F1 2010 - The Season Preview
Season Preview
Could 2010 be the best season ever? All signs are pointing that way and if the season proper lives up to its billing racing fans are in for a real treat, with new regulations, new circuits, new – and old! – drivers, and the biggest influx of new teams for years combining to give F1 fans reason to be massively excited going into the new season.
By far the most significant change for 2010 is the abolishing of in-race refuelling, meaning all the cars must now accommodate up to 250 litres of fuel from the start. This has already manifested itself in the design of the cars, with McLaren stretching the new MP4-25 by around 20cm to allow for the larger fuel tank needed to ensure the cars can complete a race distance without stopping. By comparison, last year’s fuel tanks were around 80 litres so teams have had to find about three times more space in which to fit the fuel. Others have gone different routes – Ferrari are rumoured to have created a shorter gearbox and most have taken the decision to reposition the oil tank to free up space for the enlarged fuel tank.
What will it do to the racing? First of all, we will see the return of low-fuel qualifying throughout all three sessions on Saturdays, removing the need for fuel-adjusted grids and traditionalists will delight in the purity of the qualifying session with each driver giving it everything on every lap. The knock-out format remains the same, although due to the expanded grid we will see seven cars knocked out in Q1 and Q2, up from five in 2009. The fastest ten drivers in Q3 will have to select the compound of tyres on which they must start the race, adding an interesting strategic conundrum – bolt on the softer tyres and go for grid position, or use the prime tyre and be in better shape for the race?
The drivers will be required to make a minimum of one pit stop to ensure that both compounds of tyre are used during the race. In the refuelling era, the advantage normally lay with the driver who could stay out longer and put in fast laps on low fuel before pitting. His rival who stopped earlier would tend to lose out by having a heavier car at the same stage of the race, the benefit of new tyres cancelled out by the weight disadvantage. In 2010 expect to see a lot more reactive pit-stopping, as with the weight differential no longer a factor, new tyres will make all the difference and it will be the driver that pits first who holds the upper hand. The scoring system has also been changed, with points down to tenth place allocated 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1. This places greater value on winning than in previous years and should ensure some exciting ends of races as drivers battle for crucial extra points.
Of all the drivers competing this season, none is better equipped to exploit the opportunities created by this change than seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, returning to the sport after three years in semi-retirement. The German’s decision to join the new Mercedes GP team has sent ripples through the sport, with the new generation of drivers led by Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel keen to see how they measure up against the legendary German, and fans worldwide equally keen to see if the master still has what it takes.
Schumacher nearly came back with Ferrari in 2009, but the after-effects of a neck injury sustained in a motorbike race in February ruled him out from standing in for Felipe Massa, who suffered a fractured skull after being struck by a spring which broke free from Rubens Barrichello’s Brawn during second qualifying in Hungary. The inability to stand in for Massa clearly hurt, Michael describing himself as “disappointed to the core”. However it clearly reignited the desire to race that many doubted had ever been extinguished, and following Jenson Button’s departure to McLaren a call from Ross Brawn, Michael’s close friend from his Benetton and Ferrari days, he uttered those words favoured by many a returning hero – I’m back.
He returns into a field packed full of talented and competitive opponents, all of whom want to prove a point against statistically the greatest driver ever. Alongside Schumacher at Mercedes is fellow German Nico Rosberg, recruited after four years at Williams. Nico’s reputation as a quick driver is deserved and it will be fascinating to see how he responds to the challenge of Schumacher, having not been tested by his teammate since being paired with Mark Webber in 2006. Rosberg says he is ready to win races after proving himself at Williams but there are three other teams with six drivers who have all arguably will be ahead of him in the pecking order having proven their ability to win races and championships.
One who came of age in 2009 is champion Jenson Button, who was widely expected to be Rosberg’s teammate at Mercedes before opting to move to McLaren, taking the coveted No1 with him. Many observers regard it as a case of ‘out of the frying pan and into fire’ for Jenson as he goes up against the 2008 champion Lewis Hamilton, who is firmly ensconced in the fabric of McLaren having been part of the team since before his teens. Up to now it has all been sweetness and light at Woking but expect things to be very different once those five red lights go out on race day.
