Earlier today, the FIA and FOTA reached an agreement that ensures the best teams and drivers will remain in F1, while budgets will be greatly reduced within two years (to early ’90s levels) and technical support will be provided to the three new teams joining the grid next season. FIA president Max Mosley will not run for reelection in October.

In short, all parties got what they wanted…

It became crystal clear that the FOTA breakaway series was no empty threat. The eight FOTA teams had the funding, organization, and fan following to be successful. The FIA and FOTA compromised for the good of the sport, and we, the fans, should all be thankful that sanity prevailed.

Thoughts about the FOTA breakaway championship that was announced on Thursday…

I am convinced that development of this series is further along than it may appear. FOTA is comprised of multinational teams and manufacturers that are accustomed to long development projects that require a great deal of coordination among many contributing parties. FOTA would have been foolish to announce a new series at the exact time they would be starting from ground zero. Certainly, much of the groundwork for this new series has likely already been completed prior to the Thursday announcement.

Having myself been around to witness the “civil war” in America between CART/Champ Car and the Indy Racing League, there are very important differences between the two scenarios. In America, the IRL possesed the two key aces in the game: a huge financial warchest in the Hulman family fortune, and the biggest asset in American open wheel racing in the Indianapolis 500. These two resources meant that the IRL was built to win a war of attrition, which is what the American open wheel war eventually became.

Recall, that the CART series was branded the “Indy Car World Series,” and the funding infrastructure was based on participation in the Indy 500, which of course, was under the control of the IRL. Most teams spent a disproportionate amount of their operating budget on that one race, the Indy 500. Following the split, funding began to disappear as years went by without participation at Indy. The manufacturers (except Ford) and the big name teams (except Newman/Haas/Lanigan) eventually “defected” from CART to the IRL. Financially, it made sense in order to survive and thrive.

If F1, the fundamentals are different. The one race that may have more importance that any other on the calendar is Monaco. And there have already been suggestions from the race promoter that the event will not take place if Ferrari were not present. Important host countries have already been dropped from F1 such as France, Canada, and the United States. The site of the very first F1 World Championship event in 1950, Silverstone, England, is set to be dropped as the host of the British GP beginning next year. Unlike in America, where Indy continued to build on its rich history, F1 is currently disposing of its history in favor of moving races to the highest bidding countries that have little or no heritage in F1.

Instead, tracks that join a FOTA series would actually benefit. In all likelihood, sanctioning fees will be dramatically reduced by FOTA compared to F1. The revenue share should be more advantageous for the tracks as well. So would the threat of never being able to host an F1 event in the future deter these venues from joining a FOTA series? I doubt it. Not if FOTA would offer tracks better financial outcomes compared to F1.

Another important factor, ironically enough, is that FOTA exists because manufacturers derive benefits from racing for marketing reasons. This was a critical factor in the FIA’s campaign to make F1 less reliant on manufacturer participation and more friendly to teams like Williams, that exist solely for the purpose of racing. The reasoning by the FIA was that once the return on investment no longer made sense, manufacturers would feel free to leave the sport. What the FIA did not consider was that a core of manufacturers were comitted to participating in racing for the long term.

When these above mentioned factors are combined with the fact that FOTA controlls the big name teams and drivers of the sport, the sum of the parts suggest that the money train will end up leaving F1 and following FOTA, not the reverse. And like in America, it will be the money situation that determines which series will prevail. In this case, that means FOTA. Either there will be a new series that will overtake F1, or a radical change will soon occur in the FIA that will swing the balance of power to the teams.

We at GrandPrixDB certainly don’t consider ourselves to be a Red Bull motorsports blog. So it’s merely a coincidence that most of our recent posts have been written about either Red Bull Racing or Scuderia Toro Rosso.

Before the season started there was much deliberation amongst our contributors about the season’s prospects of Sebastian Vettel. He could have ended up on our prediction as high as champion or as low as out of the top 6. Of course, clinging to the past prevailed and Vettel was left out, while members of the old guard such as drivers from Ferrari, McLaren, and BMW Sauber were included.

While it seemed impossible that a team like BMW Sauber, which sacrificed a genuine opportunity to win both World Championships in ‘08, who put extra effort into designing its ‘09 challenger, could fall so far short of the mark. At least in the first few races of the new season, this is exactly what has happened.

