We already discussed the facts about the 2014 Formula 1 season, so now we will discuss some opinions. We’ve already determined that our predictions don’t count for much, and making them before any of the teams turn a wheel in anger is always a fool’s errand, but we’ll give it a shot. Here are some possible outcomes this year.

1. I predict that Red Bull will have an abysmal start to the year, but will pick up the ball and start running toward the front around the time they get to Spain (mid-season updates are usually figured out by then, and Newey is a smart cookie).

2. Reliability will come into play in the first part of the season, but won’t be much of a concern after a half-dozen races. Australia this weekend should prove to be in Mercedes’ wheelhouse, as they have the most testing mileage on their engines. Ferrari have proven relatively reliable as well. Only the teams running with Renault power have been having real struggles with power and reliability.

3. Fuel mileage could be a concern. 100Kg of fuel is considerably less than they used last year, so some teams will likely be turning up the wick at the start of a race, but will be forced to dial it back a bit for the closing laps. It is possible that a small handful of cars will fail to finish. (I had similar thoughts when refueling was banned, but those worries proved to be unfruitful. I guess we’ll see this Sunday.) 

4. I think that Kevin Magnussen will have an amazing inaugural season in F1. He has already proven quick in his McLaren in testing, and the Mercedes engines only help to sweeten the deal. I hope he does well, because I’m interested to see what McLaren will do for 2015 with their new Honda engines.

5. I predict that Jenson Button will retire from F1 at the end of this season. He’s now engaged to long-time girlfriend Jessica Michibata, and it may be time for him to exit. He’s still young, so I hope he doesn’t go away (or perhaps moves into sports cars), but if he were to make that decision, this year might be the prime year to do so.

6. I foresee that the Russian Grand Prix will be an even bigger sham in Sochi than their preparation for the Olympics was. Korea and India didn’t last very long, perhaps Russia is the next race to only last one or two seasons. Depending upon how things shake out politically, there may not even be a Russian Grand Prix this year.

7. I don’t think that the intra-team relationship between Fernando and Kimi will be as big of a problem as some people think it might be. Kimi has never been bothered by playing second fiddle (not saying that he will be this year, but it’s a possibility), and Fernando has seemed to mellow out a bit in his time at Ferrari. Both drivers are extremely quick and can be relied upon to score points. If all goes their way in the engine/chassis department, I don’t see why Ferrari shouldn’t win the constructors championship this year.

8. I think that this will be the most exciting season since 2010. Be sure to watch.

Bradley C. Brownell is an Editor with Hooniverse.com, but he also contributes to his own site BavarianDrive“ Head over there for more of his work. All images sourced from Racer.com.