Pre-Season 2018 Predictions

[Greenlantern101]

Its that time of year when we look into the crystal ball and try and predict the future events of 2018 in F1.
My predictions are below I look forward to reading yours.

1. Lewis to be champion again.
2. Mercedes will comfortably win the constructors yet again.
   
3. The driver championship will be decided before Abu Dhabi
4. Williams won't hire Kubica they will sign a pay driver.
   
5. And the money will not make a dam of a difference they will still be shit.
6. The Toro Rosso driver line up will change before the end of the season.
7. Honda will still be the worst engine
8. Mclaren will finish ahead of Haas and Renault in the constructors championship.
   
9. Force India will change its name last second.
10. Lance Stroll's second year will be much better. He will thump his team mate.
11. Charles le Clerc will destroy Ericsson from day 1.
12. Kimi will not have his contract renewed and be forced to retire.
13. Paul Ricard will give us a great race.
14. Silverstone will be a wet race
15. The future engine rules will be decided and it will be disapointing.
16. Ferrari will threaten to leave over engine rules.
    
17. Channel 4 will end all F1 coverage at the end of the season.
18. F1 will end up on an 'internet' tv channel like netflicks, but not in the UK due to Sky deal.
19. F1's new owners will ramp up the 'Americanising' of the F1 spectical.
20. It will make no difference as viewer number continue to fall.

 

[Titch]

I think you’ve just about covered everything Greenlantern101 .

 

[Bill Boddy]

I cannot agree with number 10. There is no way that Stroll will physically harm Massa just because he beats him again.

 

[F1Brits_90]

• Hamilton will win a 5th F1 title. but it will be tough without the best car

• The 1st qualifying or race in Austraila will be wet

• We will have close title battle with Lewis Seb & Max. Alonso will be dark horse but drop away final few races

• Hamilton to win British GP

• British GP will be saved

• Alonso Podium or Pole in Spain

• Mclaren will win in 2018

• Riccardio will stay Red Bull as nowhere else is better

• Bottas leaves Mercedes

• Ocon Gets moved up from Force India

• Leclerc will consistently outperform the car getting 20+ pts & making it into Q3

• After Leclerc destroying his teammate after a race to get up to speed. he will be announced as Ferrari 2019 driver at monza following Kimi retirement

• Teams will continue to complain about the racing not getting close, but like the last 15 years some of the most intelligent people in sport will completely overlook simple(ish) solution reduce effect of dirty air

• Nobody will use just 3 engines

• Honda to take grid penalties by canada for 4th engine but have it figured out by season end

• Alonso will finish 2nd at 2018 le mans

• Sorokin (if chosen) will surprise & impress alot at Williams

• Channel 5 will take the free to air 2019 highlights for F1 as Channel 4 dont see the point. in a new low

• Ferrari bluff called & dont quit. paving the way for a better fairer F1

• Liberty Media will keep making F1 better in the Long term. but not much short term

• Halo will be much Hated but by Abu Dhabi we will have got used to it

• Beyonce will be on pole in Austraila (sorry wrong Halo)

• Liberty Media will hire Bradley Walsh Paul Sinha & Mark Labbett (sorry wrong chase)

• Kimi Reason for Retirement will secretive. because British GP, Kimi in the kitchen making himself a fry up & marchonni keep bugging him, so kimi angrily shouts leave me alone i know what im doing & decks him

 

[RasputinLives]

OK let's have a go at this:

- Not one session will go by without a commentator mentioning Hamilton chasing Schumacher's win record.

- Everyone will talk constantly about how Kimi has to be got rid of and retire but he'll get his contract renewed

- Mclaren Renault won't be good as people think but of course it won't be Mclaren's fault it'll be Renault. Phrases like "it's the 2nd best chassis in the field" and "Alonso is driving the wheels off that thing" will be said pretty regular.

- Martin Brundle will say things we'll all repeat as our own opinion on this forum

- Honda will steadily improve but no one will notice. It'll only be mentioned by Brundle in the mid race lull when we're all asleep

- Vandorne will be amazing but no one will notice

- People will insist that Williams are the 5th best team despite the car clearly being a shopping trolly

- Whatever Lance Stroll does people will find fault

- People will wax lyrical about Ocon, Leclerc and Sainz with constant talk of them at a 'top drive' in 2019. All will stay exactly where they are.

- Something controversial involving Lewis Hamilton will happen either on or off track and he'll behave in a sulky way afterwards.

