F1 Preview: Toro Rosso, Force India, Super Aguri
Despite all the attempts at cost cutting, the teams at the back of the grid will still have a difficult time of it this year. Though Toro Rosso will probably mix it with the bigger boys a bit, Force India and Super Aguri will be this year’s backmarkers once again.
Toro Rosso
The fact that it will take place largely outside of the points means that many will overlook what is probably the second most interesting team battle this year (after Renault’s Alonso and Piquet). The arrival of four-times Champ Car champion Sebastian Bourdais has caused much excitement. Described at times as the best driver in the world today to never have taken part in an F1 race (yet), he has a lot to prove this year. He has to beat the young Sebastien Vettel if he is to maintain this image. Similarly, Vettel needs to beat Bourdais too. He has (in the words of Dietrich Mateschitz) “extraordinary potential” and, though he didn’t always match the more experienced Liuzzi last year, as the more experienced driver in the team now, Vettel is the de facto team leader and should therefore beat his rookie team mate.
Force India
Force India has been passed around like a hot potato in recent years - it was Jordan, then it was Midland, then Spyker and now it’s trying to sell Kingfisher beer (remember, kids, don’t drink and drive). The cash injection that that the team has received from squillionaire Vijay Mallya will ensure they beat the cash-strapped Super Aguri team, but expect them to be miles behind Toro Rosso.
Super Aguri
For perennial backmarkers, Super Aguri have lots of fans. Maybe it’s the superhero connotations in the name, or maybe it’s the fact that the team was cobbled together from old Arrows, fairy liquid bottles and double sided sticky tape and went on to give the works Honda team a run for its money in only their second year in F1. Unfortunately, the David-and-Goliath heroics may be coming to an end, as financial difficulties make it quite possible Super Aguri won’t even last the season.
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