2008 Drivers – Part 4/11: Williams

Nico Rosberg
Nationalites: German/Finnish
DOB: 27/06/85
Races: 35
Wins: 0
Podums: 0
Pole Positions: 0
Total Career Points: 24

Kazuki Nakajima
Nationality: Japanese
DOB : 11/01/85
Races: 1
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Pole Positions: 0
Total Career Points: 0

Both of Williams’ drivers are sons of former Formula One drivers. In the case of Nico, his father Keke Rosberg went as far as winning the world title, with Williams, in 1982. Nico started his career well, racing karts from 1996, before winning the German Formula BMW Championship in 2002. In 2005, he won the GP2 Championship, which prompted the Williams F1 team to snap up the son of their former champion.

Nico had a disappointing first season, scoring just four points all season. However, on his debut in Bahrain, he set the fastest lap of the race, and is currently the record-holder for youngest ever driver to set a fastest lap of a race. He improved in 2007, achieving his first fourth place race finish, but the Williams car was off the pace all season. Improvements have been made in both car and driver, so Nico may well be able to improve again.

PREDICTION: 8th

Satoru Nakajima never set the F1 world alight when he drove for Lotus and Tyrrell in the late 80s/early 90s. He scored just 16 career points, and his son Kazuki has his eyes set on getting one over his father. Kazuki won the Formula Toyota Championship in 2003 at his first attempt. In 2007, he raced at GP2, the breeding ground for future F1 stars. Although he didn’t win, he ended the season with five consecutive podiums and a fifth-place finish overall.

His one F1 race seat so far in his career was the Brazilian GP in 2007, where Williams driver Alex Wurz retired with a race remaining. Nakajima took the seat and steered it to tenth place, managing to run over a couple of pit mechanics in the process. I just worry that Kazuki’s inexperience will lead to a difficult first season.

PREDICTION: 17th

2008 Drivers – Part 3/11: Renault

Fernando Alonso
Nationality: Spanish
DOB: 29/07/81
Races: 105
Wins: 19
Podums: 49
Pole Positions: 17
Total Career Points: 490

Nelsinho Piquet
Nationality: Brazilian
DOB : 25/07/85
Races: 0
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Pole Positions: 0
Total Career Points: 0

Fernando, full name Fernando Alonso Diaz, is one of the biggest names in Formula One this decade, and still has plenty of years left in him. In 2001, Alonso became the third-youngest driver to ever start a race when he signed up for a season at Minardi. Here, he failed to score, but was rewarded with a test drive at Renault for 2002, and was promoted to the main seat in 2003. It was in 2003 where Alonso got his name on the board, by achieving four podium finishes, including his first ever race win, at Hungary.

He stayed with Renault in 2004. He failed to win a race but nevertheless improved his overall position, getting fourth place. In 2005, Renault broke their own personal sound barrier and Alonso stormed the championship, winning seven races, and only failing to make the podium four times. Here, Alonso became the youngest-ever winner of a Championship, taking the world title at the age of 24. He won it again the year after, becoming the youngest double winner. He then partnered Lewis Hamilton at McLaren in 2007, where Alonso finished just one point off a third championship in a row. Now, in 2008, back with a Renault team that failed to impress last season, Fernando hopes to make another title challenge, but I don’t think he’ll have a car that will suit him.

PREDICTION: 5th

Nelson Piquet won the Formula One Championship in 1981, 1983 and 1987. Now, his son, Nelsinho Piquet (also referred to as Nelson Piquet Jr.) is at Renault, hoping to match that feat. In 2001, Nelsinho started racing in Formula 3, following several years of karting. In 2002, he started racing in South American F3, where he became champion, and followed it up with a third place in British Formula 3 in 2003; a championship he would win in 2004, and become the youngest-ever driver to do so. Also in 2004, he first handled an F1 car, testing for Williams. He raced for Team Brazil in the A1 GP in 2005, before returning to GP2, where he finished runner-up to a certain Lewis Hamilton.

He returned to F1 testing in 2007 where he was test driver for Renault. Since then, he has been promoted to partner two-time champion Alonso in the race seats. Piquet isn’t totally new to this, so he may well strike up a few points, but I cannot see a race win on the horizon just yet.

PREDICTION: 10th