6 Questions for the 2014 Season —David Coulthard

1. Can anyone stop Red Bull/Sebastian Vettel?
Red Bull start next season as favourites. No question. They are at the peak of their game. They have a stable management, the best designer, loads of money and a quadruple world champion driver.
That said, they can be knocked off their perch. Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes are not there to make up the numbers. They have deep pockets, too, and with the biggest regulation changes in a generation coming up in 2014, the opportunity is there for someone to swoop in.

2. Will the new regulations produce exciting racing?
This is a big question and one to which no one knows the answer. I have been through engine regulation changes before but nothing quite as dramatic as next season’s switch to 1.6-litre turbos allied to vastly more potent energy recovery systems.

Some fans are worried that it might become an ‘efficiency’ formula rather than an ‘all-out racing’ formula but let’s wait and see. I think there may be some reliability issues at first but as teams get used to the new power units, we will see them push harder and harder.

3. Will tyres still be a big factor and should they be?
Pirelli’s tyres provided the biggest single differentiating factor this year. Red Bull, and in particular Sebastian Vettel, got the most out of them.

Next year the power units will play a much bigger role but there is no reason to suggest that the tyre issues we saw this year will go away.

With more torque, there will be a lot more stress on the rear tyres. Again, it is a big unknown. Due to F1 politics, Pirelli has not even been able to test its 2014 tyres yet. But I predict more controversy.

4. Can Lewis Hamilton adapt to the new regulations, see off Nico Rosberg and claim his second title?
Yes, yes and yes. Lewis Hamilton is a world-class driver and I have seen nothing to suggest that he is incapable of adapting. His win in Hungary proved that he could work the tyres, drive quickly and sensibly, and claim wins in this formula.

Rosberg has proved a handful for him – perhaps more than many people expected – and the German enjoys the mental challenge of this new style of racing. But I am sure that if Mercedes give Lewis a car with which he is comfortable, he can win his second title.

5. Is Jenson Button over the hill and can McLaren bounce back from their annus horribilis?
There is no question in my mind that Jenson Button still has it. He is 33, one of the fittest drivers on the grid, and as soon as he had a sniff of a result – such as in Brazil on Sunday – he was right on his game. It must have affected his motivation this year with McLaren faltering so badly. But McLaren are a mighty team, they have a great facility and pots of
money. Both they, and JB, can bounce back. It will be fascinating to see how Jenson fares against the rookie Kevin Magnussen. Who is to say that the 2014 regs might not suit youngsters such as Magnussen or Toro Rosso’s 19-year-old Dany Kvyat?

6. How will Fernando Alonso v Kimi Raikkonen pan out at Ferrari?
Everyone in the paddock is looking forward to this contest. My hunch is that Fernando will have too much over the course of the season. He is embedded in Ferrari, speaks Italian and has no weaknesses as a driver.

That said, he did tie on points with Lewis during their season together at McLaren and lost his cool in the process. Kimi does not do the political stuff so I don’t think this relationship will be as volatile. I expect Fernando to prevail.