F1 2010 Preview

The new formula one season is set to start inthe car has grip so on some circuits Toro Rosso
Bahrain next weekend. Like many fans I'm reallycan shock the F1 field and score points I'm sure.
excited to see which team has done the best jobRenault are next up. They are targeting fifth place
last winter. With the return of Schumacher andand I think that's realistic. They seem relatively
the resurrection of Ferrari, F1 is set for aquick but I just can't help doubting the driver's
splashing return in the new decade. But what canspeed.
we expect this season? I'm willing to potentiallyNow I want to talk about the title contenders.
make a big fool of myself by doing someFerrari, Sauber, Mclaren and Mercedes are going
speculations about the way the F1 2010 seasonfor the F1 title this year. Ferrari are looking for
might resolve.revanche after a difficult 2009 season. They
Teamssacked Raikkonen and hired Fernando Alonso. He
They're the biggest factor for success in thecan probably communicate better with the team
sport I'm sure. Because lets be honest mostand team-mate Massa, who said that he already
drivers are only as good as their cars. Let's startspoke more to Alonso than he ever did to
at the bottom. Three new teams have emergedRaikkonen. The car is looking quick but the last
from the financial crisis and joined the sport. I'mdays of testing showed that perhaps the Ferrari
talking about Lotus, Virgin and Hispania. The lastisn't the quickest car just yet.
team announced their car just a few days agoSauber is the dark horse in this F1 fantasy. The
and have not enjoyed the privilege of gettingtesting results are really good and lets face it the
some winter testing. So I predict hard times forSauber car is pretty much developed by BMW.
the team. They will probably find things that areReliability is also great but the drivers can hurt
wrong with the 1 seater during the first practicetheir chances. They simply don't have the
sessions and question is if they have enough timeexperience required to withstand the pressure
to recover from it. I'm slightly more optimisticthat comes from winning races.
about Lotus and Virgin. They're the slowest carsMercedes signed two German drivers,
but with some miles under their belt perhaps theySchumacher and Rosberg, and with the great
can be reliable quickly and then work on improvingleading qualities of Ross Brawn perhaps the team
the aerodynamics. But the problem could be thatis set for a golden future in Formula One. The
the gap is too big, Massa spoke of a potential gapcar's performances might not be perfect just yet
of three seconds, and that the financial situationbut it could definitely improve as the season
for the teams can hurt their progress. Next up isprogresses.
Force India. In their third season things look betterMclaren are favorites for me. Two British drivers,
than ever. Obviously the big boss has a lot ofa British team and the quickest car in the testing
money and it shows. In the final part of lastseason. I simply don't see any big problems
season their car was in the middle of the pack,preventing them from being contenders this
coming from all the way back. Now with a greatseason. They just have to make sure that
winter and gaps smaller than ever perhaps theHamilton and Button cooperate well. But I imagine
Indian team can score serious points in 2010.that they've learned from past events and that
Williams are also part of the line-up. But I predictthis isn't going to be a problem. Their F1 challenge
big reliability problems for them. They signedin 2010 looks to be the strongest yet and I'd be
Barrichello which is an average driver these dayssurprised if the team isn't up there right from the
and I can't help thinking that the team is lacking astart.
true leader. We're working our way up now, ToroFormula one has always been an exciting sport
Rosso are making their real debut this seasonbut this season could be the best yet. A great
having used the Red Bull chassis in the past. Thedriver has returned and the team's pride is bigger
first car from the team looked real fast especiallythan ever. I simply can't wait for the new season
during the difficult circumstances. That shows thatto start in Bahrain next weekend.