- Bottas will sign another 1 year contract extension because Toto Wolff has got used to using the signing on fee to buy his Xmas presents

- Grown men will wet their panties over anything Max Verstappen does.

- Alonso will leave F1 saying the whole series is 'not like it was when he started' and that he is off for a 'real challenge'

- Sebastian Vettel will be world champion

- no one will refer to Red Bull as Aston Martin

- no one will refer to Sauber as Alfa Romeo

- Mercedes to get 95% of pole positions

- Renault to win a race.

 

[Bill Boddy]

I started reading your comments F1Brits_90 but only got as far as the first one. What on earth makes you think that Mercedes will not have the best car have the course of the season?

 

[Bill Boddy]

I dispute that RasputinLives since I do not watch, listen to or read Sky I have no idea what Brundle may or may not say.

 

[F1Brits_90]

I started reading your comments F1Brits_90 but only got as far as the first one. What on earth makes you think that Mercedes will not have the best car have the course of the season?

because end of 2017 there was much between merc or ferrari. it was vettel impatience & Hamilton stepping it up was making the difference in the end. also only once in f1 history has any team has won 5 in a row. that was 2000 - 2004 when ferrari were so far ahead they could win previous yrs car. Martin Brundle will say things we'll all repeat as our own opinion on this forum the law of dimishing returns means teams will catch up

i believe ferrari & red bull will improve. Vettel will stop impatience & verstappen can only improve. also Mclaren in Singapore & Hungary proved they have a great chassis 2 drivers mainly alonso will be spoilers

 

[Greenlantern101]

So how did I do?

1. Lewis to be champion again. YES
2. Mercedes will comfortably win the constructors yet again. YES
   
3. The driver championship will be decided before Abu Dhabi YES
4. Williams won't hire Kubica they will sign a pay driver. YES but gladly rectified for 2019
   
5. And the money will not make a dam of a difference they will still be shit. YES sad times for my old favorite
6. The Toro Rosso driver line up will change before the end of the season. NO
7. Honda will still be the worst engine. Hard to call between Renualt and Honda.
8. Mclaren will finish ahead of Haas and Renault in the constructors championship. NO
   
9. Force India will change its name last second. NO Mid seasson.
10. Lance Stroll's second year will be much better. He will thump his team mate. YES 6 points to Sirotkens 1
11. Charles le Clerc will destroy Ericsson from day 1. YES 39 points to Erricsons 9
12. Kimi will not have his contract renewed and be forced to retire. NO. Nobody saw Sauber coming.
13. Paul Ricard will give us a great race. NO it didn't
14. Silverstone will be a wet race NO. Think it was dry.
15. The future engine rules will be decided and it will be disapointing. NO nothing decided.
16. Ferrari will threaten to leave over engine rules. NO. See above.
    
17. Channel 4 will end all F1 coverage at the end of the season. NO Highlights only though
18. F1 will end up on an 'internet' tv channel like netflicks, but not in the UK due to Sky deal. NO sky monopoly only
19. F1's new owners will ramp up the 'Americanising' of the F1 spectical. Not really
20. It will make no difference as viewer number continue to fall. YES just wait for next year with highlights only on terrestrial.

 

[F1Brits_90]

Hamilton will win a 5th F1 title. but it will be tough without the best car
I think thats spot on. I think for the most part Ferrari had the better car as seen by bottas in 5th but Ferrari imploded again. but I would like Bill Boddy opinion if it has changed from 362 days ago

The 1st qualifying or race in Austraila will be wet
No on both counts

We will have close title battle with Lewis Seb & Max. Alonso will be dark horse but drop away final few races
lewis & seb was close, max wouldve massively involved if his 1st 6 were like final 15. less said about Alonso & McLaren the better

Hamilton to win British GP
No Vettel won

British GP will be saved
At the time of writing no & unthinkable is likely no british gp in 2020

Alonso Podium or Pole in Spain
No

Mclaren will win in 2018
no as I said less said about Alonso & McLaren. they left honda somehow done the impossible & got worse

Riccardio will stay Red Bull as nowhere else is better
amazing decision as nowhere else short term is better, but he still moved to Renault in 1 of shocks of many a season

Bottas leaves Mercedes
No, managed to keep his seat but if hadn't had a contract extension in mid season. then his terrible performance with exception of Russia may've been a different story

Ocon Gets moved up from Force India
Ocon got moved, I was just a year too soon for what looks like the nailed on 2020 move to mercedes

Leclerc will consistently outperform the car getting 20+ pts & making it into Q3
I think thats spot on too