As far as Red Bull, they have never been anything close to contenders. But the lesson is that you should never underestimate genius. And in the case of Red Bull, there are two: driver Vettel and chief technical officer Adrian Newey.

There is no denying Newey’s genius. His successes at Williams and McLaren were characterized by innovation and attention to design detail. There were also failures, most notably the McLaren MP4-18, but this season Newey has gotten it right. His unique approach to the sweeping new technical regulations has resulted in a chassis that is different and innovative without relying on controversial interpretations of the letter of the law.

Many consider the pullrod design of the rear suspension to be a major obstacle in implementing the “trick” diffuser design that is featured on the Brawn, Toyota, and Williams. However, that is not the way the mind of Newey works. Certainly there is no reason to panic. Instead, he has been handed an opportunity to upgrade an already fast machine, maybe the fastest in the field at the moment. He may not be able to design a new diffuser exactly the way his rivals have, but he will certainly be able to figure out how to exploit this newly endorsed interpretation of the regulations.

And right now in F1, there is no driver who is better at getting the most out of Newey’s creations as Vettel. He handles oversteer with a lack of drama and is devastatingly effective at getting in a golden lap in qualifying. Yet, he has also shown the ability to take it easy on equipment and tires when necessary.

The notable exception of course was at the season-opening Australian GP. We have already made our argument that Vettel’s penalty was deserved. And as the season evolves, it becomes more evident that Vettel’s mistake might cost him. Consider that if he were sensible and settled for 3rd place, not only would he have 6 additional points, but he also would have avoided the 10-spot grid penalty assessed for the Malaysian GP. He certainly had potential for a high finish and more points in Malaysia. Vettel could have been in a position to take the Championship lead this weekend in Bahrain.

Yet, the past is the past, and Vettel is showing that even these lost opportunities are not a deterrent to his progress this season. In yesterday’s qualifying session, it was Vettel who appeared to be holding back by running a heavier fuel load than the rest of the top contenders. There is no reason, other than reliability of the equipment, to think that Vettel will not be able to convert his 3rd starting spot into another victory. And if he does so, suddenly it will be Jenson Button and Brawn who will be on the defensive, looking to preserve as many points as possible on each race weekend. And since the Brawn already has the advanced diffuser design, it seems there is less potential for improvement compared to the Red Bull.

There may be no stopping Vettel and Red Bull in ‘09.

GrandPrixDB sides with the FIA in handing out a 10-spot grid penalty in the upcoming Malaysian GP to Sebastian Vettel for his role in the late race incident with Robert Kubica at the 2009 Australian GP. You can read our analysis here.

Although many observers disagree with the ruling, Vettel could have, and should have, avoided the incident. The fact is that the dramatic speed discrepancy between the two cars was due to Vettel’s tires going off and Kubica’s natural pace at the time. Kubica did not use any artificial means to gain speed such as cutting a chicane or otherwise using a non-racing part of the circuit. By simply braking a meter earlier, Vettel could have avoided the entire mess.

Ultimately, Vettel was not fighting for position because in reality he had no means in which to fight off Kubica. And he knew it. His tires were completely spent and there were too many laps left in the race (three). As I mentioned in my previous post, the only way Vettel could prevent Kubica from passing would be to take him out.

However, I disagree with Eddie Jordan’s assertion that Vettel apologizing to Mario Thiesson afterwards is a sign of weakness. The racing world has become accustomed to the Michael Shumachers and Lewis Hamiltons, who act with impunity and see no reason to offer a simple apology for an admitted mistake in the heat of battle. The fact is Vettel has an irrepressible spirit and we all know he will come back with maximum effort in Malaysia and beyond.

You’re wrong Eddie. Vettel’s ability to admit a mistake and take responsibility in a mature manner is more a sign of strength than weakness. Vettel showed his class and true self confidence in this act of pure sportsmanship.

Sebastian Vettel is a brilliant driver. Even at just 21 years of age he clearly has what it takes to one day become World Champion. However, his incident in the closing stages of the 2009 Australian GP with Robert Kubica as both were fighting for second place was ultimately Vettel’s doing.

Yes, technically speaking both drivers were at fault. Kubica could have waited to make a later pass, or given Vettel more room in the corner. Vettel could have, and should have, given up the corner.

The speed differential was completely due to the tire situation. Vettel was on the softer compound and his tires were through with their golden laps. He was a sitting duck. Kubica ran the ideal strategy by qualifying light and running the soft tires in a short first stint. This allowed him to run the medium compound tires in the critical last stint and he was clearly faster by this point.

