It may not be a betting preview but if you want to know what's going to happen this season look no further than the PF1 crew's predictions.
Andrew Davies, Michelle Foster, Pete Gill, Shahida Jacobs and Julia Harris have given the verdict on what will (or at least so we think) happen this season. 01.Drivers' title
AD: Fernando Alonso. It'll be sweet FA for his third title. Ferrari are going to be starting the year stronger than they did last year and they really should have won last year. He also had an uncanny run of bad luck in 2010 - starting in Canada - which robbed him of a bizarre amount of points. This year he'll have a lot more competition from Felipe Massa - who will take more points off him than 2010, but the man from Asturias will prevail.
MF: Fernando Alonso. Not only is the 150° Italia looking to be really strong on qualy and race pace but I have to believe that Ferrari cannot fug it up twice in two years. And Alonso, whether you like him or not, is an extremely talented driver.
PG: Seb Vettel. These things come in two...
SJ: It's difficult not to go for Sebastian Vettel. Not because he will be the best driver on the track but because you just can't look pass the Adrian Newey factor. Fernando Alonso should be his main challenger as everything will be geared towards him. No doubt Massa has been told to toe the line.
JH: Vettel. Alonso may have the brawn (no, not him) but as the man himself said it's the driver with the fastest car that will take the Championship. Alonso will make some of the best moves but it will be Vettel who has the overall package to take the title.
02. Constructors' title
AD: Red Bull from Ferrari.
MF: Red Bull. While I would normally go with Ferrari, I worry that Felipe Massa won't come to the party.
PG: Red Bull. Massa the weak link to cost Ferrari.
SJ: Unless there's a mid-season meltdown or accusations of favouritism turn Mark Webber's head somewhere else, then Red Bull will walk it. The only things that kept them from wrapping up the title earlier last season were driver errors and reliability woes.
JH: Red Bull. Best car, great drivers, should be an unbeatable combination.
03. Will Schumacher win a grand prix?
AD: Yes. I'm only saying this because the thought of Michelle Foster weeping into her Michael Schumacher merchandise for 19 races is too much to bear. Yes, he will win. The fact that we have unpredictable Pirellis to spice up the action may well reward an alternative strategy and Michael will be keen to try something different in search of the win.
MF: Yes, yes, yes! He has to, he must, he cannot not win. Schumi broke my heart (and my bank balance) last year. He must do it. And if he doesn't, he must walk away.
PG: Yes. I might even have a bet on him for Australia...
SJ: Yes. Mercedes GP have made steady progress during the off-season. He'll win a couple but the first one will be a little 'dodgy' and the PF1 your say section will go bonkers. Hopefully it will involve an altercation with Rubens Barrichello/Lewis Hamilton/Fernando Alonso. Imagine all three. It will send F1 into meltdown.
JH: It will be Rosberg not Schumacher who flies past the checkered flag first for Merc but Schumacher may just sneak in with a victory too. Yes, I'm sitting on the fence.
04. Top rookie (Perez, Maldonado, Karthikeyan, d'Ambrosio, di Resta)
AD: Perez will probably perform the best in relation to his team-mate, as Maldonado is up against the most experienced team-mate of them all, Rubens Barrichello and di Resta is up against the highly rated Adrian Sutil. Kobayashi hasn't got that much experience and so Perez can use that to his advantage. However... having said all that, the other two will reap the benefit of someone setting up the car who knows what they're doing.
MF: Maldonado.
PG: Perez.
SJ: Sergio Perez has looked decent in testing but more importantly his Sauber C30 has been reliable and quick. He'll walk away with the honours.
JH: Perez and di Resta are really the only two in it. Sauber's early pace suggests they may pull out one or two surprise results out of the back while Force India look to be struggling to move away from the midfield scrap. So expect Perez to edge out di Resta.
05. Top Indie: (Renault, Sauber, Williams, Force India, Toro Rosso)
AD: On balance you'd have to say that Renault should be at the front of this queue given their form last season. How much Bob Bell's departure will affect the running of the team remains to be seen, they did all right without (uncle) Pat Symonds. Sauber will be far more of a force in their second season with James Key at the helm.
