RealityF1

Version 11.0 | 2011 Season

2005 F1 Form Guide

Strategy suggestions

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2005 Drivers

2005 Teams

Guide to the 2005 drivers

Michael Schumacher - Ferrari

The best driver of his generation. Last season he won his seventh driver's championship, two more than the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio. He's the master when it comes to one lap qualifying and is often head and shoulders above the rest of the field on race day. We saw a few chinks in the armour last season but they were few and far between and you wouldn't bet against him to make it eight titles in 2005.
2004 RF1 score: 568.0 (1/20)
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Rubens Barrichello - Ferrari

The second Ferrari driver and the one that seems to inherit all the bad luck. Barrichello is an excellent driver and a proven race winner. He's a very quick driver in the wet and makes excellent use of the Ferrari's speed. Once again he'll be trying to push Michael Schumacher in 2005.
2004 RF1 score: 467.5 (2/20)
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Jenson Button - BAR

Button had a phenomenal year in 2004. The 2004 BAR was a very quick car and Button used it to great effect. He finished the season third in the driver's championship and was regularly on the podium - will he make it up onto the top step in 2005? Given the opportunity he'll definitely go for it. However, it's widely expected that Button will try to move to Williams at the end of this season unless the 2005 BAR is able to challenge for wins.
2004 RF1 score: 398 (3/20)
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Takuma Sato - BAR

Sato is an exciting and aggresive driver who had the opportunity to shine in 2004. He showed great speed but at times was inconsistent and will definitely want to improve in 2005. If the new BAR is as good as the 2004 car he'll get that chance.
2004 RF1 score: 267.5 (11/20)
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Fernando Alonso - Renault

Widely tipped as a future World Champion he had an erratic 2004. His best finish was second at the French GP but, given a good car, he'll be pushing to improve on this performance and return to winning ways.
2004 RF1 score: 384.5 (4/20)
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Giancarlo Fisichella - Renault

Fisichella has moved from Sauber to Renault for the 2005 season. He's a quick driver and will be looking forward to spending the season in a car that's able to challenge the Ferrari. He's been in F1 for some time so will draw on this experience to make the most of the 2005 season.
2004 RF1 score: 377 (5/20)
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Mark Webber - Williams

Webber has had a phenomenal rise through F1. 2004 was a very difficult season for Webber as he had a relatively poor car and towards the end of the season Ford pulled the plug on the Jaguar Racing team. By this stage Webber had already signed for Williams and if given a fast car will be battling at the sharp end.
2004 RF1 score: 183.5 (17/20)
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Nick Heidfeld - Williams

For some time it was unknown who would partner Mark Webber at Williams. Most people expected it to be Antonio Pizzonia but it was Heidfeld who won a tense shoot-out and got the race seat. He's been in F1 for some time but until this year has had little opportunity to shine. He'll be out to prove that he rightly deserves the Williams race seat.
2004 RF1 score: 187.0 (16/20)
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Kimi Räikkönen - McLaren

Last year was a very difficult season for Räikkönen. The McLaren car was unreliable and he had little opportunity to display the brilliance seen in the 2003 season. His superb win in Belgium showed a glimpse of the talent we can only hope to see in 2005 (if he gets a good car). However, his off season antics have raised a few eyebrows and he'll be hoping to put that behind him and concentrate on other hot laps...
2004 RF1 score: 306.0 (8/20)
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Juan Pablo Montoya - McLaren

Montoya joins the McLaren team this year and he'll hope to improve on his performance at Williams last year. He did win the final race of the season but will be looking for more trips to the podium this year. His rivalry with his hard charging team mate will be something worth watching.
2004 RF1 score: 364.0 (6/20)
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Jacques Villeneuve - Sauber

F1 welcomes the return of 1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve. He's an exciting and consistent driver who'll be hungry for success after disappointing at BAR and then a season away from F1 last year. He had a brief spell at Renault at the end of last season but will look to shine in a full season.
2004 RF1 score: Only drove in the final three races of the season
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Felipe Massa - Sauber

Massa had a relatively disappointing season at Sauber last year. Having spent some years as Ferrari test driver many were expecting him to challenge his more experienced team mate (Fisichella). However, Fisichella regularly outperformed Massa and this year will see Massa paired with another experienced and quick driver. It's probably a make or break season for Massa so expect him to push from the outset.
2004 RF1 score: 292.0 (9/20)
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David Coulthard - Red Bull Racing

