The 2006 Drivers Preview
Twenty two drivers - among them three world champions, ten Grand Prix winners and three rookies - will start the season next week in Bahrain. Jonathan Noble analyses the 2006 grid
Speculation last winter that Fernando Alonso's decision to join McLaren in 2007 could derail his charge to a second world title already appears to have been wide of the mark - with both driver and team appearing to fire on all cylinders on the eve of the campaign.
Alonso has never been anything less than 100 percent committed on the race track and the confidence that grew in him last year, allied to the early promise shown by the R26, have marked him out as the pre-season favourite. Alonso will be a hard man to beat in 2006.
Share Or Save This Story
Jonathan Noble is Motorsport.com’s Formula 1 editor. Having graduated from University of Sussex Jonathan worked for sports news agency Collings Sports reporting on F1, F3, touring cars and other sports, with articles appearing in The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, Reuters, Autosport and other publications. In 1999 he moved to Haymarket Publishing to become a senior editor at Autosport Special Projects, and one year later he became Autosport’s grand prix editor. In 2015 he moved to Motorsport Network, becoming the F1 editor for Motorsport.com. He is also a member of the Guild of Motoring Writers, and sits on the FIA Media Council.
More from Jonathan Noble
Leclerc: Ferrari has "best shot" so far in F1 2024 to beat Red Bull
Vowles defends sacrificing Sargeant's Williams F1 car for Albon in Australian GP
Marko blasts Tsunoda and Ricciardo as "too slow" in F1 races
Red Bull left chasing gains after Ferrari’s “very impressive” race runs
Susie Wolff will not allow any FIA wrongs to be “brushed under carpet”
Ricciardo doesn't need Marko criticisms to realise he must do better
Did F1 win the battle but lose the war with its new rules era?
Norris: Flashing light distraction prompted near F1 jump start
Latest news
Aston Martin makes offer to poach Newey from F1 rival Red Bull
Friday favourite: The LMP1 beast that became an extension of Davidson
Aprilia needs "better bike" to be stronger in 2025 MotoGP rider market
Bird: Imminent Formula E victories “not expected again” ahead of Tokyo E-Prix
Autosport Plus
How motorsport is embracing the opportunities of AI
The unlikely series providing an open door to innovation
Autosport writers' most memorable moments of 2023
How a lost Lotus that could have revolutionised Can-Am finally came to life
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.