We mean it this time

It's not a bluff this time - that really is the new Mercedes car, not an old Brawn with a paint-job.

Looks the business, doesn't it? Liking those wacky wing mirrors!

Ooh, I'm feeling a Grumpy pre-season preview coming on. Either that or I've eaten too much chocolate again and it's an almighty sugar rush which will probably mean I'll just keep typing and typing and typing without pausing to use pounctiuation or anything and without woprryinmg abiut wether I'm making horredous spelling mistakes and so forth. Gasp. Actually, it's both.

Mighty fine pedigree the Merc - last year it won both titles under the guise of the genius of Ross Brawn (banana, anyone?). Ross is very, very, VERY good and sure knows how to organise a team, but let us remember that last year's car was designed under the considerable funding of Honda. This year's car was designed pre-Mercedes buying out the team. At a rough calculation, that means they've had a veritable shed-load of wonga less to work with. I doubt it'll be a bad car, but I think they won't just romp of to the title this time. Mind you, they do have...

Michael Schumacher. What can you say about Schumi? Well, quite a lot actually. Indisputably the best complete package ever (as in driver, motivator, team-leader etc etc), he IS flawed. Remember the attempt to shove Villeneuve off the track, and the Damon Hill incident (Argh - I can feel myself getting angry all over again, not least because it just reminded me I had hair then)? He might be a bit rusty too, although I'm guessing not. He's that bloody good. How will he manage in a different team? How long before Nico has that glassy stare that says he's been shafted by Michael? And can Mikey-babes really cut it against the likes of Hamilton & Alonso in 2010?

Nico Rosberg. Lovely hair (the git). Lil' Rosberg put in some tidy performances in the Williams last year, but made a fair few errors too. To my mind, he's somewhere near Massa after a couple of years in F1 - good, but still a bit ragged and impetuous, and just as likely to bin it than win it. He should have his best shout yet at a race win though... as long as he can deal with Michael's mind-games.

(Tonight we're grooving to cheery '80's pop in the form of Belinda Carlisle's "The Best Of Volume 1". Bit optimistic that - I'm guessing there hasn't been a Volume 2? Great cheekbones though.)

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Suffering from natural obsolescence

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