With Montoya announcing his move to McLaren in November 2003 it became obvious that there would be no McLaren race seat for Coulthard in 2005. Coulthard is an excellent driver and a proven race winner but he's been let down recently by his performance in one-lap qualifying. It's hard to shine when you're qualifying a long way down the grid. Coulthard's experience will be a big boost for the Red Bull Racing team but will they deliver a car that will allow David to challenge for points?
2004 RF1 score: 253.0 (12/20)
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Christian Klien - Red Bull Racing

Klien had his first season in F1 last year and spent most of it struggling to get a good performance out of his Jaguar. He spent a tense winter not knowing whether he was going to get the second race seat for Red Bull Racing. His rival for the drive was Vitantonio Liuzzi who is also contracted to Red Bull racing. If Klien fails to live up to expectation don't be surprised to see Liuzzi in the car later on in the season.
2004 RF1 score: 199.0 (15/20)
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Jarno Trulli - Toyota

Trulli had a very mixed season in 2004. He started well and won an eventful race at Monaco but produced some very lack lustre performances as the season went on. The low point was arguably at the French GP when he made a mistake on the final corner of the last lap and Barrichello passed him to take third. Driving for Toyota this season he'll be looking to produce some good results.
2004 RF1 score: 315.0 (7/20) - inc Villeneuve's performance for one GP.
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Ralf Schumacher - Toyota

Ralf had an awful season in 2004. He had a major accident at the USA GP and the resulting fractured vertebrae saw him sidelined for six races. He was replaced by Marc Gene and then Antonio Pizzonia but returned at the Chinese GP. He has a three year deal with Toyota and will be looking for results this year.
2004 RF1 score: 272.5 (10/20) - inc performances by Pizzonia and Gene.
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Narain Karthikeyan - Jordan

Karthikeyan is the first Indian driver to drive in F1. He has impressed in Formula Nissan World Series but only gained his super-licence during pre-season testing for Jordan. Time will tell whether he has the talent to progress in F1 but with Toyota power in the '05 Jordan he should have a reasonable car.
2004 RF1 score: Did not compete.
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Tiago Monteiro - Jordan

Monteiro is no stranger to F1 having been test driver for Minardi. He was rookie of the year in Nissan World Series during 2004 and also competed in Champ Car. Getting a race drive will give him the opportunity to imress teams further up the grid and he'll be out to make his mark from the very first race.
2004 RF1 score: Did not compete.
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Christijan Albers - Minardi

Former test and reserve driver for Minardi he has spent the last two seasons racing in DTM. He was second in the series in 2003 and third last year. Racing with Minardi the Dutchman won't be challenging for podium places but, as we've seen with Mark Webber, points are always a possibility.
2004 RF1 score: Did not compete.
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Patrick Friesacher - Minardi

Friesacher is in his first season of F1 having moved up from F3000. Friesacher impressed the Minardi team during testing and they have high hope that he'll score them valuable points during the 2005 season.
2004 RF1 score: Did not compete.
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Team Guide

Ferrari - Tyres: Bridgestone

Ferrari have been the dominant force in F1 for six years and don't expect that trend to change any time soon. They've played down relatively slow performances in pre-season testing but a team of this pedigree are still likely to be the pace setters in melbourne and the team everyone wants to beat in 2005.
2004 RF1 score: 517.75 (1/10)
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BAR - Tyres: Michelin

BAR had a fantastic season in 2004. They were regularly on the podium and this consistency took them to second place in the Constructors' Championship. With Button and Sato they have an exciting driver pairing and will be looking to build on their performance last year with race wins this year.
2004 RF1 score: 332.75 (4/10)
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Renault - Tyres: Michelin

Renault were quick last year but were troubled by inconsistent performances from their drivers. The car was notoriously difficult to set up but it was reliable. Renault have arguably the best pit crew in F1 and if their 2005 car is as quick as suggested by winter testing then they'll be pushing Ferrari this year.
2004 RF1 score: 352.0 (2/10)
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Williams - Tyres: Michelin

Williams started the 2004 season with a car that looked like a large, marine mammal.... unfortunately it was about as fast. In the USA GP Ralf Schumacher had an big accident and couldn't race for six races. Marc Gene and Antonio Pizzonia both had stints in the race seat but it was only when Ralf returned that Williams started to get results. Ralf was second in China and Montoya won the final race of the season. Both drivers moved on at the end of 2004 to be replaced with Webber and Heidfeld. They have plenty to prove and won't be the only people hoping Williams will return to winning ways.
2004 RF1 score: 318.25 (5/10)
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McLaren - Tyres: Michelin

