We love to speculate. However, we tend to steer clear of driver predictions, especially Formula One. F1 is notoriously unpredictable, and attempting to foresee who'll drive for who, or who's out, who's in, is fraught with surprise and/or disappointment.
    Having stated all that, we can't help but notice that Renault incumbent, Nico Hulkenberg, may be without a drive in 2020. We'll make no apologies for it, but unashamedly we are a bit of a fan of The Hulk. A German karting champ, Formula BMW champ in 2005, Formula 3 Euro champ in 2008, GP2 champ in 2009. We can remember seeing Nico destroy the opposition in Sydney winning in the one make A1GP. He won nearly half of the races for Team Germany en route to the 2006-07 title. He graduates to F1 for Williams and makes the progression from test and reserve driver to race driver in 2010, bagging a pole position in his first year in variable conditions at Brazil. In 2015 he drove a factory Porsche in the Le Mans 24 Hour and won on debut. His pedigree is unquestionable. 
    Now at the time of writing his options for 2020 are limited, as he's lost his seat at Renault to Mercedes backed Esteban Ocon. Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren, Renault, Racing Point and Haas have all settled on their 2020 lineups. This only leaves Alfa Romeo and Williams as possibilities, as Red Bull and Toro Rosso tend to employ their own sponsored drivers. The last time Red Bull hired outside their stable was Mark Webber from 2007-2013. So, has Hulkenberg missed his chance of a drive at a top team? Is he a case of unfulfilled potential? After nearly 10 years in F1, he still hasn't stood on the podium. Could F1 still spring a surprise? Perhaps a certain Ferrari driver retires freeing up a seat, or Red Bull buck their own tradition and snap up Nico? Ferrari and Red Bull could do a lot worse. Simply put, will we see The Hulk on the 2020 F1 grid? We hope so....   

    Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Anthoine Hubert who tragically lost his life in a horrific crash at the Belgium GP. A star of F2 and destined for F1. Rest In Peace.
    We'd also like to wish Juan Manuel Correa a speedy recovery after sustaining extensive injuries in the same incident. Best wishes.  
     

    Ever wonder why Formula One drivers speak so fondly of a track like Japan's Suzuka? Or perhaps Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium? Both challenge the drivers. Not simply because of their configuration, but because driver errors are punished. Get it wrong and they're beached in the gravel trap, or uncontrollably skidding across the grass into the barriers and out of the race. Conversely, construct a near perfect lap on the edge and their job satisfaction skyrockets.
    The last F1 race in Canada had a shroud of controversy draped over the result. Relentless pressure from Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton resulted in race leader, Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel missing the Turn 3 + 4 chicane, skating across the grass and rejoining just in front of Hamilton who took avoiding action. Deeming the rejoining on track unsafe, the stewards handed Vettel a 5 second penalty, gifting the race win to Hamilton at the chequered flag. It's been debated ad nauseam, but technically the penalty was a slam dunk. Morally, well, you decide. 
    We could add to the debate, or even comment that Vettal made another mistake when the pressure was on. It did however got us thinking about circuit layout. Modern day circuits have replaced grass and gravel traps with tarmac runoffs. Now if a driver makes a mistake, they can just continue on. Where's the penalty in that? Time lost perhaps or driving around a bollard to rejoin the circuit? Imagine if the grass that Vettel drove over at Canada was covered with asphalt. You could conclude he gained an advantage. Then what's he supposed to do? Cede the place to Hamilton? After his mistake, upon sliding across the grass Vettel should be applauded for barely avoiding crashing himself. We understand that circuit safety is the reason for tarmac runoffs, but is it eliminating a challenging element for the drivers? Look at Monaco. St Devote at Turn 1 and the entrance to the swimming pool section were both guarded by the walls and made a formidable challenge. Now the walls are moved back. Don't fans deserve to see F1 drivers challenged to the best of their ability, or are the punters unable to see clearly because they are too far from the action due to the tarmac runoffs?
    Cynically yours....

