planetf1.com

In this order.

Top teams:
Ferrari
Mercedes
RBR

Middle ones:
Torro Rosso
Renault
HAAS
Force something

Q1 exit candidates:
Mclaren
Sauber
Williams

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The end is near

Even the harshest testing analysis doesn't have Toro Rosso ahead of McLaren, so I'm really not sure where people are getting this from.

Anyway, here are mine:

Top Teams (race wins and podiums)
Mercedes
Red Bull
Ferrari

Midfield (usually in Q3)
Renault
McLaren

Lower Midfield (rare Q3 appearances)
Force India
Haas
Toro Rosso

Battle at the Back (Q3 is a distant dream)
Williams
Sauber

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PF1 PICK 10 COMPETITION (3 wins, 12 podiums): 2017: 19th| 2016: 3rd| 2015: 4th
PF1 TOP THREE TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP (No Limit Excedrin Racing): 2017: 2nd| 2015: 1st
AUTOSPORT GP PREDICTOR: 2017 United States Champion! (world #2)

1. Mercedes

2. Ferrari
3. Red Bull

4. Renault
5. Haas
6. McLaren
7. Force India

8. Williams
9. Toro Rosso

10. Sauber

1. Merc
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
2. Red Bull 3. Ferrari
.
4. Renault
5. McLaren
6. Toro Rosso
7. Haas
8. Force India a.k.a ____
9. Williams 10. Sauber Alfa

1. Mercedes

2. Red Bull
3. Ferrari

4. Renault
5. Haas
6. Force India

7. McLaren
8. Toro Rosso
9. Williams

10. Sauber


Something like that.

everyone seems to be on the same page. It just seems to obvious for things to happen like this.

My guess is we might just be in for a surprise.

Merc
---
Red Bull/Vettel
Kimi
---
---
Renault
McLaren
Haas
Force India
Toro Rosso
Williams
Sauber

Hardest team to place is Force India as I expect their car to be the most upgraded from those we saw in Barcelona. If the upgrades don't work then you could drop them behind Toro Rosso (which is where they appear to be right now) whereas if the upgrades do work, they could jump as high as racing Renault for 4th in the WCC.

I'm expecting Merc to be between .5 and 1 second clear of the field, with the Red Bulls and Vettel well matched and Kimi lagging behind a little. Then a big gap of over a second back to the rest of the field, with no team really cut adrift.

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Cheering for: Leclerc, Hulkenberg, Vandoorne
Pick 10 | 1 win, 10 podiums
2017: 6th | 2016: 8th | 2015: 2nd | 2014: 15th | 2013: 17th | 2012: 11th

1. Mercedes
.
2. Red Bull
.
.
3. Ferrari
4. Renault
5. McLaren
6. Haas
7. Force India
.
8. Williams
9. Toro Rosso
10. Sauber

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I think Sauber are going to be better than many are suggesting. They look like they have put a huge amount of effort in to change the chassis. They also have big new sponsors and an up to date Ferrari engine. Their drivers may not be the best but think they car could possibly be up into the midfield. Sauber sound pretty confident abut their new car to me. could be wong.

1. Ferrari
2. Red Bull
3. Mercedes
4. Renault
5. Haas
6. McLaren
7. Toro Rosso
8. Force India
9. Sauber
10. Williams

Ok, 1-3 is probably wishful thinking.
4-8, will change race by race. Too close to call, probably works Renault team will have the overall edge.
9,10 Both will be close to the midfield, not close enough. Williams will regret their driver line up.

Don't see it much different then the last 4 years, probably no active suspension or anything else to have removed from Merc to even it out in the beginning as in 2017

1. Merc






2. Red Bull/Ferrari
4. Renault
5. Toro Rosso
6. Haas
7. Force India
8. McLaren
9. Williams
10. Sauber

Personally, I think Sauber's improvement will come next year rather than this year. Keep in mind that it was halfway through the 2017 season before they even pulled out of their Honda deal, and their Alfa Romeo sponsorship wasn't announced until after the season. I think this year is more about building on the stability that last year's announcements afforded them, especially considering the mess that team was in off the track as little as 12 months ago. I don't expect them to be adrift at the back this year, though.

Oh, and you can be wong if you want to, although I'm not sure how racially correct that is

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Cheering for: Leclerc, Hulkenberg, Vandoorne
Pick 10 | 1 win, 10 podiums
2017: 6th | 2016: 8th | 2015: 2nd | 2014: 15th | 2013: 17th | 2012: 11th

I'm a Kimi fan but this gave me a good chuckle.

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{Insert clever sig line here}

I see some people are putting a lot of stock in how many laps the Honda PU was able to put in during testing. As a result putting STR higher up the order than they finished last year with the Renault.

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{Insert clever sig line here}

1. Mercedes
2. Reb Bull / Ferrari
3. McLaren
4. Renault
5. Haas
6. McLaren
7. Toro Rosso
8. Force India
9. Sauber
10. Williams

I think McLaren will come good. They have in the past had very poor winter tests, followed by good efforts at getting things sorted for Melbourne. Their car looks fast, and if they can get around they reliability problems around the Renault engine (note the emphasis on McLaren sorting their stuff out, not Renault), then I think they'll be the behind RB & Ferrari, but ahead of the rest.

Edging your bets with Mclaren I see!

Laz_T800, yep! I hope so. I just want to see Alonso in a car that can at least do something.

I'm a big fan of his, and I know he very much splits opinion, but there is no doubt that he is a very talented driver and would make the races more exciting if he was in the mix.

1. Mercedes
2. Ferrari
3. Red Bull
4. Renault
5. Force India
6. McLaren
7. Haas
8. Williams
9. Toro Rosso
10. Alfa Romeo Sauber

No point putting the gaps in as it won't change where they finish in the constructors championship.

lol, you have them twice in your list!

1. Mercedes
2. Ferrari
3. Red Bull
4. Haas
5. Force India
6. Renault
7. McLaren (think they'll be faster than Renault, but less reliable)
8. Toro Rosso
9. Williams
10. Sauber

I can see McLaren as high as 5th or as low as 9th. The same for STR and Williams.

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"IF is a very long word in Formula One; in fact, IF is F1 spelled backwards." - Murray Walker

1. Mercedes
2. Red Bull
3. Ferrari
4. Renault
5. McLaren
6. Toro Rosso
7. Haas
8. Force India
9. Williams
10. Sauber

I'm predicting a rough year for Force India followed by a big sale of the team at the end of the year. They have overachieved for a long time now but I think this year will be a rough one. I also predict a very difficult year for Williams F1. I think Haas will start out consistently in the points but will fall off the pace over the course of the season. Toro Rosso will be a surprise this year and a solid midfield points scorer.

If Ferrari have solved their reliability issues then they look to be ahead this year and should win both championships.

1. Ferrari
2. Mercedes
3. Red Bull
4. Renault
5. McLaren

I don't care about the rest.

Why is everyone marking Force India/something down? I really do not know where to put them.
Is there any reason they look weak or is it pure politics within the team?

I see Merc clear ahead.

Ferrari are the conundrum and could be better or worse than Red Bull, but this is the top 3, with Kimi the laggard and likely to be a few places below Seb in a few races, and one or two surprise appearances for good measure.

Sauber are defiantly the tail enders, STR are a real unknown and could be 4th or 8th, I would not put money either way.

Now the group in the middle. I have to go for Renault heading it, Mclaren could be there with them or could be a busted flush by trying to run before they walk fast. FI could be with Renault Mclaren or above/below them.

Williams v Haas for the next places, due to driver inconsistency in both teams.

I might as well have come out and said I don't have a clue and finished with it.

They were starting to beat the Toro Rossos and Williams at the end of last year. And that was with an engine that wasn't developed all year. I agree with Gianthogweed, I think they are going to be better than expected. Their driver lineup is also superior to Toro Rosso's and possibly Williams too.

I am surprised at how much people are expecting from Toro Rosso. They may have had a relatively trouble-free time in winter testing but I'm not expecting the Honda engine to have caught up with the rest over the winter. They also have a pretty uninspiring driver line-up - Kvyat put Hartley firmly in the shade at the US GP last year. I anticipate that they'll be right at the back.

Agree with the comments about Sauber though, I think they'll be more competitive this year particularly now that they have an up to date Ferrari engine. I'm expecting big things from Leclerc as well.

Overall I think people are reading too much into winter testing. Aside from McLaren making a big step forward I'm not expecting much change in the pecking order from last year. We all thought Mercedes had a massive advantage this time last year too, then Vettel turned up and won in Australia.

End of season standings...


1. Mercedes
2. Red Bull
3. Ferrari
4. McLaren
5. Renault
6. Force India
7. Williams
8. Haas
9. STR
10. Sauber



Australia

1. Mercedes
2. Red Bull
3. Ferrari
4. Haas
5. Renault
6. McLaren
7. Williams
8. Force India
9. STR
10. Sauber

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"Clark came through at the end of the first lap so far ahead that we in the pits were convinced that the rest of the field must have been wiped out in an accident."
-Eddie Dennis, describing the dominance of Jim Clark in the Lotus 49 at Spa 1967

1. Mercedes
2. Ferarri
3. Red Bull
4. Renault
5. McLaren
6. Haas
7. Torro Rosso
8. Force India
9. Williams
10. Sauber

Last year, there were a lot of people who were Ferrari believers after testing, including myself. They were topping the timesheets consistently, and pundits were raving about the car on track. This year, I hope I'm wrong, but Merc seems in a league of their own.