By their standards McLaren had a terrible season in 2004. The car was slow and unreliable and both Coulthard and Räikkönen struggled to reach the ends of GPs let alone finish in the points. Räikkönen in particular failed to finsih 8 of the 18 races in 2004. In 2005 the team have arguably the most exciting driver pairing in Räikkönen and Montoya. If the car is fast then expect McLaren's no team orders rule to produce some excitement.
2004 RF1 score: 279.5 (6/10)
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Sauber - Tyres: Michelin

Sauber have been using Ferrari power (rebadged as Petronas) for a few seasons now but haven't been able to get the same performance out of the unit as the boys in scarlet did the season before. They often have excellent reliability but lack speed. Worryingly they team has expressed concerns over the aerodynamic performance of the '05 car even before the season starts. They have an excellent and experienced driver in Jacques Villeneuve and he'll be looking to announce his return to F1 with some impressive results.
2004 RF1 score: 334.5 (3/10)
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Red Bull Racing - Tyres: Michelin

The F1 team formerly known as Jaguar and Stewart. Red Bull Racing bought the Jaguar team at the end of last year when parent company Ford decided to sell the Jaguar team and effectively withdraw from F1. Red Bull Racing will be drawing heavily on the experience of David Coulthard during their first season of F1 but how will the Scot cope in his first season in a team at the blunter end of the grid?
2004 RF1 score: 191.25 (7/10) - scored as Jaguar.
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Toyota - Tyres: Michelin

Toyota are reputed to have the largest budget of any of the teams on the grid. Unfortunately they're yet to turn that backing in to race results. The high profile appointment of Mike Gascoyne from Renault last year failed to bring immediate results but Gascoyne was working with a car that he didn't design. With two high-profile drivers everyone will be watching Toyota with interest this year.
2004 RF1 score: 176.25 (8/10)
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Jordan - Tyres: Bridgestone

Jordan had an extremely difficult 2004 season. Their car failed to perform, they had money troubles and even the yellow overalls failed to brighten up the team. At the end of the year, faced with an uncertain future, the team was bought by the Midland group. Toyota power was then secured for the 2005 season and with two young drivers out to prove themselves Jordan may well produce some surprising results in 2005.
2004 RF1 score: 172.25 (10/10)
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Minardi - Tyres: Bridgestone

Minardi are the minnows of F1. They have a tiny budget compared with some of the other teams but are also responsible for introducing some very exciting drivers to F1. They're unlikely to score points regularly but are reliable and often finish races, albeit at the back. They have an exciting prospect in the form of Christijan Albers and Patrick Friesacher has already impressed in testing.
2004 RF1 score: 175.5 (9/10)
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Tyres

Only three teams will be using Bridgestone rubber this season (Ferrari, Jordan and Minardi), the other seven teams will all be using Michelins. With changes in the rules for the 2005 season (only one set to be used during races) it will be interesting to see how quickly the performance of the tyres degrades during the race. This, together with changes to the aero rules, has the potential to produce some very exciting racing.... fingers crossed.
Bridgestone 2004 RF1 score: 126.0 (2/2)
Michelin 2004 RF1 score: 232.0 (1/2)
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2005 Calendar

  1. Australian Grand Prix (Melbourne) - 06/03/05
  2. Malaysian Grand Prix (Sepang) - 20/03/05
  3. Bahrain Grand Prix (Bahrain) - 03/04/05
  4. San Marino Grand Prix (Imola) - 24/04/05
  5. Spanish Grand Prix (Barcelona) - 08/05/05
  6. Monaco Grand Prix (Monte Carlo) - 22/05/05
  7. European Grand Prix (Nurburgring) - 29/05/05
  8. Canadian Grand Prix (Montreal) - 12/06/05
  9. United States Grand Prix (Indianapolis) - 19/06/05
  10. French Grand Prix (Magny-Cours) - 03/07/05
  11. British Grand Prix (Silverstone) - 10/07/05
  12. German Grand Prix (Hockenheim) - 24/07/05
  13. Hungarian Grand Prix (Budapest) - 31/07/05
  14. Turkish Grand Prix (Istanbul) - 21/08/05
  15. Italian Grand Prix (Monza) - 04/09/05
  16. Belgian Grand Prix (Spa-Francorchamps) - 11/09/05
  17. Brazilian Grand Prix (Interlagos) - 25/09/05
  18. Japanese Grand Prix (Suzuka) - 09/10/05
  19. Chinese Grand Prix (Shanghai) - 16/10/05

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Useful F1 Links

  1. Planet F1
  2. F1
  3. ITV - F1
  4. F1Racing.Net
  5. Racing News

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