fastest time in testing along with most miles showed reliability along with raw pace. Drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg are excellent drivers that possess raw talent. Lewis is widely considered the fastest driver on the grid; however due to the tyres degrading quick a "thinking" driver like Nico may creep ahead in the championship.

Lewis Hamilton: 1st
Nico Rosberg: 2nd

Williams: 2nd

A major step forward has seemed to have taken place at Williams, after suffering dismal seasons for best part of the past decade, being powered by Mercedes has proven beneficial for Williams who seemed to have built a drivable car that is reliable and has top pack speed. Look for Williams to sneak wins through reliability. Valteri Bottas is the driver who I think will lead the team; Finnish drivers seem to possess a natural car feel which could prove helpful. Felipé Massa is a talented driver who I feel has lost his pure aggression after a near fatal crash back in Hungary 2009

Valteri Bottas: 3rd
 Felipe Massa: 6th

Ferrari: 3rd

I don't know where the team lies but I know how good the drivers are! Fernando Alonso reads a race better than any driver before, he knows where to be and when which is great for the tyres this season. Kimi Raikonen is a smooth driver who can be extremely fast, he just needs to stay motivated. The Ferrari power unit is an unknown, it seems to be thirsty, drivers are fuel saving alot in race simulations. For this downfall though, it seems pretty bulletproof which could prove very handy early in the season.

Fernando Alonso: 4th
Kimi Raikonen: 7th

Mclaren; 4th

Mclaren claim to have built a car that as Jenson Button described "doesn't scare them like last year" its stable and is powered by Merc, the strength of Mclaren lies in their ability to develop a car through a year, they may not be winning at the start but you can almost guarantee a win near the end. Jenson Button will lead the team, knowing how to drive a car in the smoothest fashion will be key for tyres and fuel. Kevin Magnussen is an unknown, coming in as a rookie he is highly regarded, he seems to have good raw speed but we have yet to see him in a Formula 1 race, watch this space!

Jenson Button: 5th
Kevin Magnussen: 8th

Force India: 5th

I hate to give this team another season in the mid pack but I can't see them fighting for wins unless reliability kills the front runners. I don't rate Perez very highly, he possesses smoothness in his driving but couldn't perform in Mclaren last year. Nico Hulkenburg is underrated and should be driving for a better team, watch for him to mix it with the big boys when he shouldn't be able to. Force India will flash at times this season.

Nico Hulkenburg: 9th
Sergio Perez: 13th

Sauber: 6th

Sauber may be the most reliable team on the grid; 177 laps on the last day of testing is a record. The team will be able to steal results as long as they keep running, and those in front stop. The issue may be the drivers Esteban Guitiérrez improved consistently over last season but was overshadowed by Hulkenburg. Adrian Sutil was a driver I thought would be big, he seems to have regressed though, especially with spinning out a lot in testing (some not his fault I know).

Esteban Guitiérrez: 11th
Adrian Sutil: 14th

Red Bull: 7th

A return to the rear end of the grid for Red Bull this year, through no fault of their own (maybe a bit) the Renault engine will not work over a long distance due to overheating, this is consistent through all but one of the Renault powered cars, many outsiders view Adrian Newey's tight packaging as the culprit for the overheating, it's caused Renault and Red Bull to point fingers at each other. I think they should take joint responsibility- Red Bull were cutting holes in their car for cooling for a reason, however the Renault power unit just doesn't appear to be good enough at this stage. Sebastian Vettel will not be able to dominate in a superior car this year but will outshine those around him, Daniel Ricciardo may struggle at first but he has talent to keep up with his team-mate

Sebastian Vettel: 12th
Daniel Ricciardo: 14th

Marussia: 8th

Surprised? I am too, the only reason I am putting Marussia this high is due to the Ferrari power unit, I think they will steal points early through reliability, not speed. Jules Bianchi may stamp his name as a driver of the future this season, Max will have his work cut out for him to keep up, one things for sure, Marussia will score points.

Jules Bianchi: 15th
Max Chilton: 16h

Lotus: 9th

Lotus' funky "tusk" nose may be the best way to go this season, however we will never know how good it could be as the Renault engine will kill their season, being 20kmph slower on the straights is going to slow you down a lot, Pastor Maldanado is not good enough and is only driving due to his large backing, Romain Grosjean will not be able to grow this year due to a slow car, watch out for him to rule the Renault teams though.

Romain Grosjean: 17th
Pastor Maldanado: 20th

Torro Rosso: 10th

The little sister to red bull made a mistake when they changed engine supplier this year- this was potentially their year to jump ahead. However, the Renault engine seems to be plaguing them like it is Red Bull, watch for them to mix it with Red Bull at times though! Daniel Kvyat has joined at the wrong time; he won't be able to show his full range of skills this year, look out for him in the future.
Jean Eric Vergne also will struggle to show talent this season.

Jean Eric Vergne: 18th
Daniel Kvyat: 19th

Caterham: 11th

I was tempted to move them higher just because of reliability- they have done much more running than all the other Renault cars, but they haven't convinced me they can develop a car effectively. They may have a good start but will slowly move backwards as the season moves on.
Marcus Ericson may outshine his team mate, Kamui Kobayashi was known for overtakes, this may not happen often for him this year.

Marcus Ericsson: 21st
Kamui Kobayashi: 22nd

That was harder than I thought, the season is far too hard to predict, it got harder as I went along! The issue is the Renault engine may end up being good, however I am making these predictions based on the pre season testing. If you have an opinion why not discuss below, it would be great to see what everyone thinks!

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1. Lewis hamilton (Mercedes)
2. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)
3. Valteri Bottas (Williams)
4. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)
5. Jenson Button (Mclaren)
6. Felipe Massa (Williams)
7. Kimi Raikonnen (Ferrari)
8. Kevin Magnussen (Mclaren)
9. Nico Hulkenburg (Force India)
10. Estaban Guiterrez (Sauber)
11. Sergio Perez (Force India)
12. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
13. Adrian Sutil (Sauber)
14. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull)
15. Jules Bianchi (Marussia)
16. Max Chilton (Marussia)
17. Romain Grosjean (Lotus)
18. Jean Eric Vergne (Torro Rosso)
19. Daniel Kvyat (Torro Rosso)
20. Pastor Maldanado (Lotus)
21. Marcus Ericson (Caterham)
22. Kamui Kobayashi (Caterham)