Ferrari: Kimi Raikkonen v Felipe Massa
Last year’s world champions still have, on paper, the best driver combination for another season. Raikkonen has always been the fastest man in F1 since he joined McLaren and found his feet in the sport. Yes, he still isn’t, and may never be, the complete racer like Michael Schumacher (or indeed as Hamilton may yet prove to be), but his raw speed is unmatched.

A year has passed since the Finn joined the Maranello outfit and it is now clear that the questions about whether he and the team would harmonise have been answered with a resounding yes. In  Massa, Raikkonen has his greatest title rival, a man who was always quick but in his earlier years sometimes reckless. Under father Schumi’s wing, the Brazilian has tidied up his style and emerged as a confident, established and determined contender for the World Championship and whose relationship with the team is watertight. Who will perform better in '08? Raikkonen, but it will be the closest internal battle of the season.

BMW: Nick Heidfeld v Robert Kubica
Mario Thiessen’s outfit have established themselves as the third best team in F1 (barring an unlikely full Renault revival) after a stellar '07 season. Race wins in '08 are a possibility, and this is mainly due to the team's driver talent. Despite neither Heidfeld nor Kubica having won a race, both have shown the skill, speed and composure to do just that if the car can deliver just that extra bit more.

'In Massa, Raikkonen has his greatest title rival, a man who was always quick but in his earlier years sometimes reckless'


Of the two, Heidfeld is the smoother driver and arguably the more reliable to bring the car home in a tight situation. In terms of speed the two have become close also, with perhaps Kubica possessing the greater raw pace than his German team-mate. However it will be Heidfeld who again outscores the Pole whose more aggressive driving style will cause problems in a car now without traction control.

Renault: Fernando Alonso v Nelson Piquet Jr
One of the questions of the upcoming season is ‘Will Renault regain their title-winning form?’ Even with the return of darling Fernando I fear that although a huge improvement on a dire 07 will be made, the French Anglo team will be battling mainly with BMW, Williams and Red Bull and Ferrari only on occasion. Without the loyal services of Fisichella, Alonso may well struggle to feel as comfortable within the team as he did during the glory days, although undoubtedly he will be the favourite within the team.

His team-mate, Piquet Jr, is a cocky individual who’s arrogance echoes that of Hamilton, but with a less subtle delivery. Like Hamilton, Piquet Jr’s respect for Alonso will be slight if at all, and the Brazilian - all too aware of his unquestionable speed - will fancy himself as an equal number one within the team. Unfortunately for him, the Spaniard’s far superior skill and experience will see him comfortably outscore his colleague.

Williams: Nico Rosberg v Kazuki Nakajima
The last quintessentially private team on the grid is looking likely to step ever closer to the days of regular race-winning. Perhaps the car may not quite reach the status of race winner, it is fair to assume that infrequent podiums will be a formality for Frank and Patrick’s squad. Rosberg is a true talent and showed again last year that he is quick, composed and ready to challenge ever more at the front of the grid.

In Nakajima we have a largely untapped talent, with a solid career up to now in several feeder series (including an impressive half season in GP2 scoring six podiums). Rosberg’s greater F1 experience will give him the upper hand but this one may be closer than expected.

Red Bull Racing: David Coulthard v Mark Webber
Another Adrian Newey-inspired car, another fast but fragile contender? Despite showing great pace last year, and establishing themselves as upper-midfield regulars the team are in need of a win or more realistically several regular podium finishes. Coulthard had some excellent drives in 2007, ultimately scoring him more points than team-mate Webber.

However, it was the Australian who had the edge on pace and not for the first time the lion’s share of bad luck. With traction control banned this year it may be Coulthard early on who’s vast wealth of experience carries him through more races, but technical gremlins withstanding it should be the Australian who eclipses the Scot by the seasons end.

Toyota: Jarno Trulli v Timo Glock
Toyota need results. It can’t be said any simpler and after seven years in F1 it really is time to deliver for the world’s biggest car-maker. Qualifying king Trulli has often placed the car higher than it deserved on the qualifying grid, only to fall behind during the race. Ultimately his speed is still evident but without the comfort of having a team-mate so rotten he may panic. Glock, last year's GP2 champion and former F1 driver (a brief spell with Jordan in 2004) is quick and experienced and may just give Trulli too big a shock for the Italian to cope with.

Scuderia Torro Rosso: Sebastien Bourdais v Sebastian Vettel
A team that has always struggled to retain a sense of identity in the sport had another lacklustre season in 2007, hardly helped by a driver line-up of showman Vitantonio Liuzzi and overrated marketing tool Scott Speed. BMW Test Driver  Vettel took over from Speed and immediately made an impact scoring the team’s best result with fourth in a monsooned Shanghai.

His rival in '08 is Bourdais, a man tipped for F1 greatness many years ago but after securing a race seat with a soon-to-be-bankrupt Arrows team the Frenchman went to the U.S and proceeded to win an historic four Champ Car titles in a row. A tough one to call this; Bourdais may be the greener of the two in F1 but his success in similar series' makes him the favourite.

Honda: Jenson Button v Rubens Barrichello
Honda’s truly awful 2007 was a huge embarrassment to a team who had looked to progress into the top three after winning their first Grand Prix in a wet Hungary in 2006. The ‘earth’ car may be returning, but hopefully for Button and Barrichello it will be as quick as it is distinctive. Over the pair’s two-year partnership it has been the Englishman who has faired better overall in dealing with the car’s quirks - this has subsequently led to a higher points tally too for the Brit, and this has to have had an effect upon Barrichello’s confidence. Rubens to improve greatly this year, but Button to finish on top once again.

Super Aguri: Takuma Sato v Anthony Davidson
In many ways the surprise package of 2007; Super Aguri were always going to improve on their hurried debut season, but even with a controversial Honda rehash, the level of their success was a pleasant surprise. Of the drivers it was the quick (and now much less erratic) Sato who grabbed the headlines with a stunning sixth in Canada and and eighth in Spain, but Davidson was more consistent and the better qualifier. Whilst neither driver has been confirmed for 2008, it seems a likely and worthwhile option. Sato will probably grab more heroics, but Davidson will finish higher.

Force India: Giancarlo Fisichella v Adrian Sutil
Another new guise for a team that is - to many - still Eddie Jordan’s yellow hornets buzzing under yet another new team and different lick of paint. Dr Vijay Mallya is already a more engaging and seemingly committed man than either Michie Mol or Alex Schnaider. Whatever happens this season, Force India will not be a flash-in-the-pan team. Sutil had a great 2007, with many highlights including a fine drive in Belgium and a genuine fastest lap in Friday practice in Monaco.

However, in Fisichella he has a man who not only has a far superior relationship with the majority of the team (most are Eddie’s boys who worked with the Italian for four years), but who thrives in a slower car and will be ready to prove many of his doubters wrong. Sutil to have another fine season, with some blistering performances, but the Italian to score higher with a better know-how of traction control-less cars.

McLaren: Lewis Hamilton v Heikki Kovalainen
Ron Dennis’ team will be wanting to banish the 2007 nightmare as soon as possible and although some 'spygate' headaches will cause a hefty hangover for probably the first half of the season, the team will be back on form. However I have my suspicions as to whether the new MP4-23 will be as formidable as its predecessor.

Hamilton is a real talent but so is Kovalainen. The young Finn’s efforts were shaded by Hamilton’s headline grabbing performances…in the best car on the grid! Heikki will not settle for a supporting role and will give Lewis many a beating, but the Brit will finish on top, just.