MADRID — Stung by the recession and forced to cut costs, Formula One has made drastic changes that have left the title chase wide open as the circuit heads into the season opening Australian Grand Prix on Sunday.
The economic downturn prompted Honda’s pullout and the exit of major sponsors such as ING, RBS and Credit Suisse, but a raft of cost-cutting and regulation changes appears to have kept F1 on sound footing.
Judging from preseason tests, Lewis Hamilton is already looking like an outsider to defend his title.
McLaren has been at the bottom of time sheets as Hamilton, F1’s youngest ever champion, goes into his first defense in a car with more questions than he’d like.
“At the moment, this year’s car is a little behind the rest in terms of development but I’m absolutely confident we will get stronger and grow as the year progresses,” Hamilton said.
The ban on in-season testing, done to control costs, has made it more difficult to make improvements in the car.
“If we had a car that was evolving over a few years, then perhaps it would have been easier to defend the title, although it is never easy,” the 24-year-old Hamilton said. “When you change the rules so drastically, it becomes tough to stay dominant for such a long period of time.”
Hamilton’s main rival, Felipe Massa, has been stunned by the British team’s lack of pace as teams deal with perhaps the biggest aerodynamic modifications in F1’s 59-year history.
“To be honest we never saw McLaren so far in the back in many years,” said the Ferrari driver, who will be happy to see McLaren in the rearview mirror when he launches his championship bid in Melbourne on Sunday.
Massa lost the closest — and one of the most dramatic — championship battles in Formula One history, when he won last year’s season-ending Brazilian GP but lost the title to Hamilton after the Briton passed Toyota’s Timo Glock around the final corner to finish fifth and become the circuit’s first black champion by a single point.
“I feel ready, I feel strong, I feel ready to fight. I feel in good shape (but) for sure we need to see the others and see how our performance is compared to the rest,” said the Brazilian, who will also be challenged by teammate and 2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen.
F1 is also reintroducing slick tires after 11 years and leaving teams guessing who will be using the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) — which provides an extra boost for overtaking — since the hybrid technology is not mandatory.
“I think all the drivers and teams are eager to see how things turn out,” said Renault’s Fernando Alonso, who rated his chances of winning a third championship — and first since 2006 — as “seven out of 10.”
“It’s certain that our rivals have improved in the last test sessions and we don’t know where we are in relation, but I don’t think we’re far off the leaders,” Alonso said. “I’m more optimistic than at the same point last year.”
Alonso, whose strong finish left him fifth overall in 2008, expects Ferrari, McLaren and BMW Sauber to be in the championship fight and isn’t dismissing Toyota’s chances after the Japanese team’s consistent preseason form.
But the biggest surprise could be Brawn GP.
Former Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn led the management buy-out of Honda this month after the Japanese auto manufacturer pulled out of the sport in December. The former Honda team’s decision to cast off a miserable 2008 — it finished ninth out of 10 — and focus on 2009 appears to have paid off with top testing times since its return.
“The team did a fantastic job to produce a good car,” said Rubens Barrichello, who will partner behind the wheel with Jenson Button for the fourth straight season. “All I can confirm is that it is a good car. It is a good engine, it is a good group and I think we are going to be the surprise of the year.”
Asked whether Brawn GP could pull off an upset and win at Melbourne, the 36-year-old Brazilian’s answer was easy: “For sure.”
Honda’s departure in December led to talk of collapse for a sport known for its lavish spending, with some teams’ budgets cresting $328 million. The response from governing body FIA and the teams has led to budget caps and the ban on in-season testing.
“I’ve never seen in so many years such a strong commitment between the teams,” Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo said. “I don’t want to use big words, but this is (of) historic importance for F1.”
The 10 F1 teams have banded together to form the Formula One Teams Association and are working closer than ever with F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone and FIA president Max Mosley to ensure its viability with further drastic changes for 2010 promised.
Still, feuds over regulations persist as seven teams are set to challenge Toyota, Williams and Brawn GP’s interpretation of a key part at Melbourne.
The teams also protested after they weren’t consulted on a plan to decide the championship on wins rather than points. FIA said the change would improve racing, but relented and put off the change off for a year.
In a positive development, independent team USF1 of the United States confirmed it will be on the starting grid from 2010, when even more changes will come into play.
BMW Sauber, Ferrari, McLaren and Renault are widely expected to use KERS starting in Australia. The fact that some teams will use it and others won’t will surely add intrigue.
Driver lineups remained unchanged except for rookie Sebastien Buemi of Switzerland taking Sebastian Vettel’s seat at Toro Rosso after the German driver — F1’s youngest ever GP winner at 21 — replaced the retired David Coulthard at sister team Red Bull.
The 17-race calendar will also feature some changes, most notably the absence of the French and Canadian GPs and the season finale being held at the inaugural Abu Dhabi GP on Nov. 15.
The night race at Singapore returns for a second year, and drivers will be looking forward to the classic street race at Monaco in May.
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