What was it Like? Formule 1, F1, závody, okruhy, týmy, sport, auto,

What was it Like?

L.Pecháček/foto J.Křenek | 26.10.06 | Komentáře - L.Pecháček 2006

F1 comments L.Pecháček

At the beginning of the 2006 season I asked a question: What is it going to be like? The time has come to answer.

WHAT WAS IT LIKE?

The expectation, that Renault is the most hopeful team to continue the last year's success, came true with some luck. The team featured tried management in Flavio Briatore, up-to-level technological background, well cooperating team (except for one mechanic's fault during the GP of Hungary, when he had a problem with changing a wheel) and a pair of experienced pilots. They set an incredible pace from the beginning and kept it till the GP of Canada, when they enjoyed an advantage of 34 points (Alonso 25 points). Afterwards, however, they began to lose, as much as 11 points in a single race (GP of Germany). And lost even the lead in the Constructors Table after the GP of Italy. Partly, it was also the FIA's responsibility, as the originally approved mass dampers were suddenly banned, plus the controversial Alonso's penalization at the GP of Italy when his 3 best qualification times were erased for blocking Massa. No matter that the video record showed that the cars were never closer than 93 metres! Alonso had to start from the 10th position anyway and retired from the race in the end. That caused a lot of bad blood and raised suspicion that FIA was acting in favour of Ferrari and M. Schumacher. It proved nonsense later. However, we had to wait to the very end of the Championship to know the Manufacture's and Driver's Titles.The biggest pre-season question marks concerned McLaren and Ferrari. I assumed that the team of Ron Denis and Norbet Haug from Mercedes would do anything to prevent the last year's failures from interfering with their pilots' success this year. That did not happen. Whereas last year they came second, merely 9 points behind the victorious Renault (182), this year they made worse: no victory, only 2 second places, 13 retirements, exchange of the drivers (Montoya - de la Rosa) and the total of 110 points (96 behind Renault). All that put McLaren to the third place in the Constructor's Table and Räikkönen to the 5th place.An improvement was expected from Ferrari compared with the last year. It came at the speed of sound. There was a little break after the initial 2nd place in the introductory GP of Bahrain but the team prepared well for the European races. Victory in San Marino and at Nürburgring, then 3 second places and especially the series of another 3 victories (USA, France, Germany) put Ferrari close to Renault. And finally 4 victories at the end of the season (Schumacher in Italy and China, Massa in Turkey and Brazil) pulled the team to the 2nd position in the Constructor's Table, mere 5 points behind Renault. If there had not been the Michael Schumacher's technical problem in Japan, the end of the Championship might have been even more dramatic.Of the remaining teams only Honda managed to keep pace with the top three. Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello constituted an equal couple. Button even won at Hungaroring. In the final classification Button came 6th (56 points) and Barrichello 7th (30points). Together it meant the fourth place for Honda - a rise by 2 places and 48 points compared with the last year.The other teams remained far behind. BMW, having exchanged Williams for Sauber, also dealt with the exchange of team number 2 pilots. Jacques Villeneuve continued the last year's misery of going for the leftovers and after the GP of Germany he was exchanged by the Pole Robert Kubica, who immediately proved that the decision was right. The 3rd place in Turkey has been his only points gain so far but he definitely has got the potential for the future, together with Heidfeld (9th - 23). The team made not better neither worse in the final classification, they came 5th again, but they reached substantially less points - only 36 as opposed to the last year's 66.Toyota also seemed to be at the same level. They descended from the last year's 4th to the 6th position and compared with then 88 reached only 35 points. Neither Ralf Schumacher (10th - 20 points) nor Trulli (12th - 15 points) met the expectations. Out of 36 races they gained points only 12 times, 12 times finished without points and 12 times retired. It might seem as a balanced distribution but the team's ambitions were definitely higher.Red Bull Racing remained at its 7th place in the Manufacture's Table but they suffered a great loss as well: 34 last year, 16 this season. Coulthard remained the team number 1 (once a podium in Monaco), however his 14 points was by 10 less than the last year. Klien, who contributed his two points, was exchanged by the test driver Dutch Doornbos for the last 3 GPs without any points gained.The biggest disappointment of the 2006 season was Williams. The withdrawal of the BMW engine manufacturers and the necessity to get by with Cosworth took its price in reliability. Their drivers retired 20 times. Mark Webber did well in qualifications but reached points only 3 times in race (7 points). The freshman Nico Rosberg stared at the beginning of the Championship, gaining points twice (4 points) but after that was lucky merely to finish a race (7 times). The team fell as deep as the 8th from the last year's 5th position, gaining only 11 as opposed to the last year's 66 points. They have a contract for the Toyota engines for the next season, but judging from this year's performance, that might not prove to bring any luck.There was only one point for the newcomer to the Manufacturer's Championship Scuderia Toro Rosso taking the 9th position. Vitantonio Liuzzi got the point, the only American in the F1 Scott Speed remained without points. However, they both completed 28 races (retired only 8 times), which might be a promise for 2007.The teams Midland Toyota and Super Aguri Honda did not reach any points and their pilots (Albers and Monteiro - Sato and Ide, Montagny, Yamamoto) if they finished, they were in the bottom ten - only Monteiro in Hungary and Speed in Australia finished close to the points on the 9th place. None of them had any significance for the F1 Championship 2006. Their outlook for the future is definitely not very good.The tires of Bridgestone and Michelin also played an important role this year. The French ones seemed to work especially well at lower temperatures and on the wet road, whereas the Japanese ones suited Ferrari mainly on the dry tarmac and at higher temperatures. Considering the first three teams according to the tires then Michelin has 402 points, Bridgestone 247. If you compare their victories they are equal 9:9. This way Michelin gave a farewell to the F1 with dignity. Next season, all teams will use the Bridgestone tires.The new 2400 ccm engines were under constant development practically all season and reached up to 20,000 rpm. For the next season their maximum output should be limited exactly by the maximum rpm.Well, what was the 2006 season like? Interesting and thrilling, I think. The Champion was not clear until the very last race of the season. We witnessed many severe fights for places even deep in the pack. We had to admire unbelievable rides of the best who made it from the rear at the start to the points or even to the podium. Just the number of passing manoeuvres to be remembered.

Simply:

IT WAS A SEASON FULL OF EXCITEMENT AND THRILL, BOTH EXCELLENT PRFORMANCE AND DISAPPOINTMENT.Well, let the next one 2007 is even better.Luboš Pecháèek, prosinec 2006