NewsOnF1 - Your predictions for the 2003 season

The start of the 2003 season is just around the corner so lets see what your predictions are!

Can anyone take the Championship away from Michael Schumacher and Ferrari ? Which team will be able to close the gap ? Which team will be the 'best of the rest' ?
Who will be the dark horse of the season (team/driver) ? Who will be the rookie of the year ?
And will the new regulations have a positive or negative impact ?

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What others are saying:

My predictions are a season of Formula 1 self destructing itself mainly due to the regulations... FIA - WAKE UP TO YOURSELVES!. Instead of STUPID RULES like banning traction control, two-way telemetry, engine life etc etc, WHY THE HELL don't they concentrate on making the tracks a lot safer, making sure the wheels don't fly off in high-speed impacts etc etc.
It is the FIA, not the teams, that need to be penalised! The problem is these idiots are totally ignorant and arrogant when they realise that it is THEY who are wrong!
I mean - WHOSE SIDE ARE THEY ON? Max Mosley states that "McLaren should concentrate on beating Ferrari", well, how can they, Max and the FIA - when the new McLaren MP4/18 has has a beating with the new FIA regulations...
My vision: A championship were the teams/manufactures can do WHATEVER THEY LIKE to the cars. WHY penalise them? THEY are the people who are spending THE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS on the cars, NOT the FIA, and deserve a better chance!
And for god's sake LET THE TEAMS CHEAT. I mean - is this motor racing or a procession??? Let the teams cheat, make the cars 1mm off the ground, have 1500hp, make the cars to 250km/h in 90 degree corners etc
NOW WOULDN'T THAT BRING THE CROWDS/TV AUDIENCE BACK AND MAKE IT A WHOLE LOT MORE INTERESTING? I do! - Larry - Australia

Michael to win no 6. Ferrari to win the constructors.
And you are a fool if you even try to get an exact order for the next half dozen drivers without form with the new format - Cooky - Australia

Let's face it:- Formula 1 is now stuffed and the cars WERE TOTALLY BUGGERED UP 5 YEARS AGO!
Let's stop the bullshit and let the teams/manufactures make the cars as fast and good as they possibly can be - with NO regulations imposed, NO REGULATIONS.
For example, McLaren should REALLY be the force in formula 1, BUT, as is always the case, the engineering brilliance/inventions have been banned by those airheads from the fia - John - Australia

F2003 GA will dominate ahead of McLaren. Schumi will only lose if he has bad luck - Renault are likely to be best of the rest - The dark horse will be Toyota - Rookie of the year will be da Matta, Pizzonia the 'one to watch' - Changes good from spectator view, 1 lap qualify works well in V8 Supercars, banning aids will have a certain impact on Renault
Predictions
FERRARI - will continue to dominate but not the advantage they had last season.
RB - will win races, MS - championship 99%
WILLIAMS - FW25 not flash in testing so will be pressured by McLaren.
RS - will move for 2004 if FW25 not up to scratch, JPM - needs some luck
MCLAREN - closer to Scuderia than anyone else.
KR - first race win, DC - will struggle against KR
RENAULT - must take advantage while driver aids are allowed.
FA - will push JT very hard, JT - watch out for him in new qualifying format
SAUBER - with last years F2002 rear and new design the C22 should surprise.
NH - more points and maybe a podium, HHF - will do well in a good car
JAGUAR - they have the power but the handling?
MW - would love a podium, AP - the new Montoya?
JORDAN - reliability is the question?
GF - needs to impress if he wants MS seat, RF - hopefully more luck than Takuma
BAR - can Honda deliver this time?
JV - needs a quick car to stay interested, JB - will hope to push his team-mate out
TOYOTA - if pre-season testing is anything to go by they should be quick and challenge Renault.
OP - in a good car will rekindle 1997 form, CD - should succeed given JV and JPMs switch from CART to F1
MINARDI - best powerplant yet.
JW - will he carry over his form from F3000?, JosV - surely his swansong in F1 - Craig - Australia

We are about to see a fuel Load lottery for starting position, with teams gambling trading an early pit stop for grid position. I suspect it will take a race or two before the teams work it out. We live in interesting times - John S - Singapore

My thoughts for this coming year.
Ferrari will win the Constructor's Championship, followed by McLaren, then Williams, Renault, Toyota 5th and BAR 6th.
Schumi wins driver for 6th time followed by Rubens, DC, JP, Kimi and Ralf too close to call, Jacques in 7th.
The Pole will be won by Schumi 6 or more times and the same for JP.
The qualifying will be a mess of slow cars and drivers with bad set ups intermingled with some faster cars that had to start mid field. To me this sounds like there will be a lot of first corner mishaps... I sure hope I am wrong - Jamie R - Canada

With all the rules changes and the confusing signals coming out from Winter testing, I don't feel able to make firm predictions.
The only certainty is that Ferrari will dominate and Michael Schumacher will get the better of Rubens. Other than that I'm expecting McLaren to be ahead of Williams and Renault to suffer most from the banning of driver aids from Silverstone onwards (launch control in particular) - Linda - England

I reckon Barrichello, Coulthard and Ralf are the only ones for stopping Michael. Not even Montoya could do it, he yet needs more experience. I reckon Webber could even do some damage, so can Trulli and Heidfeld. He should win - Rion - Australia

I think these new rule changes are a result of some ridiculous thinking at FIA headquarters. Max Mosley and Bernie Ecclestone need to step aside and should have done so a long time ago!!!!
Schumacher will be hard to beat again this season but look for an interesting challenge from Rubens who is an underrated driver. William and McLaren will be closest to Ferrari while Sauber will surprise everyone!! - Cassie - Jamaica

Michael Schumacher wins championship...again :-(, but David is in a close 2nd, with Kimi close to a draw with him. Then comes Barrichello, with the usual dog fight between the two Williams BMW men with Sauber Petronas breathing at their heels. Regards, MERC FAN - Thailand

Qualifying chaos will create a race marked by moving roadblocks that cannot be overcome by faster cars and drivers. The natural evolution of this will be continuously frustrated fans due to the unpredictable nature of the season frequently based more on luck rather than the talent of the drivers or the quality of the cars.
We will have faster drivers and cars frustrated by the present car design which severely curtails the ability to pass even when a better car/driver combination is trailing a slower car. I cannot see this as an attraction to the fan base and an improvement to the sport. The present attempts would, of course, create more drama if the design requirements of the cars were changed to promote passing, i.e. remove the wings. Now we will have several strings of cars with a slower car holding up 1,2, or 3 faster cars - Ed F - USA

I think it will be very hard for anyone to beat Michael Schumacher but if he hits some bad luck then Rubens Barrichello and Kimi Raikkonen may have a chance.
McLaren will be closest to Ferrari while Williams will struggle to hold Renault back.
Jaguar and Jordan will struggle while Renault and Toyota will be the biggest improvers. Ralph Firman will surprise everyone but Pizzonia will impress as well. Alonso while not a rookie will have a podium finish.

I don't agree with most of the new rules and particularly the way they have been enforced. However lets see how the first few races turn out - Graham R - Australia

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