    Midday is fast approaching. Better make your way to your favourite vantage point before the crowd stake a claim for your preferred real estate. Camera's charged and at the ready. The venue is Albert Park, Melbourne and once again Australia is the first race of a new Formula One campaign. Can't wait to get our first glimpse of the latest spec F1 cars. Anticipation crescendos as you listen for the sound of the cars leaving pit lane. 12 midday passes and then....nothing! 
    The recent edition of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix saw virtually all of first Friday practice lost after George Russell's Williams dislodged a manhole cover. The cover responded in kind by ripping the Williams floor to pieces only to fall millimetres short of George Russell himself. This prompted officials to red flag the session and ensure circuit safety. F1 being F1 though, the teams were able to adapt to reduced track time, complete their programmes and find a desirable setup for their cars. Later various team principals were quizzed as to how much of a disadvantage it was to miss Free Practice 1. The consensus was that it was no big deal. Maybe they didn't want to alert their rivals of any perceived shortfalls. They also stated that in the interest of reducing the physical demands required of their race teams, even entertained the idea of scraping Friday practice permanently. There's no doubt the F1 schedule is gruelling for the teams, but is compartmentalising a race weekend into two days good for F1? Have they forgotten something? By that we mean, the subjective tone of their answers reeks of a perspective issue. What about the fans?
    Many fans base their holidays around attending a Formula One Grand Prix. They spend their hard earned to travel nationally or even internationally just to be part of the spectacle. The fans want to see "The Pinnacle Of Motorsport" on track. At Melbourne, we've chatted to Germans who've come to see Michael Schumacher race, Colombians to see Juan Pablo Montoya race, Finns to see Kimi Raikkonen race. Would a punter from the Czech Republic be inclined to travel to the Red Bull Ring in Austria, a Californian to Texas for the US GP, or an Australian to the UK for the British GP at iconic Silverstone if the cars are only on track for 2 days? You get the picture? Not to mention television. F1 is heading globally down the Pay TV route. Would F1 still be tempting enough to pay for TV for the average punter?
    Let's hope there's more on track on Friday than just the support categories. Cheers.
    

    Do you recall when Formula One qualifying was a flat out blast for one hour? All the drivers would run as their teams' desired, each run improved upon the previous, only for the likes of say Ayrton Senna or Michael Schumacher to demolish their times at the last possible moment, thus demoralising the opposition. Would have to erode the other drivers' confidence, wouldn't it?
    It was refreshing to see that psychological warfare is still prevalent in today's F1, as evidenced by last week's Australian Grand Prix. To gain the ascendancy over not only your team mate, but the entire field through unyielding determination, resilience, tenacity or what ever you want to call it, all adds to driver confidence. When racing, driver confidence is paramount. 
    Anyone who's ever attended a Grand Prix weekend can feel how the momentum builds through Free Practise towards Qualifying, culminating in the Grand Prix itself. We found it intriguing and never more evident at Albert Park. Looking to justify his signing and cement his place in the team, newcomer at Ferrari Charles Leclerc was quick  during practise into qualifying, often faster than team mate, Sebastian Vettel. Would a four time champion let a kid with only one year's F1 experience beat him? After all, Vettel is the undisputed leader at Ferrari, isn't he? When the pressure was on, in the end, it was Vettel who outqualified him and beat him in the race. To Leclerc's credit though, he applied strong pressure to Vettel in the race until Ferrari put a halt to the attack in favour of bringing both cars home in the points. A tussle we hope will run all season.
    However the driver that warrants applause is Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas. Here's a driver that endured a woeful 2018. No wins despite driving the best car. Retirements whilst on the cusp of winning. Told to pull over for team mate Lewis Hamilton for the sake of the championship. Labelled a good "wingman" to Hamilton by team boss Toto Wolff. Now he has Mercedes sponsored Esteban Ocon waiting to take his seat if Mercedes opt not to exercise their option on Bottas next year. He could be forgiven if his motivation waned for the forthcoming season. Not Bottas though. He distanced himself from not only F1, but all distractions, reflected, trained hard and returned reinvigorated, determined to put his own stamp on F1. With the scars of last year's Australian GP still fresh from when he crashed in qualifying, he turns up at Albert Park and despite Hamilton being quickest in all practise sessions, puts the car on provisional pole. Hamilton responds only the way he knows how by summoning all his experience and talent to place the car on pole in the dying moments of qualifying. After qualifying a lesser driver than Bottas may of acquiesced. Which leads us to the race itself. Whose confidence will skyrocket after they land that psychological body blow? Bottas not only won the start, but he destroyed the entire field by winning the race by 20 seconds over Hamilton and nearly a minute over Ferrari, also absconding with the bonus point for fastest lap. 
    Hamilton doesn't win five world championships by chance. He knows how to mount a challenge and is renown for being unrelenting in the second half of the season. Former team mate and 2016 champ Nico Rosberg has stated that it took all his mental strength to defeat Lewis Hamilton. Question is, does Valtteri Bottas possess the intestinal fortitude to sustain a serious championship assault? Australian GP domination undoubtedly boosted Valtteri's confidence sending a chilling message to the opposition, but are we yet to see the full depth of a Bottas ruthless reserve? Psychological pistols at ten paces, or should we say 21 races? Cheers....    
    
