F1 2005 commences
Thunder returns down-under!
The 2005 Eff Wun season kicks off again this
weekend in Melbourne. The race should commence at 10 a.m. our
time, so if you want to join me for breakfast beforehand you will
find me in Jameson’s Irish pub waiting for the five red lights
to go out.
The last couple of months have certainly been a
drag! Pre-season testing has not told us much as it is impossible
to really see what configuration the teams have been using. Some,
like BAR have been using interim cars, while Ferrari are using
modified 2004 cars until later this year.
However, for what it is worth, both the
McLarens and the Renaults have been featuring well at the top of
the time sheets at various testing sessions all over the Xmas/New
Year break.
Albert Park in Melbourne is one of the longer
circuits at a tad over 5 km around. Total laps for the Grand Prix
will be 58 and you can expect lap times around the 1 min 24 mark,
with the current lap record being 1.24.125 held by Michael
Schumacher.
Past winners since 2000 are Michael Schumacher
every year other than 2003 which went to David Coulthard.
Although this is a fairly new circuit, Albert
Park was used in the 1950s, including two Australian Grand Prix
but these did not count towards the World Championship.
Who are in
the driving seats for the Australian GP?
Ferrari
Michael Schumacher, who must start as
favourite, with seven World Championship titles.
Rubens Barrichello, well known, well
entrenched and unlikely to do anything other than run second
to Schumacher.
Scotland’s
Coulthard
McLaren
Juan Pablo Montoya, the fiery Colombian who
wants to show the world he is better than Raikkonen.
Kimi Raikkonen, the not so icy Finn, who
wants to show the world he is better than Montoya.
Karthikeyan
Williams
Mark Webber, the Aussie home hero who has
to prove the faith that many have in him (including me).
Nick Heidfeld, has a seat here with German
engine supplier BMW behind the German driver.
Renault
Giancarlo Fisichella, finally in a top car
and no excuses this year will be accepted by anyone.
Fernando Alonso, a young talent, but will
he beat Fisi, and will this be his year to topple Schumi? I
doubt it!
BAR
Jenson Button, Britain’s white hope. Did
well in 2004, but a large question mark hangs over the team
now that previous manager David Richards has gone.
Takuma Sato, blew up more Honda engines
than anyone else. Fast but erratic.
Sauber
Jacques Villeneuve back after a 12 month
sabbatical after being dropped by BAR. Has everything to lose
this year.
Felipe Massa did not do as well as hoped
last year. Must beat Villeneuve or will be forgotten for 2006.
Red Bull
David Coulthard finally got a seat and
deservedly so. Could surprise many with his maturity and will
lead the ex-Jaguar Red Bull team.
Christian Klien has been chosen over
Vitantonio Liuzzi to start the year. I expect him to continue
hitting things and to be relegated to test driver.
Toyota
Ralf Schumacher is another with everything
to prove or lose this year. I doubt if Toyota is going to help
him become a number 1.
Jarno Trulli also has to prove that his win
in 2004 was no fluke. However, will be hampered by the car, I
fear.
Jordan
Narain Karthikeyan, the first Indian F1
driver, but quite frankly I think he will be out of his depth.
Tiego Monteiro has a better racing pedigree
than Karthikeyan, but the Jordan will not be the car to show
off his talents.
Minardi
Christijan Albers has a real talent and
could be the man of 2005 in the Minardi. Nobody expects a
Minardi to do anything, so any result better than 19th is a
plus.
Patrick Friesacher is another talented
driver who could become the darling of the world media if he
can unseat Albers.
Autotrivia
Quiz
Last week, I asked what Japanese car was
known as the hare in flight? It was the DAT, which was written
in Japanese as “Datto”, which eventually became Datsun and
then Nissan.
So to this week. Rear view mirrors became
compulsory on racing cars in 1925. Why were they not
compulsory before?
For the Automania FREE beer this week, be
the first correct answer to email [email protected]
Good luck!
BMW’s little ugly duckling
gets more grunt
The smallest BMW, known as the 1 Series has
had mixed reviews from the world’s motoring press. For
example, at the end of last year, the Sydney Morning
Herald’s motoring writer Bill McKinnon headed his report as
“The newest addition to the BMW family walks but can’t
quite run”.
BMW
1 series
He wrote that its good points included
accurate steering and strong brakes. Compliant ride.
Comfortable driver’s seat. Compact, efficient dash layout.
Plenty of useful, practical features. Decent boot space.
However, he felt that negative points
included lethargic performance, hampered by tall gearing.
Steering lacks on-centre feel. Tight rear seat access and
space. Rough roads generate some noise and occasional hard
hits get through to the body. Don’t get a puncture too far
from a BMW dealer or tyre supplier.
His summation was equally as damning,
“Petite, poised and powerless.”
Just by Googling through many of the
reports, you could see that the new 1 Series, even in the 150
bhp 120i version was no drag-strip hero with a zero to 100
clicks time of 8.7 seconds. Hardly neck-snapping stuff.
However it is now apparent that BeeEmm
themselves realized there were a few problems in the power
department, and a 3 litre inline six cylinder version has been
released this year, called the 130i. This variant has all the
grunt you would expect from a large engine in a small package
and the reported 0-100 kph is 6.2 seconds, two and a half
seconds quicker than the 120i.
BMW
1 series
According to Go Auto, this new 1 series
model will be shown at the Geneva motor show this month ahead
of an Australian debut late in 2005, and it is expected that
the 130i will make the small hatchback a true pocket rocket.
The 3 litre inline six churns out 190 kW
and 300 Nm, and benefiting from new lightweight components
maintains the 50/50 weight distribution achieved in the less
powerful models according to the manufacturer. It uses an
aluminium-magnesium composite block, said to be a world first
for a six-cylinder engine, using a design derived from the
5.0-litre V10 found in the M5/M6 sports cars, and an
electrically driven water pump designed to cut down on power
losses.
The 1 Series is available in Thailand, but
comes in CBU and is more expensive than the 3 Series which is
built here. The 330 is around 3.5 million baht, or the 323 is
around 2.5 million. I honestly wonder just how many 1 Series
BMW will sell here at a price of around 2.8 million for the
120i? I believe it is ‘novelty’ value only that will get a
1 Series out the door. I would much rather have a 3 Series in
my garage.
