Formula One’s paddock army were bleary-eyed on Monday after the end-of-season celebrations following yet another Red Bull triumph in the Brazilian Grand Prix.
But as they packed and prepared for their final homeward flights of a memorable if predictable 2011 season, there were signals that the double champions may not have it all their own way again next year.
McLaren, with an unchanged line-up and bristling with determination, marched out of Interlagos with nothing less than a bid to end the Red Bull domination on their minds.
Ferrari, also unchanged for 2012, issued much the same kind of confidence in their own future and, with Mercedes improving rapidly and few changes to the technical regulations, a much more competitive season appeared to be in prospect.
All of the top teams and their drivers will be doing their utmost to stop German Sebastian Vettel, 24, and his Red Bull team from completing a hat-trick of title triumphs in both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships.
McLaren team chief Martin Whitmarsh captured the defiant mood when he said: “Red Bull have done a very good job in terms of performance and reliability, but it can change. We want to make sure of that if we can.
“We’ve been there. We’ve had back-to-back world championships and then lost form, so we have to attack and go for it. We need to be on the pace right from the opening day.”
He said that early feedback from his engineers suggested that McLaren were making encouraging progress with the design of next season’s car.
“I sat in the project review meeting last week and we had made some really good progress — so I came out of it really feeling good,” he said. “I think we had a shocking winter last year, probably one of the worst we have had.
“We were nowhere near competitive and had not done a race distance before we finished the Australian race. I am sure we have learned from that.”
The consistency of an unchanged driver line-up will be a boost for McLaren, Ferrari and champions Red Bull with Mercedes also unchanged ahead of the 63rd F1 season.
Jenson Button, the 2009 champion, said he felt convinced his rivalry with British teammate Lewis Hamilton would push each other and their McLaren team next season.
“It’s a challenge for both of us to beat each other and in doing so that really drives us on to do better,” he said. “We have a great working relationship. It’s a competitive environment in the team. It’s good.”
“And I know we’ve said it many times, but we’ve got to come out immediately in testing and have a car that we can do mileage in and do set-up work with. We have to compete straightaway.”
Ferrari’s two-time champion Fernando Alonso expressed much the same views.
“We will be stronger and we have to be faster,” said the Spaniard.
“I’m sure that is going to be the case for us. But Red Bull will be the team to beat again.”
Red Bull team chief Christian Horner said he felt Brazil victor Australian Mark Webber would be revitalised by his win.
“It is great that Mark won as I think it would have been very tough for him to have gone into the winter with Seb (world champion Sebastian Vettel) having won 11 races and Mark not one.
“So for him, one of the best races to win is the last race – it sets him up very nicely for next year.”
In a daunting 20-race season that will see the return of a United States Grand Prix, at Austin, Texas, subject to approval, there will be several team name changes and a number of possible driver changes.
Renault will become known as Lotus, Lotus will become Caterham and Virgin will become Marussia. In other changes, Renault will supply engines to Williams.
The leading driver changes will see the return of Spanish veteran Pedro de la Rosa with Hispania and the debut of Frenchman Charles Pic with Marussia.
As the F1 circus prepared to fly home, it emerged also that Australian Daniel Ricciardo has been linked with a move from Hispania to the new Caterham team – if Italian veteran Jarno Trulli is not retained.
AFP | Nov 28, 2011, 08.59PM IST
