Mercedes: the team to beat for the Drivers' and Constructors' Championship this year. F1 W07 Hybrid looks fast and reliable in testing with many laps. Lewis Hamilton once again needs to defend his title. While, Nico Rosberg needs to challenge for the title and take it away from Hamilton, if not Rosberg might be another Stirling Moss.
Ferrari: Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen are retain for another season. SF16-H looks fast in testing, better car, better power units in testing so far. Challenging for both championships is a must for Ferrari.
Williams: Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa are retain for another season. FW38 looks fast in testing, top three in the constructors' standings must be their target this season at Williams ahead of the likes of Red Bull, Force India and Toro Rosso.
Red Bull: Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat are retain for another season. Retain the Renault power unit for another season under the Tag Heuer name, not a lot of improvement from Renaults power units maybe still around 70-90bhp less than the Mercedes power units;. RB12 looks like a great chassis without the power unit and if the RB12 is on the right track Red Bull may shine. Top three in the constructors' standings must be their target at Red Bull this season.
Force India: Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Pérez are retain for another season. VJM09 looks like an evolution from the VJM008B from last season. Looks fast in testing, and possible for Force India to finish third in the constructors' standings this season.
Renault: Renault back as a constructor since 2010 buying back their old team Lotus from Genii. That means Renault power units back in, out goes Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado, in comes Kevin Magnussen and Jolyon Palmer. RS16 looked more confident race car in the second test of two despite some reliability problems in the first test. Magnussen looks fast in testing. Sixth in the Constructors' standings must be the target but with an underdeveloped car and power unit eighth in the Constructors' standings might be the realistic target.
Toro Rosso: Renault power units out, year old Ferrari power units are in. While, Carlos Sainz, Jr. and Max Verstappen are retain for another season. STR11 look fast and reliable in testing with many laps. A few podiums may happen at the start of the season with the target of top three in the constructors' standings. But, with the handicap of using year old power units from Ferrari which could be 30bhp behind the 2016 spec and then some throughout the season so possibly sixth in the Constructors' standings might be the realistic target for Toro Rosso this season.
Sauber: new C35 came late to testing (the second test in fact), looked reliable so far in those four days of testing. Sixth in the Constructors' standings must be the target if the car and drivers are on form, more than likely eighth in the Constructors' standings will be their realistic target for Sauber this season. While, Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr are retain for another season.
McLaren: Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button are retain for another season. Looks more reliable in testing compare this time last season, despite that the pace from the power unit from Honda is a little more stronger from the end of last season maybe still around 80-100bhp less than the Mercedes power units. MP4-31 looks like a great chassis without the power unit and if the MP4-31 is on the right track, McLaren may get a few podiums this season. And just like Sauber before, Sixth in the Constructors' standings must be the target if the car and drivers are on form.
Manor: Out goes year old Ferrari power units, in comes Mercedes power units, free use of their wind tunnel and Williams transmission and suspension components for 2016. Meanwhile, out goes Alexander Rossi, Will Stevens and Roberto Merhi; in comes Pascal Wehrlein and Rio Haryanto. MRT05 looks fast in the hands of Pascal Wehrlein despite the car had not a lot of laps in testing. Top ten in the Constructors' standings is the target this season with points is a strong possibly.
Haas: Ferrari power units, transmission and suspension components for 2016. Dallara builds the new VF-16. In comes Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutiérrez. Top ten in the Constructors' standings is the target this season with points is a strong possibly. The car looks fast in testing matching times of Renault, Sauber and McLaren despite reliability problems in the second test. Top ten in the Constructors' standings is the target this season with points is a strong possibly in the team's debut season.
So predictions time, who's going to win the World Drivers' Championship this season for 2016? My prediction is Nico Rosberg for his first World Drivers' Championships this season for a few reasons because of the end of last season form which includes five poles and three wins in the last five races, updating to the Pirelli tyres, performance and reliability in testing.
Also, if Rosberg doesn't win the title might be another Sir Stirling Moss, where Moss was runner up to the drivers' title four times during the 1950s and with two of the three of them behind team-mate Juan Manuel Fangio and I think Rosberg won't expect it either. For the last three season he has been as fast as team-mate, so this season is a make or brake season for Nico Rosberg to be champion or not.
But, if Rosberg doesn't step up Lewis Hamilton could take his fourth World Drivers' Title if things goes his way. If not, Sebastian Vettel will do it in his Ferrari if the reliability and pace is there and could take his fifth World Drivers' Title. Also, don't count out Kimi Raikkonen will also challenge for this years title as-well, Raikkonen will go into this season as the dark horse for the title which could be his last season in Formula 1. It will be another close drivers' championship once again this year in my opinion, as it might go down to the wire in a record breaking twenty-one Grand Prix season.
My top three prediction for the Drivers' Championship are:
1st Nico Rosberg
2nd Sebastian Vettel
3rd Lewis Hamilton
Constructors' Championship: I will predict that Mercedes to win the constructors championships once again. And don't forget Ferrari, they will be certainly be challenging the constructors championship as-well.
My top three prediction for the Constructors' Championship are:
1st Mercedes
2nd Ferrari
3rd Force India
Predictions for this weekends Australian Grand Prix in the next post, for now, Bye.
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