Changing of the Guard

Formula One entered the 2005 season in a position of growing unease and instability. With the threat of the manufacturers' breakaway series looming, and the sense of keen competition eroded by five years of Michael Schumacher and Ferrari domination, it looked likely that the sport would shed fans to other racing series. As brilliant as Schumacher is, the sport needed more winners, more thrilling wheel to wheel racing, and greater competition.

On the positive side, the calendar was fuller than ever before, with a new high of 19 Grands Prix. And on track, there was no shortage of younger talents queueing up to claim Michael Schumacher's crown if Ferrari faltered. F1, in its current guise, still hasn't managed to secure a unified and certain future, but the crowning of a new champion driver and team in 2005 has been a refreshing change from the established order.