Can Fernando Alonso win for Renault?

Can Alonso win for renault once more?

The Spaniard doesn't seem to think so. "Right now, it's crazy to think I can win the title with Renault," he says. "I'm not thinking about the championship, only about improving the car. We'd need to take an enormous step forward to fight for the world championship next year."

Of course, such modesty is typical winter season chatter: Alonso has already shown he has the determination to win at all costs. In many ways, however, it's not up to Alonso - it's Renault's responsibility to provide him with a competitive car, and of that it feels confident, having identified the R27's shortcomings at an early stage and begun development work on the R28 before both Ferrari and McLaren. Expect Renault to be back in the ballpark this season - and expect Alonso to once again be running near the front.

Can Ferrari's new men keep Kimi champion?

Ferrari technical director Aldo Costa has promised an uncompromising revision of the F2007 for '08, explaining that the new car will be "completely new" and feature a new front-end, sidepods and wing. It's a typically aggressive move from the Scuderia, which surprised the F1 firmament with the huge steps taken with last year's car. Given the Italian team's depth of technical expertise, expect the F2008 to be nothing less than a rocketship.

As for Raikkonen's title ambitions, perhaps there are bigger question marks over Kimi himself. With Jean Todt reportedly telling Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, "Kimi is not a team leader," and with his contract up for grabs at the end of the year, maybe it's the Finn rather than the team itself who is under greater pressure.

Will McLaren's driver rivalry become destructive?

When McLaren looked poised to sign Pedro de la Rosa to partner Lewis Hamilton, it suggested the Woking team was finally relenting to external pressures and merely hiring a highly competent number two as a back-up to its team leader.

When it finally plumped for Heikki Kovalainen, the intent was immediately clear: there's been no backing down, and Heikki will fight for the win as often as Lewis. Of course, Lewis already has his feet under the table and will be a tough nut to crack - but Kovalainen will be determined to challenge for the title and not simply be happy with a handful of race wins.

Can McLaren's management once more handle that sort of pressure? They've never been able to in the past, so there's no reason to suggest they'll start doing it now...

Can Ross Brawn turn Honda around?

On the face of it, there's nobody better qualified to transform Honda from a competent midfield outfit into a genuine frontrunner. After all, he did exactly the same thing with Ferrari 10 years ago, and he claims the resources at Honda are not only in a better state than he found the Italian team's back in 1997 but at a comparable state to any frontrunning outfit.

Brawn knows what's needed to move Honda back to the front - and the team has the desire and ability to make his ambitions a reality. Sure, there will be some growing pains along the way but Honda should finally be firing on all cylinders by the end of the year and in the thick of it by the start of 2009.

Will Kazuki Nakajima spend more time off track than on?

Critics say the Japanese youngster has been plucked from GP2 a year too early. Kazuki's F1 debut in Brazil last year gave both the cynics and the believers plenty of ammunition - fifth fastest lap and a storming race into the top 10 clearly demonstrated his speed, but a messy qualifying lap and a scrappy pitstop where he mowed down members of his crew show there are still plenty of areas for improvement.

We predict Nakajima's season will be one of extremes - a mix of sublime highs and some crashing (literally) lows.

Will politics rear their ugly head again?

The signing of a new Concorde Agreement was meant to usher in a new era of accord within Formula 1. That it has yet to be agreed, let alone signed, speaks volumes for the level of discord still prevalent within the sport. There is still optimism that a deal can be agreed before racing begins in Australia in March.

Force India's Ian Phillips recently described the current political climate within the sport as "terrifying" and there's still plenty of paranoia in the paddock after many months spent enduring the latest twists in the spy scandal saga.

There's no reason to believe F1 will suddenly become less political in 2008 - but there's real hope the sport can start waking up to the belief it must put political fighting to one side in order to concentrate on building itself a better future. Will that happen? It's doubtful...

Will Nelson Piquet Jr shine at Renault?

The Brazilian's situation is intriguing. Touted by many as faster than Lewis Hamilton when the pair raced together in GP2 during 2006, could Piquet offer Alonso even more of a threat than the British wunderkind? It's not impossible, but it's highly unlikely we'll see Nelsinho given much of an opportunity to flex his muscles throughout this season.

Piquet's arrival doesn't appear to have troubled Alonso. "I'm not afraid that Piquet is going to be a new Hamilton," Alonso says. "In the end it's up to me - I must be quicker than my team-mate. I have total confidence in Renault and [team boss] Flavio [Briatore]."

Can F1 save the world?

Honda's 'earth car' may have been criticised as 'greenwash' when it was unveiled last February, but it has raised awareness and helped stimulate debate at a time when the environment has never been more at the forefront of general public consciousness.

"Introducing biofuel is a no-brainer," says Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner. "Energy recovery is more difficult - we would like to see some recognition from the FIA into controlling costs. It's become an arms race for engineers because it's now the only variable area within the power train [thanks to the engine freeze]. From our point of view, we'd like to see some control parameters so costs are controlled."

