Last season there was an unlikely fairytale outcome with Jenson Button and the fledgling Brawn GP team upsetting the established formbook and grabbing both titles in the penultimate race in Brazil. It was an outstanding performance from the Red Bull Renault team whom were definitely the strongest challengers in the second half of the year. 2009 was a year that surprisingly established frontrunners McLaren and Ferrari floundered and there was unexpected joy for perennial back markers Force India with points and an astonishing podium finish in Belgium.
But what of 2010 and how can the new season attempt to compare with last year?
Well ladies and gentlemen, with just over a month to go before we reconvene the potential for a great new season looks good with many changes on the driver line-up, four new teams on the grid and new technical regulations (including in race refuelling banned (although tyre change pit stops will continue) and a new points system (for the ten finishers from the winner getting 25 down to 1 for tenth place), although attempting to pick a potential title winning driver and team is harder than ever! Looking through the nineteen race calendar you’ll see the welcome return of Canada plus a new race in Korea on 24th October leading up to the season finale, once again held in Abu Dhabi on the 14th November.
As winter testing gets underway this week lets take a moment to stroll along the pit lane see how this challengers are prepared for the coming season…
With an all British line-up of consecutive World Champions, McLaren offer us an intriguing prospect. Although most people will expect that once again Lewis Hamilton will, for the fourth year running, dominate his team-mate the technical regulation changes this year (where drivers will have to preserve their tyres) may benefit the smooth driving style of Jenson Button. Development of last years car which was for the most part the slowest on track was largely suspended fairly early on so with extended time concentrated on the 2010 challenger much is hoped for from the new MP4-25.
Naturally grabbing all the headlines we have the astonishing return of Michael Schumacher whom in the Mercedes Benz team (re-branded from last years title winning Brawn) has the potential to resume his career in typical dominant form. I’m not a great fan of the multiple World Champion and I personally feel sorry for teammate Nico Rosberg whom having been the class act at the inferior Williams last year finds himself immediately in the shadow of his illustrious fellow countryman.
So if it’s not a German driver or a German powered engine that grabs both titles then who else is a contender in 2010? Well step this way over to Ferrari whom coming from a fairly disappointing season this year field a rejuvenated Felipe Massa and the consummate highly regarded Fernando Alonso, the Spaniard whom no doubt is keen to revive his career after two fairly lacklustre seasons with inferior Renaults. Although both are naturally full of praise for the new car the team are already preparing a B-spec version for rapid use which hardly inspires too much confidence!
In 2009 Red Bull Renault set the standard very high with exceptional drives by young German Sebastian Vettel and veteran Australian Mark Webber (my most improved driver of last year) and much is expected from the team in this new season. Being the only team with established driver and staff continuity they might have a distinct advantage over their rivals.
Amongst the other teams the works Renault outfit will be out to restore their tarnished image after 2009’s ‘Singapore crashgate’ scandal and it will be interesting, should the new car prove suitably impressive, to see if ex-BMW-Sauber driver Robert Kubica can regain his impressive 2008 form. There is further interest in the team thanks to the debut of Vitaly Petrov, the first Russian to compete in Formula One!
I know there are three teams using Mercedes Benz power but although Force India certainly proved themselves in the latter stages of 2009 I remain unconvinced about drivers (Adrian) Sutil and (Vitantonio) Liuzzi. Looking through the complete entry list you’ll notice that with the loss of BMW and Toyota the engines being used is down to just Mercedes Benz, Ferrari, Renault and new returnee Cosworth Ford whom is being used by the Williams team and the four newcomers. Having the Lotus name back in F1 seems great although I doubt seasoned pilots (Jarno) Trulli and (Heikki) Kovalainen are hardly going to set the world alight. Interesting to see the name Bruno Senna in the new Campos Meta team and it’s good to see (Kamui) Kobayashi (whom impressed in the last two 2009 races) gaining a berth at the Sauber team alongside former long term McLaren test driver (Pedro) de la Rosa although I think that switching from BMW to customer Ferrari power they are unlikely to make too many regular incursions into the points.
In the meantime the countdown to the new season beginning in the newly extended racetrack in Bahrain on 14th March has now begun, prepare for battle to recommence!
Anyone got any thoughts about Formula One in 2010???
