Will McLaren finally crack it?

If there ever was a circuit where McLaren can be expected to crack the nut it’s the Circuit de Catalunya. They were so close at Nuburgring but couldn’t transform their pace to secure a race win. The Spanish circuit has got one “genuine” overtaking opportunity, and if a pilot can get a good run out of Campsa, he could get another one at La Caixa. But what good are overtaking opportunities, if the guys aren’t in the rhythm, as is the case with McLaren of late.

I am predicting a strong race for McLaren and Renault, and Ferrari despite their win at the EruoGP would not figure in the scheme of things. That’s a bold prediction indeed, but I can see the potential in McLaren and it’s only a matter of time before they crack it.

Renault and Alonso will be the team to beat though, with Alonso riding on a wave of supporters, he will be motivated and under pressure. We know how well he can handle pressure, and the way he goes about winning WDC, though boring to many is very effective. He I believe will be content to settle for the second step on the podium as long as the margin is comfortable for him.

Kimi needs to pull something special to win the WDC from here, as his car is not what it was last year and he needs to push in that much more to secure victories. Both Kimi and JPM are clearly lacking motivation, and I do believe that though the car is capable of winning races, these guys are already thinking about their race seats for the future. This is not good for a team, which always boasted of a very stable driver line up.

So as things stand, here are my predictions for the race
Qualifying

1. Alonso


2. Button


3. MS


4. JPM


5. KIMI


6. MASSA

Race

1. Kimi/JPM


2. Alonso


3. MS


4. Massa


5. Button


6. Nico