From the perspective of Vettel, when a driver has a car that is so many kilometers per hour slower than a passing car, the right thing to do is give up the corner to the faster car. There were still three laps to go and the only way the slower Vettel could prevent Kubica from eventually overtaking was to take him out.

The situation would have been different had they been on the last lap. Then it is every driver for themselves. However in this case, there were three laps remaining and Kubica was going to make every effort to take the fight to race leader, Jenson Button. Even if things had worked out with Vettel, chances are that Kubica would not have caught Button. But recognize this. When the soft compound tires went off, they went off in a big way to the tune of 3-6 seconds per lap. It was not inconceivable that Button’s tires may have gone off and Kubica, who was the fastest of the leading cars at the time, could have had a last second attempt to snatch the race lead. The key was to get by Vettel as quickly as possible, which meant taking the chance as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

For Vettel the end result is a DNF and no points. Judging by the way his race went up to the point of the accident, these lost points might be very critical at the end of the year. Although he was no match for Button, he was not too far away either. Vettel was the class of the “best of the rest” behind the Brawn GP cars. Clearly, Adrian Newey has designed a very good chassis, and it is reasonable to expect the Red Bull to get even better as the year goes on. A Championship push would not be out of the question. As we have seen in the last two seasons, every single point is valuable. And if Vettel finds that he is a handful of points short in the end… I guess we can all say, “What if?”

For Kubica his move was, in vernacular terms, all about street cred. He was clearly committed to closing out the race with every last nanosecond of pace left in his car. And any sliver of opportunity to take an upset victory over the Brawn cars (how ironic is that statement!) was not going to be given up without a fight. Both he and Vettel had equal amounts to lose. Now Vettel and everyone else will know that in similar circumstances, they will either need to be willing to take a DNF or simply give up on a losing battle.

Foolish you might say? Well consider what happened last year in the Japanese GP when Sebastien Bourdais on pit exit failed to give up a corner to the flying Felipe Massa. It was Bourdais who ended up getting penalized. The precedent set by the FIA is that in battles for position, if one car is clearly faster than the other at the point of contact, any resulting penalties will be given to the slower car.

Grand Prix DB provides each driver’s statistical rating prior to the start of the race. It is a moving numerical ranking of possible long run future success. The highest ranked driver does not necessarily have the best chance to win the upcoming race, but is in the strongest position to have the best overall results over the long term. As a driver experiences more success over a series of events, their rating increases, and vice versa. A rating of 1.00 is the highest possible score.

Here are the Grand Prix DB Power Ratings prior to the 2009 Australian GP:

1. Sebastian Vettel, 0.84
2. Robert Kubica, 0.82
3. Felipe Massa, 0.79
4. Kimi Raikkonen, 0.76
5. Jenson Button, 0.74
6. Rubens Barrichello, 0.74
7. Fernando Alonso, 0.69
8. Timo Glock, 0.68
9. Nico Rosberg, 0.67
10. Jarno Trulli, 0.63
11. Nick Heidfeld, 0.60
12. Mark Webber, 0.58
13. Lewis Hamilton, 0.54
14. Nelson Piquet Jr, 0.43
15. Kazuki Nakajima, 0.42
16. Heikki Kovalainen, 0.41
17. Sebastien Buemi, 0.33
18. Sebastien Bourdais, 0.31
19. Giancarlo Fisichella, 0.25
20. Adrian Sutil, 0.20

The amazing Brawn GP are taking full advantage of their technical superiority at the moment by having its two drivers lock out the front row. With a healthy gap to the rest of the field, many are predicting a runaway by Button and Barrichello. But things are never so easy in racing and the Brawn drivers certainly will have their hardest work of the weekend ahead of them in tomorrow’s race.

Red Bull’s Vettel continues to amaze with his ability to put it all together for qualifying. Despite limited practice due to technical problems and driver error on Vettel’s part, he was still able to put in a lightening lap to take third on the grid. And as he proved in the second half of ‘08, Vettel’s qualifying pace proves to be no fluke in the race itself. However, as we all saw in practice, reliability could be a major issue for Red Bull on Sunday.