After Leclerc destroying his teammate after a race to get up to speed. he will be announced as Ferrari 2019 driver at monza following Kimi retirement
just call me mystic meg

Teams will continue to complain about the racing not getting close, but like the last 15 years some of the most intelligent people in sport will completely overlook simple(ish) solution reduce effect of dirty air
they complained & we all did. but for once the 2019 hopefully will help reduce it, but it remains to be seen

Nobody will use just 3 engines
amazingly despite all the scaremongers of 4 engines & pointless rule because we are going to use it anyway. half the grid was within their allocation. Hamilton, Vettel, Kimi, Perez, Ocon, Sirotkin, Grosjean, Magnussen, Ericsson & Leclerc

Honda to take grid penalties by canada for 4th engine but have it figured out by season end
yep Gasly took a 10 place grid drop in Canada & I think look competitve for the 1st time could be dangerous in a red bull

Alonso will finish 2nd at 2018 le mans
he should've been, but who knows I have doubts about the tactics. that maybe Toyota fixed it so the more fashionable & better PR trio won.

Sorokin (if chosen) will surprise & impress alot at Williams
I think he did surprise & impress. when he could in 1 of the worst Williams designed. as they at times had no idea what it would do corner to corner

Channel 5 will take the free to air 2019 highlights for F1 as Channel 4 dont see the point. in a new low
no I was wrong Channel 4 did see the point of continuation, surprisingly

Ferrari bluff called & dont quit. paving the way for a better fairer F1
yep & with rumoured prize money chance looks like a fairer F1 on it way

Liberty Media will keep making F1 better in the Long term. but not much short term
I think liberty media hands are somewhat tied short term but long term I feel it could be much better

Halo will be much Hated but by Abu Dhabi we will have got used to it
I think for all us we didnt see the halo & I had managed to block it out. genuinely couldnt see it. until I actively looked for it

Beyonce will be on pole in Austraila (sorry wrong Halo)
yes she was outstanding what a lap & then how she said to brundle, that she did it for all her single ladies & If lewis Hamilton liked it so much he should've put a ring on it

Liberty Media will hire Bradley Walsh Paul Sinha & Mark Labbett (sorry wrong chase)
no unfortunately doctor who got in the way & appartantly its all 3 or nothing

 

[RasputinLives]

Let's see how I did

- Not one session will go by without a commentator mentioning Hamilton chasing Schumacher's win record. True dat

- Everyone will talk constantly about how Kimi has to be got rid of and retire but he'll get his contract renewed - half right because he did get a new contract it was just with Ferrari's b team

- Mclaren Renault won't be good as people think but of course it won't be Mclaren's fault it'll be Renault. Phrases like "it's the 2nd best chassis in the field" and "Alonso is driving the wheels off that thing" will be said pretty regular. - true dat

- Martin Brundle will say things we'll all repeat as our own opinion on this forum - true dat

- Honda will steadily improve but no one will notice. It'll only be mentioned by Brundle in the mid race lull when we're all asleep - true dat

- Vandorne will be amazing but no one will notice - very wrong!

- People will insist that Williams are the 5th best team despite the car clearly being a shopping trolly - wrong

- Whatever Lance Stroll does people will find fault - true dat

- People will wax lyrical about Ocon, Leclerc and Sainz with constant talk of them at a 'top drive' in 2019. All will stay exactly where they are. - completely wrong as all of them left their 2018 teams.

- Something controversial involving Lewis Hamilton will happen either on or off track and he'll behave in a sulky way afterwards. - true dat

- Bottas will sign another 1 year contract extension because Toto Wolff has got used to using the signing on fee to buy his Xmas presents - true dat

- Grown men will wet their panties over anything Max Verstappen does. - true dat

- Alonso will leave F1 saying the whole series is 'not like it was when he started' and that he is off for a 'real challenge' - completely spot on

- Sebastian Vettel will be world champion - very wrong!

- no one will refer to Red Bull as Aston Martin - true dat

- no one will refer to Sauber as Alfa Romeo - true dat

- Mercedes to get 95% of pole positions - true dat

- Renault to win a race. - wrong!

 

[Angel]

I didn't get any predictions for 2018 wrong, yay me

Or in truth, when l made them I wasn't here, so you can't prove that I did

 

[Izumi]

DATE: 2019-02-18 CET: 07:03
My prediction - it will be noisy at the sharp point of the grid. More leveled run for podium. Mercedes will not have anymore such huge (FiA protected) advantage they had for so many years, however I do not expect they made a one junk of a car. RBR will chime in, and who knows where others are.
I.