Blundell's view: 2005 F1 season review - Pt.2.

by Rob Wilkins

Formula One in 2005 was about not only about the battle between Renault and McLaren, but it was also about the rise of Toyota and the fall of Ferrari. In addition to that, BAR-Honda and Williams both struggled big time, while by the end Jordan, Minardi and Sauber were all no more, to be replaced, respectively by Midland MF1 Racing, Toro Rosso and BMW Sauber. Red Bull Racing also came into the sport and added some 'fizz'. But did they give the sport 'wings'?

Over to Crash.net columnist, Mark Blundell as he continues his look back on 2005...

Q:
Mark, looking at the teams, if you had to pick out your top five, who would they be and why?

Mark Blundell:
Renault I think number 1, because of their progression to get to the top of tree within the F1 circus. They built a great car, in terms of pace and reliability - it was bullet proof in many respects when it counted as such. They also elevated themselves to a level where they were there with a supreme amount of confidence and that showed.

McLaren would be second, because they really did turn something on mid-way through the year and got their car working. The outright pace was sensational. The team in itself were on song and knew what they needed to achieve. You have to look at it and say they went for it as opposed to dragging there heels and trying to make the gap smaller, as we would expect with McLaren - they never rest and you actually feel they are always giving 100 per cent to get where they need to be.

Toyota would be third because of their improvement - and the successful results that they achieved over the course of the season. We have seen it over the last a couple of seasons some inspirational drives and results, but they really did become a solid factor.

You would have to still put Ferrari in there fourth because of their consistency. Although the pace was out the door, the durability was still there - and they remained a threat in many areas for those mid-result pickings.

I'm not sure who I would put for fifth - tough one... [pause]. No I don't know who I would put fifth!

Q:
Which team disappointed you most this year - Williams, Ferrari or BAR?

MB:
BAR to be honest in terms of disappointment over what we were expecting, because they had come off such a strong year last year and we all felt they would go to the next stage and it never happened - and it never had any inkling of it happening.

Meantime we had the likes of Renault, Toyota and McLaren accelerating themselves away from the rest of the pack and Ferrari dropped into the clutches of the mid-to-high teams but BAR never capitalised on that either. So BAR were probably the biggest disappointment in many ways.

Q:
Which team surprised you most this year? Toyota or Red Bull?

MB:
I would have to say Red Bull, because they were a team which had a lot of changes, when you look back over the year when it all came about. There was a lot of management changes, there was new people brought in, experience levels were not there at that point in time at that sort of level in the sport and they went about it in a fresh way. They came on the scene with a lot to offer and they produced a great deal. They showed if you can just keep some basics in place and just keep yourself consistent and keep your focus, then there is a lot to go racing with and that is what they have did.

Q:
F1 effectively lost three teams at the end of '05 - Minardi, Jordan and Sauber, which one will you miss most?

MB:
Well you would sort of look at Jordan and go that would be a big miss, because of the charisma of the team itself and the former owner, Eddie Jordan being at the helm. But he has kind of been out of the loop for the year anyway.

Minardi is a shame in many ways because they have always been there and they have always been in the same position more or less, but you could trust they would always turn up weekend in and weekend out. In terms of commitment you have to say for a small little outfit they really did give it there all to make sure they still went racing.

Sauber are still going to be there in name to a certain extent and the infrastructure of the team is still in place. It is more of a merger situation with the new BMW acquisition coming on. So they are not going to be missed completely at this point - they have still got their name around in lights for the forthcoming season.

Q:
The calendar again expanded in 2006 when it went up to 19 races. There seems to be a trend that it keeps increasing... we've seen it go from 16, to 17, to 18, now to 19 in recent years. Can it go on?

MB:
I think it can go on if everybody allows it. I'm sure that Bernie Ecclestone would like another race - or a couple more races, because I'm sure he has got market places to fill. But I don't think that the teams and the personnel can withstand the strain of it, because it is a real toll on the personnel. The travel side is hectic to say the least. But it is great to be in a situation where you have got other opportunities to go and race throughout world. At some point maybe there will be some of the other people that have been around for a long time on the calendar dropping off to fulfil those obligations.

Turkey was a new race obviously. It was a great circuit - very good for racing and the drivers were walking around with big smiles on their faces. It was another new facility, which set high standards and it is definitely the face of things to come as far as circuit design goes. [Hermann] Tilke's design of that track was his best so far.

Overall we were quite comfortable with the amount of races but in some ways it would be better to have a couple less but I'm sure that there is going to be more as we go on!

Q:
Of all the races in '05, the Japanese Grand Prix has to stand out as the 'best' of the year doesn't it... if not the best for a number of years?

MB:
I think that would be a fair comment. The Japanese Grand Prix would be right there at number one and the US Grand Prix would be right back there at number 19 in terms of what the scale of the grand's prix were [from best to worst].

The Japanese Grand Prix was edge of the seat stuff - sensational viewing, great driving from the contenders and just an action packed race. It was something which really said what F1 is all about. If we could produce that at every grand prix I don't think there would be many people not being able to watch it, because it was pure entertainment.

If we went to the other side and looked at the US GP, we would have to give that the complete thumbs down because that wasn't entertainment by any means. It is something we desperately don't want to repeat again. A lot of people have taken flake for it - and there was a lot of issues that got covered up and a lot of things that stood out that will have to be addressed in the future. At this stage it has had a big impact on US market place and F1 didn't come out looking very good. Hopefully that can get improved upon when we turn up there in 2006.

Q:
In the tyre war, Michelin had the edge. A big contrast to previous years...

MB:
Michelin had the edge overall and a well deserved edged, because they played it right in many ways. Bridgestone were slightly off-kilter and the Ferrari-Bridgestone affair was a little bit lacking, because they relied heavily on Ferrari to develop the tyres with them and they got caught out slightly. I think that was costly to the manufacturers' on both sides whether it be tyre or chassis, because they were slightly behind the eight ball and they never really caught up. So, overall Michelin did the job.

Next year will be slightly different as a few teams are swapping around in terms of who they are positioned with. It will be interesting and I will be eager to see whether the Japanese/Bridgestone pull something out.

Q:
Next year it could be very different couldn't it in terms of who wins the tyre war - especially considering the fact the regulations will change and will probably be more 'Bridgestone friendly' now that tyres won't have to do a whole grand prix?

MB:
Yeah, I mean there is going to be some definite differences in terms of the character of races full stop. Again we are thrown into a different area. Bridgestone would be the people you would put your money on to have the better tyre in those conditions in that sort of race. But don't underestimate Michelin - they are not silly by any means and their credentials and results over the years have shown what they can do and they are going into next year as champions of the tyre manufacturers', sort of speak. So yeah, it will be very interesting.

Q:
How much do you think Bridgestone will be boosted by the addition of Toyota and Williams, two 'proper' teams helping Ferrari to develop the tyres?

MB:
They will be boosted, because they will have a lot more data coming through. Those teams have got resources to go and get the testing done what they need and they have good quality drivers and personnel. It is all about information gathering and getting it as quickly as possible. It will step up from a one tiered stream of information at the level they require, into three of those. So it will make a difference.

Coming next week: The third and final part of Mark Blundell's 2005 F1 season review.