The 2010 Formula 1 season promises to be one of the most exciting seasons ever. Over the past ten years the gap in performance between teams has been consistently closing and this season there the top four teams may be all but impossible to separate. These top teams; Mercedes, McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari will all feel that they have the machinery and expertise to be called the title favourite but with so little between the teams it is very likely that all that will separate them at the end of the season will be who makes the least mistakes. Each team has incredible resources-both financial and technical-at their disposal and they will utilise their entire arsenal to win both the Driver’s and Constructor’s titles.
While it is exceptionally rare to have four teams all capable of challenging for the title it is even more unique to have such a depth of talent of drivers on the grid. This year McLaren have the two most recent World Drivers champions in Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton. Mercedes has the returning seven times world champion Michael Schumacher and the upcoming Nico Rosberg in their cockpits. The Red Bull team finished last season with the strongest car and won the last three races with Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber who both return for the team this year. Ferrari abandoned further development of their car early last season to concentrate on this year’s car and with double world champion Fernando Alonso teamed with Felipe Massa they promise to have an exceptional package. Of this group of drivers only Nico Rosberg has failed to win a Grand Prix but that has been largely down to the failings of the cars at his disposal previously.
Outside of this group Renault’s highly rated Polish driver, Robert Kubica, has already won a Grand Prix and was a title challenger in 2008 but this season he will not have a car capable of being a consistent challenger to the front of the field. Last season Rubens Barrichello won twice while driving for Brawn GP and for some time challenged Button and Vettel for the title. The Brazilian will race for the Williams team alongside highly rated rookie Nico Hülkenberg. Lotus makes a very welcome return to the sport after an absence of 16 years and has a driver line-up of past race winners with Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen.
There has never been a time in Formula 1 with so many past winners racing and when this is coupled with so many competitive teams it is clear that this has the potential to be a sensational season.
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