The dark horses

After playing second fiddle for five seasons F18217;s version of the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor now finds himself with a legitimate shot at not only winning races, but also the world championship. The Brazilian may have joined Honda at just the right time as one thing is for sure he will not take kindly to being No. 2 once again.

Juan Pablo Montoya/McLaren

His role at McLaren was to fight for the championship. Now, there are questions about whether or not the Colombian has patience and the smarts to be a champ. With news that Alonso is set to join the team in 2007, JPM doesn8217;t have to be a rocket scientist to see that two does not go into one and that outperforming Kimi Raikkonen will likely be his best chance at securing another contract.

Jarno Trulli/Toyota

Starting his 10th season in F1 with a car that was optimised to his liking, Trulli is ready to give Toyota their maiden F1 win. His presence may be overshadowed by his teammate Ralf but he proved that the TF105 was worthy of racing at the front of the grid under the one-lap quali system. His strong showing in qualifying should continue under the new system, but consistent finishes is what he8217;s eyeing.

Nick Heidfeld/BMW-Sauber

Showed bags of promise last year given the circumstances. More than concentrating on winning, he fought for F1 future. First, he had to out-drive Antonio Pizzonia for a Williams seat and then proceeded to upstage Mark Webber through most of 2005 which helped gain a long term deal with BMW-Sauber. His aim is to peak in time for 2008.

8212;Micky Aigner