MF: It has to be Renault. Even without Robert Kubica leading the way, Quick Nick is good and so is the R31.
PG: Renault would have got my vote if Robert Kubica was behind the wheel, without him I fancy either Williams or Toro Rosso. I'll go for the latter.
SJ: Renault were talking about winning races when they still had Robert Kubica available. They'll probably be forced to lower their expectations slightly but Nick Heidfeld should give them the odd podium.
JH: Renault. If Robert Kubica was behind the wheel one would consider it unfair to bunch the others Renault such is their potential, but with a shakeup necessary after the Pole's injury, Renault may have to wait another season to really challenge the big boys but will have more than enough to be the indie.
06. How soon before Ferrari impose team orders?
AD: Only when Alonso begins to show a clear edge over Massa (can't see it happening the other way round). It's also dependent on where they are in relation to Red Bull, Mercedes and McLaren. It's going to be after the 10th race of the year.
MF: Around mid-way through the Championship when Alonso etches out a lead over Massa. Or in Australia. One of the two.
PG: No need. We all learnt last season exactly how their pecking order was defined.
SJ: Despite Massa's protestations, it's probably been in his contract since the start of last season. Germany was just the first time they could make use of it. Plus they're legal now so no one will care.
JH: They already have.
07. Will McLaren's "mess" ie their MP4-26 reach the podium before mid-season?
AD: Yes, The MP4-26 'James May' could be on the podium in Melbourne even. Don't forget in 2009 when they had an old truck of a race car Lewis should have been on the podium in Oz, but got creative with the truth in the stewards' room after Trulli slid off the track.
MF: It will reach the podium but I doubt it will claim a victory unless by some miracle Bernie wets the tracks, brings forth the plague and creates a volcano that swallows up all McLaren's rivals (including Hispania).
PG: Yes. Two quality drivers will once again out-perform their machine.
SJ: Yes, but not because the car will suddenly turn good overnight. It will rain and half the front-runners will crash out. Jenson Button will get lucky with Safety Cars and make it onto the podium.
JH: Yes. It might not be a Championship winning car but by mid-season the folk at McLaren will have done enough to ensure Button and Hamilton are in the running for podium places. Just.
08. Will all the teams see out the season?
AD: Yes. Bernie's got big pockets.
MF: I have my doubts about Hispania but they insist they will so I'm going to put a bit of faith in Colin Kolles' predictions and Narain Karthikeyan's money.
PG: Hopefully.
SJ: Hispania are the only ones that are in danger of not seeing out the season but they do seem determine to make it in F1. So no.
JH: Yes, but the likes of Hispania may do more sitting in the paddock than racing thanks to the 107% qualifying rule.
09. How long before Webber cries "I'm number two"?
AD: The minute that Red Bull show blatant favouritism towards Vettel. It's hard to think that Christian Horner will ever again take a development part off Mark's car and give it to Seb, as happened at Silverstone, but it will be something of that order. Maybe Seb will get an advantageous early tyre stop when it should have been Mark to come in.
MF: I'm surprised he hasn't already given Vettel's new contract and his "we'll wait and see how he performs later in the season."
PG: When a tree falls in a forest...
SJ: After a year, he should be accepting his fate as number two to Vettel. The German is the reigning World Champion after all.
JH: He Won't. That line is so last season; there will be a whole new conspiracy theory this time around.
10. Will Pirelli tyres spice up the show?
AD: Absolutely. It'll give an edge to GPs that you think are fast dwindling in action, because some drivers will try and make a set of tyres last just that bit longer than they want to adhere to the tarmac.
MF: Hell YES! Pirelli are going to be the deciding factor in the Championship. With a reported seven-second drop off tyre strategy is going to be it in 2011.
PG: From the sounds of it, yes. There's a suspicion that they will reduce running on Fridays and Saturday, but if an increased number of pit-stops and proper degradation equals 'spicing up the show' then yes.
SJ: With three or four pit stops per driver it should be interesting on the track and in the pit lane. It will also give the front-runners something to think about as a wrong call (yes, I'm looking at you Ferrari) could prove costly.
JH: Yes. If they're going to degrade at the expected rate we're in for some exciting times. Think Canada '10 on steroids...
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