Down in Maranello, Ferrari have finally recruited Fernando Alonso to lead their revival, with the new F10 looking every inch a championship challenger. The double world champion endured two lacklustre seasons at Renault after his early exit from McLaren and will be seeking to return to winning ways sooner rather than later. One suspects that Felipe Massa will not be doing anything to assist the Spaniard on the racetrack, the Brazilian returning to F1 fully fit after his horrendous injury meant an enforced half-season recovery. A partnership potentially much more explosive than Alonso-Hamilton circa 2007, both drivers have been publicly reminded of their responsibilities towards the team by Ferrari president Luca di Montezemelo and will be seeking to establish the early upper hand over each other.
It’s as you were at Red Bull, and with good reason. Adrian Newey’s stunning RB5 ended the year as the fastest car with Sebastian Vettel and Webber both winning races and in contention for the drivers championship, Vettel’s late-season momentum keeping him in contention until Jenson Button finally clinched the title in Brazil. Webber will be stronger again having sampled the sweet taste of race victory and having a fully-healed right leg following his bicycle accident in late 2008. The failed attempt to secure a Mercedes engine could prove to be a godsend for F1’s competitiveness this season, but no greater authority than Bernie Ecclestone has tipped Sebastian Vettel for the title this season.
Elsewhere in the field, Rubens Barrichello and Nico Hulkenberg form the classic experienced driver / rookie combination at Williams, and Sam Michael’s new FW32 looks to be a step forward from the car that finished seventh in the standings last season. Renault go into the new season mindful of the need to do their talking on the track and the team’s new livery, a modern twist on the classic yellow and black of the 70s and 80s, is a good place to start. Like Williams, Renault have an all-new driver lineup with Robert Kubica and GP2 rookie Vitaly Petrov and it will be up to them to lead the restoration of the French team’s reputation.
Last season’s bottom two maintain the driver lineups with which they finished 2009, Adrian Sutil partnering Vitantonio Liuzzi at Force India while Toro Rosso give developing drivers Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari a further chance to gain experience. Force India stunned the paddock by taking pole position and second place at Spa and will be looking to build further by making the car competitive on all types of track. Toro Rosso’s status as Red Bull junior team is only marginally diminished by the requirement to build its own chassis and the inexperienced driver lineup knows that their best chance of success will come by first ensuring they stay on the track.
While technically being a ‘new’ team, it’s hard to regard Sauber as such given their presence on the grid from 1993 until the team were bought by BMW in 2006. Pedro de la Rosa and Kamui Kobayashi are another pairing that blends experience with youth and the team are quietly confident of being a thorn in the sides of the ‘Big Four’ with a quick car that is easy on its tyres, a crucial ingredient this season. Peter Sauber is confident the team has enough funding to compete for this season but his pockets aren’t deep enough for sustained personal ownership, so expect a buyout and possible renaming for 2011.
Rounding out the grid are the three new teams – Lotus Racing, Virgin Racing and Hispania Racing Team. Lotus have hit the ground running having recruited well from the ashes of the disbanded Toyota squad, Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen bringing race-winning know-how to a team that didn’t exist in September 2009.
Around 3.5s off the pace in pre-season testing, they were still 2s quicker than Virgin, whose convention-bucking approach to F1 sees the car conceived via CFD with no wind tunnel use at all. Toyota refugee Timo Glock and GP2 graduate Lucas di Grassi will be charged with bringing respectability to the team in its first year, a task which has been made somewhat easier by the fact that, despite all odds, the Hispania team will make it to the grid this season.
Hispania, or HRT for short, started life as Campos Meta but suffered with financial problems throughout the winter, forcing Dallara, the Italian race car manufacturer contracted to build the team’s car, to stop work. A buyout by businessman Jose Roman Carabante secured the team’s future but it goes into the season without being able to offer Bruno Senna or Karun Chandhok any pre-season testing at all. As relatively inexperienced single seater racers, both are expected to struggle this season and will probably be happy just to complete the year.
2010 promises to be an epic. Eight drivers, all capable of winning races and all in the best cars on the grid, with a strong supporting cast and new boys who will be out to prove they belong in the big time. Whoever emerges victorious after a gruelling 19 race championship will be a truly deserving champion – gentlemen, start your engines!
James Frankland
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