BMW Sauber’s Kubica, the most consistent driver of ‘08, is once again poised to pounce if any of the top three cars falter. With three upstarts ahead of him on the starting grid and the expected season points contenders a nice gap behind, it will be interesting to see how Kubica approaches the early part of the race. I believe all things taken together, BMW Sauber is the best prepared team for ‘09, so I do not see them wasting a chance for a valuable points haul with a glory run for the front on the opening laps. And it is certain that they will be expecting a podium finish tomorrow.

The Ferraris actually looked pretty good on the track and their lack of ultimate pace is a bit surprising. It will be an interesting battle to see if the KERS-equipped Ferrari drivers can overcome the “diffuser” teams of Toyota and Williams who are not running KERS.

As we wait to see the weights of the cars for race published, comes the news that McLaren will change the gearbox on Hamilton’s car and he will start last on the grid. If there were ever a time for a driver to live up to his team’s hype…

It is refreshing to see Williams and Toyota, along with Brawn fighting at the front with legitimate pace. The early flyaway races can distort reality in comparison to the usual form taking hold when the European races come around. Yet, the ‘09 Australian GP takes unpredicability to a new level and we are guaranteed to see more surprises in tomorrow’s race.

We’re just a few hours away from the first free practice session of the 2009 F1 season. With sweeping rules changes introduced for this year, it is very hard to predict which driver or team will come out on top. Furthermore, offseason testing created more questions than answers with the new Brawn GP team (nee Honda, nee BAR, nee Tyrrell) setting the pace while McLaren were uncharacteristically near the bottom of the time sheets.

We’ve seen many sites providing previews and assessments of the upcoming season, but no one seems foolish enough to actually rank the contenders. That’s where GrandPrixDB comes in. After all, we have no advertisers to answer to and no subscribers to entice to pay us. Basically how much Web traffic we generate has no bearing on whether or not we can put food on the table. So what follows is our predictions for the top 6 drivers in this year’s championship. And when the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix comes around November 1st, we can either have a good laugh or toast our cleverness.

#6: Lewis Hamilton – Despite McLaren’s struggles in preseason testing, it will be mistake to write off the defending champion. However, his team’s inability to roll off the trailer in testing with a car that adequately manages oversteer means that Hamilton begins the season at a disadvantage to his rivals. Depending on how many races it takes for McLaren to recover, Hamilton may not be able to make up lost points from the opening rounds of the Championship.

#5 Jenson Button – Based strictly on two weeks of testing and the fact that the brilliant Ross Brawn is in charge of the entire operation, it seems that at least one of the team’s cars will be able to consistently run at the front and score points regularly. Nevertheless, it is never easy to build a race-winning organization, let alone overcome the lack of testing miles and high off-season drama that Brawn GP has dealt with just to make it to the grid. When the car is good, Button is at his absolute best. So we expect him to shine in 2009 and score a lot of points. But the team will experience growing pains and little mistakes here and there will mean that Button won’t enjoy the consistency throughout the season to be Champion.

#4: Felipe Massa – Ferrari have been near the front in testing and they have two very competitive drivers. They will win their share of races. But there have been nagging reliability issues that bring into question how many races the team’s cars will be able to finish this season. Certainly, when unreliability rears its ugly head, Kimi Raikkonen seems to suffer the worst. Massa has upped the technical side of his game during his tenure at Ferrari, and this added piece in his arsenal may enable him to deal with less than ideal conditions better than his teammate.

#3: Nick Heidfeld – Written off by many after being thoroughly thrashed by teammate Robert Kubica last year, there are many signs pointing to a big year for the super smooth German driver. He is still quick and perhaps the smoothest driver in F1. We believe smoothness will be utterly important this year as the 2009 cars have much more tendency towards oversteer and subsequent wearing of the rear tires than any in recent memory. Additionally, his active record of 28 straight classified finishes suggests an incredibly sympathetic touch and consistency in a variety of circumstances. His relatively small stature should also allow better ballasting of his chassis when integrating the 35kg KERS system compared to teammate Kubica. Perhaps Heidfeld will be able to run KERS for every race this season. Heidfeld showed the world just how quick he is in 2007, and with BMW Sauber continuing its upward progress, Heidfeld should return to the front of the grid and be in the Championship hunt for the entire season.

#2 Fernando Alonso – The Spanish driver proved he is the best in the business last year by playing a pivotal role in improving the dreadful Renault R28 from low mid-packer to race winner by the end of the season. The new R29 is pure ugly, but it has been reliable and reasonably quick in testing. Factor in the intangibles that Alonso, the two-time Champion, brings to the table combined with the ability of his Renault team to rise to occasion, and you have a legitimate contender. The only factor that will prevent Alonso from adding a third Championship will be the ultimate pace of the R29.