    
    

    This time in a week we'll know who has claimed the spoils of victory at the 2019 season opening Formula One race at Melbourne's idyllic Albert Park. Comes around quick doesn't it? Formula One is ably supported by Supercars, Porsche Carrera Cup, Australian GT, Formula 4 and Ferrari Challenge Asia Pacific. Not to mention a big presence in the skies courtesy of the Royal Australian Air Force and a massive music festival. For the first time ever Formula One and the Australian GP Corporation are bringing years of planning to fruition by staging a F1 season launch in the heart of Melbourne at Federation Square on the Wednesday before the event starts on Thursday. All this to create a bonanza for the senses over a hectic 5 day period. 
    As usual F1 winter testing revealed little regarding a potential pecking order. No one knows what programmes the teams are running and we think it a frivolous exercise to try and dissect who's hot and who's not. However, the consensus at this early stage is that Ferrari look strong. One thing we did notice amongst all the teams is that reliability seemed to be at a higher level than at this time in previous years. Bodes well for Melbourne.
    Aerodynamically speaking, F1 cars are designed to be as fast as possible when travelling in clear or undisturbed air. Upon approach to another car, the disturbed air created behind the car in front compromises the pursuing car's aero  rendering it difficult to overtake the car in front. The loss of downforce counters any speed differential. Therefore a number of aerodynamic changes have been mandated for the forthcoming season. They are designed to assist F1 cars punch through the dirty air when chasing another car. In short, the complex endplates which adorned front wings are banned. Front wings are now higher, wider, further forward, thus devoted to creating downforce and less likely to stall when in dirty air. Brake ducts are smaller, thereby having less surface area for dirty air to mess with. The bargeboards which guard the sidepods are smaller and moved forward to better link up with the air coming from the front of the car. There's a ban on blown axles. Rear wings have also had extensive reworking. The Drag Reduction System (DRS), whereby the rear wing opens in designated spots to reduce drag and therefore increase speed, has had its gap widened. The rear wing is also wider and higher, having the duel effect of increased downforce and punching a larger hole in the air so the car behind can follow in less disturbed air.
    To date, opinions are divided on whether the changes will have the desired effect or not. During winter testing, Haas' Kevin Magnussen commented that it was easier to follow another car and that the changes are a step in the right direction. But did he know what fuel load or tyre compound they were running? Contrarily Red Bull design genius Adrian Newey thinks not much will change. Remember even when aero was in its infancy in F1 design when the cars had relatively simple front and rear wings compared to today's standards, F1 cars were still difficult to follow, let alone overtake. Hasn't it always been difficult to overtake in F1?
    So will the revised aero rules have the desired effect or will it still reminisce of groundhog day? Melbourne's always been notoriously hard for overtaking. Will some of our questions be answered next weekend, or will we have to wait for subsequent races? Either way, Melbourne's still the place to be....
    
​