With all but two of the grids official launches having taken place, it's full steam ahead to get the cars ready for the first round of the championship in Bahrain in just under a months time. With new rule changes, new drivers and new teams debuting in 2010 an air of the unknown surrounds the beginning of this years championship.
The Lotus name makes it's return to F1 following the folding of the original F1 operation at the end of 1994, this time backed by their Malaysian parent company Proton. However it is unlikely that the team will be able to live up to the glory days of the Chapman/Clark or Decourage/Senna partnerships of days gone by. Although the signing of former GP winners Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno
Trulli should add some stability and competitiveness to the somewhat fledgling outfit. Occasional points finishes would be a success.
Sauber is also making it's return to the F1 fray having been involved with the BMW effort since their takeover of the Sauber team for the 2006 season. Kamui Kobayashi has been signed following some impressive if erratic performances at the end of last season. Paired with returning veteran Pedro de la Rosa, the team can enter the season with a solid if unspectacular lineup. However the team has kept old ties by retaining Ferrari power which will be a major advantage over their immediate rivals, especially those using cosworth engines.
Having been BrawnGP's main sponsor in their championship year, Richard Branson has decided to launch his own VirginGP team into the 2010 championship. Making use of the new cosworth power unit, the new car has shown a turn of speed in testing in the capable hands of Timo Glock who has shown great potential in the past two years with Toyota. Lucas Di Grassi has been right at the fronted in GP2 and should give Glock a run for his money in the team.
The two truely unknown quantities lining up on the grid in march will certainly be Campos and USF1. Both to run Cosworth engines and, as of yet, both have only revealed one driver. For Campos, the Senna name returns to F1 in the for of the great Ayrton's nephew Bruno who became a winner in GP2 last season. For USF1 it's Jose Maria Lopez, also a former GP2 winner and a product of Renault's driver development program.Both teams have experience at the head in the form of former Minardi driver Adrian Campos and former Benetton mechanic Peter Windsor. Despite this, their may be a sharp learning curve for these teams in 2010.
Force India will be looking to continue on from the stunning show they gave last year, including Fisichella's near miss at Belgium, drivers Liuzzi and Sutil will have a tough task replicating such form. Although as was shown last year, the team is capable of designing a good chassis and should be in the running to collect some points, though any more podiums would be a shock. Liuzzi, has never shown great speed in his time with either Red Bull or Torro Rosso, although he was quick in his comeback at monza last year and can be relied upon to being the car home if Sutil's erratic diving comes into play. Sutil himslf has, on occasion been incredibly quick though through immature driving or bad luck (usually caused by the now rallying Kimi Raikkonen) has let good results slip. With Kimi out of the way there can be no more excuese.
No change is forthcoming in the Red Bull stable as both they and sister team Torro Rosso announce the same engine and driver lineups which finished the 2010 season. For Torro Rosso, a tightening in regulations means they can no longer avail of former Red Bull chassis and must construct their own, although one feels that a few tips and tricks may leak down from the head factory to the small team in Faenza.
For Red Bull itself, expectations are no lower than another year batteling for the championship. Sebastian Vettle emerged as a real contender last year and only for a lack of consistance would've been champion. Webber too can mount a challenge, following on from his debut and second wins the second half of last year he carries some form. Also unlike 2009 he can enter the year without injury worries. A team to look out for!
It's all change at Renault. Following the Piquet Jr. crash gate saga, Pat Symonds and Flavio Briatore have had to take their leave from the paddock. And also with Fernando Alonso's move to Ferrari, the backbone of Renault's past success, notably in 2005/06 has gone. Driver lineup looks good however, with Robert Kubica who had a good crack at the championship in 2008 and scored good results in a poor BMW last year has genuine talent and pace. Vitaly Petrov is another GP2 graduate who is a former winner in the series and also being Russia's first driver in the sport, opens up another lucrative market for Bernie Ecclestone and F1's money men to explore. Still, should be a solid if unspectacular season.
Williams are on a six year losing streak going back to Juan Montoya's solitary win in Brazil in 2004. The team has had to rely on the somewhat raw talent of Nico Rosberg to provide points and occasional podiums in the intervening years. The same is hoped from new boy Nico Hulkenberg who has shown pace in the past, notably in A1GP. to guide him in his rookie year s Rubins (Rubinho ) Barrichello. Being F1's most experienced driver with over 280 career starts, he is a valuable asset. And with wins in the streets of Valencia and the straights of Monza last year, he's still on the pace. Williams do need to break their duck sonn though!
This leaves only one driver older than Ruinho on the grid for 2010, the 41 year old, 7 times world champion, Michael Schumacher. Returning to F1 under the command of old mentor Ross Brawn at Mercedes expectations will be immediately high. Mercedes will take over where Brawn left last year, basically same team, new owners. Nico Rosberg completes the all German linup and one feels they should be right at the sharpened for 2010.
Following a relatively poor season in 2009 F1's two big hitters should be back with a bang this year. Ferrari have got the recovered Felipe Massa to rely on, although whether he is immediately back on the pace remains to be seen. It is sure that he will be driven to replicate the form which took him to within a corner of championship glory in 2008. Along side him is the star signing Fernando Alonso, F1's hottest property. Having battled with a poor Renault for the previous two years, anything less than wins this year will be a disappointment. It depends on how well he can adapt to the pressure of driving for the most prestigious marquee on the grid. His two championships in 2005/06 should hold him in good stead.
Mclaren have come out fighting this year. The driver choice of 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton and 2009 world champion Jenson Button seems irresistible. Having sorted out their problems with the new chassis regulations mid way through last year, the ended up being the car to beat. If they hit the ground running from the start, it's hard to see who can beat them. Following the upheaval in the team for the past few years including the events spy-gate and the Alonso/Hamilton rivalry, a trouble free season must be top of their wish list. Surely championship favorites.
