SimHQ.com - Motorsports Zone - Feature: F1 2004 Season Preview

Tipped by many (including me) to be the surprise of the season Renault have looked devastating in testing. Although Williams won the plaudits of the most radical car on the grid this season Renault's rear end is not far behind. The team have reverted back to their 72 degree Supertec engine block (with a development lineage that can be traced back to the engine that powered Thierry Boutsen and Riccardo Patrese in their Williams in 1990!). The package which the engine is surrounded by is a testament to the extremities of aerodynamic packaging found in modern F1 cars. The R204 is incredibly kind to its tires and its ultimate pace over a race distance seems to be ahead of its rivals. With Alonso tipped by many as the next Schumacher and Trulli finally in a car that can win races regularly it will b interesting to see where the team are by the end of the year.

7. Trulli

Although overlooked by many due to Alonso's win in Hungary, Jarno Trulli had a pretty good year last year. Consistent finishing and being able to push his team mate close allowed Trulli to retain is seat this year. Despite all this Trulli needs to repeat the performance in all 18 weekends if he is not to be replaced (most particularly by Mark Webber - another Briatore managed driver who is currently the best thing going at Jaguar. Trulli has largely lost his reputation for going to sleep in races but he must now establish himself as a front runner with more podiums and a couple of wins being essential if he is not to be seen as just another journeyman.

8. Alonso

The man of the moment at Renault Ferando Alonso has ignited interest in Formula 1 in Spain and provided Renault with more exposure than they could have dreamed of in what is a vitally important market for them. Alonso goes into his second year with the team the original question marks regarding his suitability removed and the team ready to mold itself around him in the same way that Benetton molded itself around Michael Schumacher in the mid 90s. With more power in the car Alonso looks likely to be more consistently for race wins this season and may well have a shot at the championship. How Alonso ranks against the hard driving styles of Montoya and Raikkonen is still open to question but his dicing with Schumacher at the British Grand Prix last year (where Michael tried to force Alonso onto the grass at 180mph) showed that Fernando looks ready to play hardball with anyone.

BAR (White with Red Lucky Strike roundels)

What a difference a year makes! This time last year Jenson Button was widely seen as drinking in the last chance saloon as far as his F1 career went. It was widely accepted that Villeneuve would thrash him but Button would probably be re-signed for this season more out of cost than results and would face stiff opposition for his seat from Sato. This year Villeneuve is gone, sparing himself even the last race after he became consistently outpaced by his younger team mate. Over the winter the team change from Bridgestone to Michelin tires and this will be of huge benefit to them this year. The Honda engine is still a lump but it seems to be getting better and both Button and his new team mate Sato set some impressive testing times both in the interim and the 2004 cars (it must be noted that these runs were qualifying run style performances with the cars probably running underweight).

9. Button

Still gunning for his first podium after four years of trying Jenson Button will be going into this year expecting wins rather than a lucky third place. Geoff Willis' design, though reminiscent of a Ferrari, is still a neatly packaged piece of kit and can be expected to perform well on the driver's circuits. Almost more important than his driving Jenson is already seen by BAR as an excellent team leader and motivator of the workforce. The team will be further strengthened this year by being able to call on ex-Minardi driver Anthony Davidson to test for them on Fridays (a luxury not afforded to the top four teams) and this may well allow the team a crucial advantage on circuits where setup is crucial. Expect an impressive season.

10. Sato

Back after a year testing for the team following his chaotic stint with Jordan in 2002, Takuma Sato is determined to outgrow his somewhat wild & woolly tag that seemed to attach itself when he was at Jordan. Sato clearly overdrove the car and was not helped by both the Jordan's leery handling and in trying to keep up with a very experienced and quick team mate in Fisichella. Ironically this was exactly the same experience as Jenson Button had had the year before at Benetton before it became Renault! Sato should do far better at the more familial place that BAR has become since Jacques Villeneuve's departure and he should thrive as number two driver there. Because of his attractiveness to engine supplier Honda there is no doubt that Sato's seat is safe no matter how he does but it would be nice to see him live up to his promise as Japan's best ever Formula 1 driver.

Sauber (Mid Blue with a yellow airbox, white nose and front wing with Credit Suisse Red Bull and Petronas graphics)

When the C24 was unveiled there was a collective gasp of disbelief from the assembled press. This was not due to any weir sponsor's or design details but because it really as impossible to see how the car was in any way different from last year's Ferrari F2003-GA! Unlike in previous copycat designs (such as last year's Toyota for the previous year's Ferrari and the identical Ligier & Benetton in 1995) the Sauber cannot even claim they are running different internals as the team is using the Ferrari engine, gearbox, transmission and rear suspension! Still, this is not to be too surprising. Sauber are now the leading team still running on Bridgestone after Ferrari (with Jordan and Minardi being the other two) and in teaming up with Sauber Ferrari can gather vital testing data from the Friday test sessions and early qualifying to help them in their race preparations. Even so the benefits to Sauber seem a little more tricky to see. The C24 is likely to be fast but in selling out to Ferrari Sauber have effectively become a Ferrari B team. Something that both sponsors and pride would make untenable after a period.

9. Fisichella

Fisichella has long wanted to drive a Ferrari and this year it looks like he has finally got it! The Italian's attempts at wresting the second Ferrari seat came to nought when Barrichello was announced as Schumacher's team mate for a further three years and I looks like Williams are now Fisico's best chance for a decent tilt at the title before he gets too old. Although a talented driver, his lackluster performances at Jordan (caused out of frustration regarding lack of funds and development of the car) did not endear him to potential employers.

10. Massa

Back after a year testing with Ferrari to see what he can do with his old team in 2004. Massa has described his year away as a "masterclass" in how to setup and drive a Formula 1 car. This is all very well but by most accounts Massa does not appear to have learned much from it! In testing at Barcelona Massa was going through corners differently each lap and providing very little in terms of data for the engineers to work with. Massa is no managed by (Ferrari team manager) Jean Todt's son and a move to Maranello is said to be in the offing should Massa prove his worth this year. Although fast Massa is going to find it hard to keep pace with Fisichella at Sauber and this season may well be his last in Formula 1.

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