Dženson Baton vozi drugi trening pre Gran pri trke u Bahreinu 2016. godine driving during the second practice session ahead of the 2016 Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix
will remain enshrined forever, as he be- came the youngest winner of a Grand Prix in the history of F1. It is worth remind- ing that he first became the youngest ev- er F1 driver, then the youngest Formula 1 driver to win points, and then, at the 2016 Spanish Formula One Grand Prix, this Dutchman became the youngest ev- er winner of an F1 race, at the age of 18 years and 227 days. He is reminiscent of the legendary Senna in terms of his cour- age, aggressive manoeuvres which drive opponents crazy and often lead to com- plaints being lodged. Also among the fa- vourites we cannot overlook the Ferrari team, which managed to retain champi- on drivers Vettel and Raikkonen. The announcement by F1 bosses that cars will be faster certainly pleases fans, as do the statements of drivers that the changes will make driving much more dif- ficult. We will find out whether we will see a return to the golden era, when han- dling F1 cars meant exerting superhuman effort and skill, as early as 26 th March in Melbourne.
style. Previous seasons favoured those who nurtured a gentler style and pro- tected their tyres and fuel, but from this year they will be overshadowed by ag- gressive drivers who take advantage of the full potential of the better grip on the track. Everyone, both experts and drivers, agrees that the new cars look more ominous and dangerous as they are wider (two metres) and lower, and everyone likes that. According to fore- casts, this will benefit the likes of Hamil- ton, Vettel, Alonso and Raikkonen, who prefer to floor the accelerator. The unexpected departure of champi- on Nico Rosberg stunned everything in the Formula One world a little, and also caused certain confusion on the driver market. Wil- liams team driver Valtteri Bottas signed a contract with Mercedes. Rosberg’s depar- ture also thus led to the return of retired driver Felipe Massa, who said goodbye to the sport after the last race of 2016, but was asked by Williams to return and extend his career, a chance which he snatched with both hands.
Considering the odds for the new championship title, experts agree that the definite favourite is three-time cham- pion Lewis Hamilton, who will build his new opportunity on Mercedes’unrivalled engine and vehicle, which still have no competition. Pundits claim that the new aerodynamic changes should elevate his driving style, and with British bookmak- ers his position as favourite is so assured that £4 invested in Hamilton results in a return of just £1. However, the arrival of Bottas as the new team member could lead to the Mika Häkkinen-Ayrton Senna syndrome experienced by the McLaren team in 1993, when the novice Häkkin- en proved a genuine threat to the great champion in the first races. Amongst the others, Red Bull drivers Ricardo and Verstappen are expected to shine and are also being compared with greats like Prost and Senna in his younger days. Ricardo, like Prost, is a very fast, cal- culated driver with a phenomenal tech- nique, while Max Verstappen was the find of the 2016 season. His driving and results
Jenson Button,
| 41
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator