Formula One – What will 2010 be like?
The 2009 Formula One Season has come staggering to an end. Jenson Button and Brawn GP used their early season dominance to ride out a late charge from Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull. The question now is what will happen in 2010.
With new designs, rules and budgets, the 2009 season was supposed to be the one that changed everything. Well, it was more of the same. The new designs didn’t increase the passing. The excitement level of much of the season was so low that the battle between the teams and FIA was where the action was until Renault admitted it has fixed a race! Once that was all resolved, the exit of teams such as BMW and Toyota became the news. We now face a 2010 season that looks for all the world like a bare bones affair.
The 2010 season will be dominated by lineup issues. Arguably, there are only four teams that will be competitive – Ferrari, McLaren, Brawn and Red Bull. Depending on what day you check, there may be another 8 to 10 teams on the grid. Of so will have a couple of decent pace, but most will return. All indications Ferrari will rise. Red Bull seems stable, but McLaren and Brawn is in flood, when Mercedes started to move well.
So what can we expect in 2010 from 'race action? It 'really hard to tell, but the season has all the features where one team dominates. Of the four teams level, Red Bull appears to be in the best position. Sebastian Vettel is a dominant driver and carexcellent. Brawn threw two pilots on board for a very good, Nico Rosberg, who had never one thing and another not yet named. All and all, it is difficult to see how this is a positive step for the team. Ah, but what about the two old lions – Ferrari and McLaren?
Ferrari had a poor season in 2009. 2010 will be better, but how much better it is hard to say. Fernando Alonso is a brilliant pilot, but a better engine developer. That said, the ban on testing in Formula Onemakes it difficult for a car in the season to develop. In 2009 the car was so bad that the team has a long way to go before it can claim to compete effectively. If Ferrari to promote, but not dominant until 2011 at the earliest.
McLaren terrible start in 2009 but finished very strong. The team has two big problems. The first is Jenson Button, a second driver. Lewis Hamilton has demonstrated that it can play well with other competition authorities, so the decision to bringButton in a new world champion is very risky to say the least. Perhaps a bigger problem is that McLaren Mercedes abandoned. McLaren could be in 2010, but probably there is no problem when the manufacturer of the car and drive train was headed out the door.
What can we expect? As difficult as it may be to believe, it seems that Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull to take both championships. McLaren is in second place with Ferrari and Brawn fighting for third. NicoRosberg will be disappointed Brawn, while Fernando Alonso hints of what to get Ferrari to take.