| The 2009 Formula One season is almost upon us | | | | by Honda was due not only to economic issues, |
| and the teams are wrapping up testing. Many | | | | but also the fact the cars were driving around the |
| prognosticators are looking towards McLaren as | | | | back of the pack and getting nothing but bad |
| the dominant team for the upcoming season, but | | | | publicity. |
| fans of Lewis Hamilton should be cautious. | | | | The fly in the ointment for a dominant run by |
| The 2008 season turned out to be the charm for | | | | Lewis Hamilton is McLaren Mercedes. You might |
| Lewis Hamilton. A massively talented driver, he | | | | be surprised by that statement, but a historical |
| has seen his share of turmoil in the two seasons | | | | review of the team reveals something of |
| he has been in F1. There were legitimate | | | | concern. When the regulations have changed in F1 |
| questions about his ability to handle pressure when | | | | and caused a major redesign of the car, McLaren |
| he fell apart at the end of the 2007 season and | | | | has not done well with the new design. The early |
| nearly did so again in 2008. That being said, the | | | | 2000s saw a car design and development that |
| fact he is now a champion should take all the | | | | was a disaster. The car would be blindingly fast |
| pressure off and we should see a steadier and, | | | | for five to 10 laps and then a wing would fall off |
| frankly, more consistent Hamilton from the first | | | | or the engine would blow up spectacularly. In |
| race through the last. Many would rightly suggest | | | | other years, the car simply would not have the |
| that means more championships are on the way, | | | | pace of a Ferrari or [gasp] Renault. |
| perhaps even Schumacher like numbers can be | | | | So, does this mean McLaren is in for a rough |
| achieved. There is just one fly in the ointment. | | | | year? Of course not. The team is continually |
| Formula One car design and development is a | | | | bringing new blood in and putting together new |
| tricky prospect. If you get the initial car design | | | | ideas. The 2009 car may be dominant, but then |
| wrong, you can be in for a very long season. One | | | | again it might not. The point is nobody really |
| need only look at the disaster known as the | | | | knows until the cars hit the track and the first lap |
| Honda Racing Team for the last few years. Three | | | | of the first race begins. At that point, we'll know |
| years ago the team was very competitive and | | | | who is fast and who is in trouble, but not before |
| Jenson Button even picked up his first win, | | | | then. A great driver with a bad car is gong to |
| although it was in the rain. The design team | | | | have bad results, so don't get too carried away |
| missed badly on the car the next year and the | | | | with the idea of a Hamilton championship in 2009 |
| team was never able to recover. One has to | | | | until you see the car perform. |
| think that the decision to pull out of Formula One | | | | |