F1 2014 Preview: McLaren’s year of transition

On the back of building a lackluster car last year, McLaren had one big announcement that managed to keep the enthusiasm of their fans high: Honda will be returning as their engine supplier next year. Exciting as the thought of F1’s most dynamic team-engine combination returning is, it is still a year away. With one year left of Mercedes power, no title sponsor (yet) and Ron Dennis back at the reigns, the Woking team has finally started a new chapter.

Dennis’ return as team principle might be the biggest news so far this year. Naturally, that brings an end to the Martin Whitmarsh era and the general lack of order that the well-meaning technocrat brought to the team. In tow, former Lotus team principle Eric Boullier has been snapped up. A great addition for the team, as the unimposing Frenchman has demonstrated the ability to run a team more effectively than anyone else on the grid.

Getting the team back to the way it was when Dennis was running the show will take some time. Already change can be seen trickling into the team.

F1 Shuffle (Part 2)

The ascendancy of Sergio Perez through the ranks of F1 teams is certainly a good thing, and he definitely houses a talent that Sauber’s cars cannot match, but for every driver who is lucky to make a good move, there is usually an unlucky driver who is forced out of his seat. Unfortunately, this concept doesn’t apply to the driver who vacated his seat at McLaren: 2008 World Champion, Lewis Hamilton. Rather, Hamilton just made a poor career move in abandoning his seat at one of F1’s most stalwart teams as he made way to the lackluster Mercedes AMG team.

Hamilton has chosen to leave team McLaren and move to Mercedes.

It’s common for drivers to switch teams, especially when they’re offered a handsome fee to join one of the top teams, but Hamilton has done something rather odd; he’s switched from the team that is currently 2nd in the constructor’s cup down to the 5th place team.

Do the F1 Shuffle! (Part 1)

The 2012 Formula 1 Season has easily been one of the most exciting in recent memory, with six drivers who have held the world championship title on the grid at the same time, seven different winners in the first seven races and a radical revival of the Williams team. But the season is nearing its end and that means contracts are being reviewed, and that (usually) means some drivers will be leaving, some will be changing teams and then there’s the potential for new arrivals. Rumors are abound about who is going to come, who is going to go and who is going to change, and I have my guesses too, but I’m more interested in following the solid leads that are already present. First off, let’s talk about one of the confirmed changes that are coming in the 2013 F1 season.

One of the youngest drivers on the grid with a traditionally mid-field team, Perez has shown flashes of brilliance.

What would you say if I told you that one of the most promising young drivers in Formula 1 was Sauber’s Sergio Perez?
You’d probably have your doubts, and I can understand that. After all, Luca di Montezemolo (the chairman of Ferrari) has asserted time and again that the young Mexican needs more experience before he can join the Ferrari team, even though he (Perez) is a member of Ferrari’s driver academy and Ferrari’s second driver looks like a lost cause.