First part of the season;

Mercedes
Ferrari
Red Bull

+ 0.8s
McLaren
Renault
Haas

+ 0.5s
Williams
Force India

+ 0.5s
Toro Rosso
Sauber

Mercedes (Hamilton) are gonna sweep 2018, 2019 and 2020. Unless another umpteenth attempt at nobbling them finally succeeds.

Newey and Cyril's recent comments suggest it's going to be a bit of a walkover I fear. I can't see them making similar comments if they new Renault and Red Bull were close enough. Newey was critical of the overall regs and Cyril said it's no good knowing who's going to win the championship before even the first race.

There was another rumour in AutoBild that Mercedes found another 50bhp and could carry another 10kg less fuel than last tear where they already had a 10kg advantage over Ferrari.

Greatest F1 engine ever?

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"Clark came through at the end of the first lap so far ahead that we in the pits were convinced that the rest of the field must have been wiped out in an accident."
-Eddie Dennis, describing the dominance of Jim Clark in the Lotus 49 at Spa 1967

Last year James Allen had Ferrari listed as #1. F1 metrics said 'too close to call' between Mercedes & Ferrari.

This year F1 metrics is saying Merc have a clear gap to Ferrari & RBR, then a disappointing gap from there to the rest (hope was Renault or McLaren would be closer). James Allen says Mercedes have a gap to Ferrari & Red Bull, and Ferrari will need to absolutely nail everything whilst hoping Mercedes don't if they want to have a chance (win the development war, no driver errors, no tactical mess-ups...).

Mercedes than daylight

I have heard that publication is not that credible.

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PF1 Pick 10 Competition

2013: 5th Place
2014: Champion
2015: 3rd Place
2016: 4th Place
2017: 9th Place
2018: Currently 9th

Win: Abu Dhabi 2017
Podium: 2nd Barcelona 2018 and Canada 2015, 3rd Monza 2016, Hungary 2016 and Barcelona 2015

1. Mercedes
2. Red Bull
3. Ferrari
4. Renault
5. Haas
6. Force India
7. McLaren
8. Toro Rosso
9. Williams
10. Sauber

Will be very happy if McLaren can have a better year than I am guessing but I don't see anything in testing that would suggest it.

Would also be happy if Honda proves to be a stronger power plant than last year. We need another strong engine supplier. Need more other engines to keep Marchionne et al on good behavior.

I can never remember which Bild is the (supposed) good one and which one's the bad tbh, so could well be. Should always take these things with a healthy pinch of salt of course.

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"Clark came through at the end of the first lap so far ahead that we in the pits were convinced that the rest of the field must have been wiped out in an accident."
-Eddie Dennis, describing the dominance of Jim Clark in the Lotus 49 at Spa 1967

I don't know either, it's just something I read in respect to that article.

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PF1 Pick 10 Competition

2013: 5th Place
2014: Champion
2015: 3rd Place
2016: 4th Place
2017: 9th Place
2018: Currently 9th

Win: Abu Dhabi 2017
Podium: 2nd Barcelona 2018 and Canada 2015, 3rd Monza 2016, Hungary 2016 and Barcelona 2015

I came here just to say this.... Sauber wont be last IMHO, Not even close.

Bold prediction. We'll see soon enough if you're right.

_________________
PF1 PICK 10 COMPETITION (3 wins, 12 podiums): 2017: 19th| 2016: 3rd| 2015: 4th
PF1 TOP THREE TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP (No Limit Excedrin Racing): 2017: 2nd| 2015: 1st
AUTOSPORT GP PREDICTOR: 2017 United States Champion! (world #2)

Top teams
Mercedes
Ferrari
Red Bull

Upper midfield
McLaren
Renault
Force India

Lower midfield
Haas
Williams

Struggling at the back
Sauber
Toro Rosso

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Top Three: 5 wins, 19 podiums | 2016: 9th [6th] | 2017: 16th [6th] | 2018: -6th [8th]
Pick 10: 1 win, 5 podiums | 2016: 22nd | 2017: 21st | 2018: 8th
Group Pick'em: 2 wins, 7 podiums | 2016: 14th | 2017: 10th | 2018: 10th