#1 Robert Kubica – Our pick for 2009 World Champion is Robert Kubica. In 2008, he combined his incredible natural pace with race savvy, reliability, and consistency. There is no underestimating Dr. Mario Theissen’s deliberate hand in building BMW Sauber into a championship-winning team. Testing proceeded in a very typical and undramatic manner for the team. While they were not the pacesetters, they experienced few if any reliability problems, and seemingly few if any problems in understanding how to tune the chassis. They had no reason to show off their pace in testing and this weekend, they will unleash their true pace. The team’s steady improvement over the past three seasons is right in line with how other teams throughout history have evolved into the top teams of their generation. In comparing the two BMW Sauber drivers, Kubica has proven to be quicker, and in 2008, he became a race winner. This edge will be the difference in vaulting Kubica to the Championship.

There you have it. It’s time to go racing in Melbourne and we look forward to a great 2009.

Now that speculation has been confirmed and Honda is indeed pulling out of F1, it has also emerged that Cosworth engines will be available at a very reasonable price beginning in 2010 to any F1 team that wants them. This Cosworth proposal is the most pragmatic solution to the current worldwide financial crisis that is finally hitting F1, and is exactly the solution that the staff of GrandPrixDB hoped the FIA would offer to the teams.

The irony is that Cosworth was drummed out of F1 by the herd flocking to manufacturer-owned teams or for independents, the fashionable technical partnerships with manufacturers. The last Cosworth engine to run in F1 was with Williams in 2006. The feeling within the team was that the V8 engine was extremely good, even boasting the highest engine speed in the field. But as in all forms of top-level open wheel racing, the lure of manufacturer money meant that Cosworth did not have a place in modern F1. That is, until now.

As we mentioned yesterday, there was a time over 30 years ago, when virtually the entire field was comprised of independent teams running Cosworth V8s. Throughout the history of F1, legendary names have won races and championships with Cosworth, names such as Clark, Hill, Stewart, Fittipaldi, Senna, and the list goes on. Fans should see no shame in their favorite team running a standard “Cossie” behind a chassis of the team’s own creation.

In concert with the re-introduction of Cosworth is the preservation of factory engines from the manufacturers. Indeed, Max Mosley specifically clarified that teams will not be forced to run the standard engine and are free to build their own. This arrangement is in keeping with the tradition of F1 and is a win-win situation for the sport, given the current financial situation.

In a week’s time, we will find out which teams will decide to run the standard engine. There could be some surprising names on the list. Yet, if fewer than the desired four teams do sign up, it will be interesting to see how the FIA proceeds with its program. Given the developments in the last 24 hours, the next few weeks will see critical changes that will ultimately reshape the face of F1 in the near future.

Although it is premature to editorialize based on speculation, the newswires were alight today with reports that Honda is preparing to exit F1 either by selling its team or shutting down the operation entirely. If the reports are true, it really should not come as a complete surprise. Unlike the USA automakers, Honda is probably not planning on a government bailout or bankruptcy as part of its strategic plan. The global economy is in shambles, and automakers across the world are experiencing considerable sales declines.

When Max Mosley started down the path of the standardized engine for F1, just about everyone saw this as being yet another Mad Max Meltdown. How dare Mosley commit blasphemy on our sacred sport by trying to turn it into a glorified version of IndyCar! Yet, there was little thought given to the possibility that this proposal might actually have some basis in reality.

I doubt that Honda is making a political power play in response to a possible spec engine. If they are truly considering leaving F1, the overriding reason is financial. As we have seen with mortgage companies, financial institutions, and the automotive industry, no business is immune from a recession. Smart companies will plan ahead so that the organization can survive now and be set to thrive in the future when the market improves. Manufacturer participation in racing is mostly an elective activity and is always one of the first areas to face massive budget cuts when times are really tough.

Prior to the turbo era of the ’80s and after the rear-engined revolution of the late ‘50 and early ’60s, independent teams flourished in F1. And there were many seasons where the Cosworth V8 powerplant was used by a vast majority of teams. To see virtually the entire F1 field populated by manufacturer-supported teams is a relatively recent occurrence. If all the manufacturers except Ferrari were to leave F1 today, the situation would not be much different from the state of affairs in the mid-’70s. For example, when the 1975 season opened in Argentina, of the 23 cars that qualified, 20 of them were powered by the same engine, the legendary Cosworth DFV.