However, FIA technical consultant Tony Purnell disputes the cynicism. "People are wrong not to endorse KERS [Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems]," he says. "Of course, when you allow any freedom of a regulation, it costs a load of money but we are dedicated to finding a solution."

Will the new rules encourage overtaking?

The absence of traction control - and, perhaps more importantly, the loss of electronic engine braking - will make the cars less stable at crucial points around the lap and could open up the possibility of increased overtaking. But there's little to suggest that a TC ban will radically overhaul the races themselves.

At least there's reason for hope: F1's Overtaking Working Group has been working over the past six months to formulate a solution, and the 2009 aero regulations should promote and increase overtaking.

Renault executive director of engineering Pat Symonds says: "Some of the things we've done over the last few years have actually made overtaking more difficult. It's not just a question of reducing aero, it's how you do it. The 2009 rules are a step in the right direction but it won't be like NASCAR, where cars are overtaking two or three times a lap. We don't want drivers being held up behind slower cars. I hope we'll get a good balance."

Will the tc ban make racing more exciting?

"Making the driver a greater factor is important," says Horner. "Driving an F1 car on its absolute limit has got easier with the arrival of all the driver aids, so making the driver the biggest variable is a positive. As a result, we'll see closer racing, more mistakes and more overtaking."

Symonds is more pragmatic. "We're not going to see big power slides, unfortunately," he says. "There is this fallacy that drivers are driving on the traction control, but at Renault we actually encourage them not to do that. It's a waste of fuel and it's not an efficient way to drive. We encourage them to drive to the limit, and that's where traction control helps them a little bit."

Will the 'old guard' earn one last reprieve?

F1's elder statesmen - drivers like Giancarlo Fisichella, Rubens Barrichello, David Coulthard, Jarno Trulli and Ralf Schumacher - have been on the brink of extinction for several years, but have somehow always managed to escape the threat of losing their seats.

Schumacher's departure from Toyota leaves him looking highly unlikely to return this year. And, with the contracts of Fisi, DC, Jarno and Rubens all up for renewal before the end of the year, it's looking highly unlikely that we'll see a full house of 'mature' racers return for '09.

Still, there's hardly a stampede of new talent banging on the door, so who knows?

Will the new venues make their mark?

Only the singular vision of Bernie Ecclestone could have so effortlessly secured a Formula 1 night race. The inaugural Singapore Grand Prix, the first F1 race to be run under darkness and held around the city's spectacular seafront, promises to become a new jewel in F1's crown.

The other new venue joining the calendar for '08 is a harbour-front track around the streets of Spanish city Valencia - a venue that will doubtless harness the country's current passion for F1 brought about by the success of Fernando Alonso. Both street circuits look set to buck the trend for tight and twisty city events, with plenty of variety and some substantial high-speed sections. Both look like becoming vital additions to the F1 calendar.

Can force india's new owner, vijay Mallya, make a success of the team?

Flamboyant Indian businessman Vijay Mallya has already been dubbed 'the new Flav' on account of his love for garish 'bling' accoutrements and outrageous fashion sense. There's more to it than merely sartorial inelegance though. Mallya is an acute business brain who knows just how to add that showbiz glitz to proceedings and how best to market F1 to his own advantage.

He's hugely proud of his home nation and equally determined to make sure Force India lives up to the country's high expectations. The workforce already seems remotivated and hard-working technical chief Mike Gascoyne will do whatever's needed to haul the team up the grid. The outfit once known as Jordan, Midland and Spyker is certainly one to watch with great interest in 2008.

Will the customer teams survive?

Force India's arbitration case into the legality of customer cars is due to be heard in the spring and could well provide the definitive answer to the ongoing viability of customer squads in the sport. Regardless of the outcome, however, the general consensus is that the days of customer car teams are numbered, with both Super Aguri and Scuderia Toro Rosso given a two-year stay of execution before they must both build their own chassis.

Force India team boss Colin Kolles is clear on where he stands with regard to the situation: "We build our own car, employ more than 250 people, have windtunnels working at least 18 hours a day and invest a lot of money in the team. The customer teams are currently taking advantage of this situation. It's not right for teams to have unequal starting points."

Horner adds: "It's a fundamental question that needs to be answered by the regulator. But it comes back to the discussion of what F1 is going to be. We are homing in on what a constructor is and hopefully it will be defined shortly so that there will no longer be any unpleasantness."

Will Schuey really come back?

It's been the teaser that's kept us intrigued for the whole winter. Not only did Michael Schumacher rekindle his passion (which, honestly, he never really lost) for F1 when he clambered aboard an F2007 in Barcelona in November, but he promptly reminded us just what the fans had been missing.

Immediately fastest, and following up his initial stint with more development work at Jerez in December, his return has set tongues wagging about the prospect of a full-time return to F1.

Is it likely? Not according to Ross Brawn, who oversaw all of Schuey's seven title wins: "Knowing Michael as I do, I don't think there's a natural extension from driving a car to racing a car. So I can see a testing role will be quite sufficient for him." That's a no, then.