Last year was a two-horse race with the Formula One championship being bitterly fought by the two leading teams – McLaren and Ferrari. Much was expected from the then defending champions, Renault, but sadly without their star driver, Fernando Alonso, they couldn’t impress much and leading the rest of the class was a shaky but resurgent BMW Sauber.

But the burning question is: will 2008 turn out to be yet another two-way fight or will the teams stand up and be counted?

Well, first let’s compare the races that have been held to date this year with the corresponding events in 2007. The first five races of 2007 saw all the podium positions occupied by drivers from McLaren Mercedes and Ferrari. The first five races of 2008 have already seen five podium positions going to teams other than the two dominant ones: in fact, only five podium places were won by teams other than Ferrari and McLaren in all the races of 2007!

So, with BMW Sauber already notching up a pole position and two fastest laps, the season is certainly going to be a three-way fight peppered with a few surprises along the way. And here are the people and teams to watch out for this year:

Robert Kubica and BMW Sauber: The polished Polish driver is certainly champion material. He had already shown glimpses of his brilliance when after only his third race, he stood on the podium rubbing shoulders with Michael Schumacher in the 2006 Italian Grand Prix. Now that he is in a much-improved car, add to that his talent and the right kind of attitude – and he can definitely win championships for his team in the future. BMW Sauber, under Dr. Mario Theissen, has come up in leaps and bounds to challenge the front runners. Kubica has delivered this season with a stunning pole position in the Bahrain Grand Prix; he is certainly shaping up to be one of the challengers who will give all the old grand masters a run for their money.

Nico Rosberg: Sir Frank Williams’ eye for talent and, of course, a rather successful surname has put this young German driver in the limelight. But it is not without reason that Nico is expected to perform; his first race in 2006, the Bahrain Grand Prix, saw Nico set the fastest lap. Sadly the slow pace of development of the Williams car didn’t present him with more opportunities to capitalise on the great start he had. Rosberg had a great beginning to 2008 with a podium in Australia. He is certainly bound to improve in 2008 but bigger avenues will surely open up in 2009 with McLaren, Renault, Red Bull and perhaps even Ferrari looking to lap him up.

Nick Heidfeld: A much improved, leaner, meaner Heidfeld has been zipping through in his uber-quick BMW Sauber and has impressed everybody and silenced his critics. And Quick Nick’s consistent driving has helped BMW Sauber sneak ahead on the constructors' points table. No more Mr. Nice Guy, eh Nick?

Fernando Alonso: Never ever write this guy off. While Nelson Piquet Jr. is languishing pointless at the bottom of the table, probably showing the actual speed of the car, Alonso has been monstrously muscling his way in a not-so-responsive Renault, demonstrating how a great driver can make even a bad car look good. Count on Alonso to spring up a surprise or two in the season coming up. My bet: watch out for him in Monaco and Valencia.

Force India F1: Well, call me naïve or plain silly, but Force India F1 might just squeeze through the door and figure in the points this season. And it's not national sentiment or or my undying love for team owner Vijay Mallaya’s beer that makes me say this, but in fact the rapid speed of improvement the team has shown. Fisichella’s gripping duels with Heidfeld and Rubens Barrichello have raised hopes for Mallya’s team. The past few seasons in which drivers like Montiero, Vettel, Sutil, Liuizzi and Sato have scored points should inspire the ever improving Indo-Dutch outfit to do well.

The big midfield battle - Toyota vs. Red Bull vs. Williams: Three teams which were all expected to rise up to the challenge have sadly disappointed. However, they do have their own interesting battles in the midfield. Trulli, Webber and Rosberg have been regularly sneaking in to Q3 of qualifying and picking up points as well. One good race for them might just turn it around for them.

The duds: Honda, in spite of having a star-studded line-up of Barrichello and Jenson Button, have disappointed immensely. Renault is far too dependant on Alonso to provide points. Perhaps it has been a case of too much too soon for Piquet Jr, who is yet to find his feet in Formula 1. While Sebastian Vettel gave us a few flashes of brilliance last year, this year has been relatively low key for him; he needs to pull up his socks as does his team STR Ferrari.

All in all, 2008 promises to be a refreshing season with multiple battles at different levels and a far more even playing field than the past seasons. Kubica, Heidfeld and Rosberg will be more consistently amongst the points for drivers, while among the teams, BMW Sauber might just deny McLaren or Ferrari their moments of glory.

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