I am firmly against Max Mosley and the FIA ramming a spec engine down everyone’s throats. However, I am certainly not against the presence of a common engine in the series. While the term “constructor” in F1 has now become analogous to the word “manufacturer,” the vast history of the sport reveals that constructors build their machines using whatever powerplants are available to them at the time. If this means that tomorrow their choice is limited to an Illmor-built engine, then so be it. Yet, instead of mandating that all teams use a chosen engine, the FIA should let natural selection play itself out. Manufacturers will always come and go as times change. But racers will always be around to compete.

The FIA should support an engine development program because the writing is on the wall. The days of big spending are coming to an end. But that does not mean we throw it all away in the name of cost savings. I am certain that even in the worst-case scenario at least three manufacturers will be present in F1. And these companies should be welcomed with open arms and encouraged to build their own engines. But to keep F1 healthy, there will need to be a freely-available, more affordable way to compete in F1. And this is where the “spec” engine comes into play. I sincerely hope this is the true intention of Mosley’s concept.

With news of Mark Webber’s unfortunate accident last weekend at his own charity cycling event come two concerns. First and foremost is the hope that Webber will fully recover and have no permanent effects from his injuries, which are reported to be a broken leg and other minor injuries.

The second concern is that Webber’s career will be threatened. While the obvious question is whether or not Webber will race again, and all signs right now point to a Yes answer, the most meaningful question is how will Webber’s forced time off play into new teammate Sebastian Vettel’s rise to the top of F1.

To backtrack a bit, many fans of Webber’s understand how bad luck has played a significant role in his F1 career to date. Although he chose to switch teams when he did, Webber’s timing has been dubious as he joined the Williams-BMW team in the exact season that his former Jaguar, soon-to-be-Red Bull, squad was crossing paths with Williams, soon-to-be-without BMW, in the F1 pecking order. The result was two lost years at a team on a downhill slide.

Then there were various races where potentially high finishes were spoiled by mechanical failures or unusual incidents. One of the most notorious was in Japan ‘07 when future teammate Vettel smashed into the back of Webber during a safety car period while both were running in podium positions.

But this latest setback in Webber’s career will have the biggest impact. With Webber on the sidelines, the primary testing focus will now be on Vettel in an offseason where the Adrian Newey-designed chassis is fresh off of capturing its first victory (albeit with a Ferrari engine and presented by junior team, Toro Rosso) and where the engine supplier Renault will certainly be given the opportunity to “equalize” its powerplants with the more powerful lumps from Ferrari, Mercedes, and BMW. Make no mistake, the senior Red Bull operation will not run second fiddle to junior Toro Rosso in ‘09 (now wholly owned by Red Bull, by the way). And for further measure, Toro Rosso management will cement its junior status with its imminent driver pairing announcement.

Newey’s Red Bull creation seems tailor-made for Vettel. It is sensitive towards oversteer but very quick in the right hands. And there is no doubt that Newey and the Red Bull folks want to win big. True, KERS is a huge wildcard along with the new aero regulations. However, for the upcoming season, everything else being equal, I would expect the ‘09 Red Bull to be a fantastic car. And with Vettel behind the wheel, we could see the type of jump in performance from ‘08 to ‘09 for Red Bull as we saw in ‘93 to ‘94 for Benetton with its rising German driver of the day.

Vettel is amazingly mature for his age and relative inexperience. I use the term “relative” because he has actually been directly involved in F1 since mid-2006. And watching the young German come alive on Saturdays and Sundays of race weekends erases any doubts that he has enough skills in setting up the car to consistently run competitively.

So as Webber works hard to recover in time for a short bit a testing prior to the season-opening Australian GP, his new teammate will be pounding around at the next test in Jerez and when the new car debuts in Feruary mapping his brain to the nuances of the senior team car and how he can extract maximum pace out of it.

The opening event of 2009 should be an exciting one for Red Bull. The team will have its best-ever driver pairing and most competitive car yet. During his career, Webber has always had an edge over his teammate (although his brief pairing with Nick Heidfeld was a close call). But now, facing his stiffest competition yet, he literally begins the quest on one leg. In what should be the strongest season of his F1 career, I predict Webber will for the first time nevertheless be playing second fiddle to his teammate.