What will Formula One bring in 2011?
The 2010 Formula One season was dominated by Red Bull racing team, but will they be able to repeat their performance in 2011? They do have the potential but there are other teams which are equally capable of performing well next season.
The most confident team heading into the next season will definitely be Red Bull as they won both the titles available last year. Although the start to the season was not as promising as the team would have liked, but they had the best car on the grid, and their performances justified that at the end of the season.
Red Bull claimed a total of 15 pole positions out of the 19 races in the season, which sums up their dominance in the last season. Out of those 15 poles, Sebastian Vettel took 10 whereas team-mate Mark Webber claimed five.
The team is expected to be dominant in the next season and it will be interesting to see whether Vettel, dubbed as “baby Schumi”, will be able to add to his tally of Formula One championships or not.
The only concern for Red Bull seems to be the relationship between Webber and Vettel. Both drivers have cleared the air by saying that they will have a better season ahead in terms of their relationship; but that will only become apparent when the new season starts.
Although the 2010 champions are very strong, they will be given a tough time by Mclaren-Mercedes in the next season just like last year. Mclaren-Mercedes is the only team amongst the current lot which has two Formula One champions in Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton.
Both the British drivers will be looking forward to a better season ahead in 2011. Last year the team benefited from the F-ducts, which are now banned from the sport under new regulations, so they will have to come up with something new and better for the next season.
If any other team has the potential to end Red Bull’s dominance, it is definitely Mclaren-Mercedes. Both Hamilton and Button will be looking forward to win the title next year and double their championship tally.
The scarlet car has also been as dominant as any other team in the history of the sport. Ferrari had a relatively bad season compared to the top two teams last year. Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa will look to better the performance they put together for the team last year. Alonso had a better season as compared to Massa, as he almost won the championship benefiting from the rivalry between the Red Bull drivers.
The weak link in the Ferrari team at the moment seems to be Massa. He hasn’t been able to win many points for his team, which hurt Ferrari badly. After he sustained a head injury in 2009, he hasn’t shown his true form. The Spaniard Alonso though, has an edge over other drivers, since he is the second most successful driver amongst the current lot. The most successful is Michael Schumacher but he hasn’t been able to live up to the expectations of his fans last season.
After their performances in 2010, these are the top three teams which can be expected to be at the top in the coming season. There are other teams as well like Mercedes and Renault, who will be looking forward to challenge the front runners. However, only time will determine what progress has been made by all the teams for the 2011 season.
The pre-season testing will also be very crucial for all the teams. There have been many changes made in the regulations for next season, and teams will be eager to test their cars with latest developments.
Considering the last season, it will yet again be a battle between Red bull, Mclaren-Mercedes and Ferrari. However, with the talent possessed by Mercedes, they might end up surprising the top teams.
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