It’s hard to be sure of anything any more. A number of drivers must be rethinking their decision to change teams coming in to the 2014 season.
Daniel Ricciardo jumps to the most dominant team in the competition just around the same time its engine starts melting like an ice cream in a spin dryer. Ditto Pastor Maldonado, I bet that Lotus drive isn’t looking so sweet anymore.
If anything it’s the best possible time for Red Bull to fall to pieces, at least from Vettel’s point of view. His position in the team has changed from a preferred lead driver to a delineated number one. He is expected to deliver – if the car makes it to the finish line.
However all reports are that if Red Bull can sort out their troubles, the car is quick and the inaugural double-points race to finish the year could just top off a remarkable comeback in the second half of the season. We shall see.
Next door at Scuderia Ferrari, Kimi Raikonnen’s homecoming is lacking some sparkle. His partner was on such tenterhooks last year there were rumours he would jump ship, before being reminded just how silly you have to be to turn down a Ferrari drive.
Mark my words, all is not well in the Ferrari camp, but hopefully they can take the challenge to the others up the express end of the track.
It amazes me that people still believe Mercedes have a superior driver line-up to Ferrari. It doesn’t make sense on any level other than youthful exuberance. Lewis Hamilton, who just barely won his drivers championship a long, long time ago, and the untested Nico Rosberg.
There are those who predict big things from the German this year, myself included, but it will require an extra step, something special. For Kimi or Fernando to win would be business as usual.
Although they seem to have the pace, another missing factor from Mercedes is the calming influence of Ross Brawn. The absence of his cool, almost indifferent confidence could prove costly in this year. Particularly in a year of technical difficulty the likes of which we haven’t seen for decades.
On top of new aerodynamics, power units and qualifying allowances we still have Pirelli’s unpredictable tyres.
Nothing has changed from 2013, and the hangover of Vettel’s dominance could make 2014 more dramatic than a high-school musical production of The Godfather.
See you at Albert Park.
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