NEW ROUNDS, NEW OPPORTUNITIES

Last season the top 5 of the championship looked like this:

1. Hamilton: 408 points
2. Vettel: 320 points
3. Raikkonen: 251 points
4. Verstappen: 249 points
5. Bottas: 247 points

The difference between Raikkonen and Verstappen is only two points. Of course, Verstappen could have finished third if Ocon had not hit him during the Brazilian GP. But as the saying 'new rounds, new opportunities' already says: there is a chance that Verstappen can correct that mistake this season. Ocon is out of the picture and replaced by Stroll, after Force India was previously taken over by Lawrence Stroll (father of). But in addition to the collision of Ocon and Verstappen, last F1 season went reasonably well for the Dutchman. At the beginning of the season he was a bit too wild and that eventually claimed some points, but after a few races it became increasingly clear how well Max can race. His first victory at the Austrian GP was almost perfect: at the 'Red Bull Ring' where the stands turned orange from the fans. It couldn't have been nicer, right?

CHANGES WITHIN THE TEAMS

Every season brings changes. The big changes are often the drivers who change teams or drivers that we no longer see. This is of course the case again this year. Ocon and Hartley are off the track and the changes in the Ferrari and Red Bull teams have not gone unnoticed. Raikkonen and Leclerc changed teams: a lot is expected from the only 21-year-old Monegask. Will he exceed his expectations, or will it become a grade, as the manager of the Monegask has said? In addition to the changes within Ferrari, a number of things have also happened in the Dutchman's team.
Red Bull Racing has said goodbye to Ricciardo, who has a new contract with Renault, and has brought in Gasly. This is not surprising, of course, since Gasly was already racing at Toro Rosso. However, it will remain a big surprise about the developments of the new teams. How will the new teammates race? Will we have another situation like the crash between Ricciardo and Verstappen at the Azerbaijan GP, ​​or will they keep things a bit calmer this season?

NEW ENGINE FOR RED BULL RACING

Red Bull Racing has said goodbye to the Renault engine and welcomes the Honda engine. The team thinks this will bring it closer to its rivals Mercedes and Ferrari. In this way they hope to be able to use the so-called 'party mode'. Especially during the qualifying rounds, this setting can be worth a lot: with party mode you can get more power in the most crucial rounds. If this is indeed the case, it is much more likely that Verstappen will win his first pole position this season.

THE OPPORTUNITIES OF DRIVERS AND TEAMS

It should come as no surprise to hear that most people imagine Hamilton to be champion again. His performances of the past year were therefore great and let's not bother about it; his chances are great again this year. But looking at the rest of the drivers, we come to the conclusion that Vettel and Verstappen will not do much under it, provided that the new Verstappen engine of course cooperates and shows its value. But Leclerc in a Ferrari is also something to pay attention to. He races as if he was born for it and the combination of that fact with a Ferrari can sometimes become dangerous. And Bottas ... He is and remains a good driver, but has often made way for Hamilton last season, such as at the GP of Russia. Bottas received a team order that he had to let Hamilton out, so that his championship became a bit more secure. Actually, team orders are pretty outdated, because somewhere it ruins the tension in the race, especially when it comes to the championship.
Gasly could, in fact, show you something. His results from last season were not spectacular, but maybe he really proves himself now. Ricciardo's chances have also narrowed now that he's with Renault. But fair is fair: last season he was often the victim of engine problems. If he hadn't experienced those issues, his name would probably have been in the top 5 as well.
If we look at the chances of the drivers, there is a chance that the top 5 will look like this next season:

1. Hamilton
2. Vettel
3. Verstappen
4. Leclerc
5. Bottas

Most likely, Mercedes will again be the big winner of the teams, followed by Ferrari and Red Bull Racing. The order remains of course uncertain until we have seen the first race. After that you can already say a lot more about the chances of the drivers because we get to see how they stand and how, in the case of Verstappen, the engine works. We hope for the Dutchman of course for the best, but with a third place he has already earned back his actual place from last season.

Free practice starts on March 15 and we can see them racing again in the Australian GP on March 17. Who will take the first pole position of the season? And who will get the first points? We will see it soon!

The Racing-Art.nl team is certainly looking forward to the new racing season. We will present new scale models of the racing heroes on our web site.

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