2010 Formula One Season Preview

At long last, the 2010 Formula One season dawns upon us. After a long winter break, it’s time for the circus to head to this season’s curtain raiser, the Bahrain Grand Prix. Although with pre-season done with, teams only have a vague picture of where they stand in the pack as testing times are very hard to be read due to a host of manipulative factors.

This season, we see a major shakeup in the team’s driver’s line-up, the most notable of which is the much hyped return of the king of Formula One, Michael Schumacher. Inevitably, this sets the stage for an explosive grid line-up, with Schumacher coming up head to head with Lewis Hamilton for the first time.

Add Fernando Alonso, Sebastien Vettel, Felipe Massa and Jenson Button to the fray and you have the perfect recipe for edge-of-the-seat racing. Too bad though that Kimi Raikkonen won’t be there to throw his hat into the ring after taking an indefinite sabbatical from Formula One.

Still, perhaps the most radical change for this season is the inclusion of a host of new teams. Mercedes make a return as a works team after buying over last seasons champions Brawn GP, whilst Virgin and Lotus make their maiden foray onto the grandest motorsporting arena.

Interestingly though, with so little time left till the five red lights go off at Bahrain, we still do not have a clear idea as to which team will be the 12th and 13th entry respectively. Initially, it was supposed to be Campos and USF1, but both seem not ready for the challenge ahead. Now, there is another team, Stefan GP, who supposedly claim that they have their car ready for action.

Teams and drivers aside, the most glaring rule change is the ban of in-race refuelling. Therefore, teams would now have to take their cars through the whole race distance without refuelling. This decision was made in view of cutting costs and making the sport more environmentally friendly.

The next obvious change in rules is the distribution of points. Last time round, points were offered for the top eight finishers, but to accommodate the larger grid size, points would be on offer to those who finish in the top ten, with the winner raking in a whooping 25 points.

Speaking of the race tracks that would feature on this year’s calendar, the only new track that is on the list is the South Korean GP slated for the 24th of October. All in all, a total of 19 races would be held, eclipsing the previous record of 18 races held in a single season. The Canadian GP also sees a return after sitting out for a year.

In addition to that, the sport sees a change in the administrative section. Max Mosley, a highly influential figure in Formula One in recent years, has stepped down, paving the way for Jean Todt to assume the role as the President of the FIA, the governing body of Formula One. The teams hope that this would herald a new era for the sport as their relationship with Mosley was anything but desirable.

Imperative of what happens, this would definitely be one of the most-followed Formula One seasons ever. People would flock to the racetracks and turn on their television screens in anticipation of Schumacher, wanting to see if whether does he still possess the hunger and drive to succeed like his old self.

And they would want to see which one of the many plausible candidates come up trump at the end of the season. One thing for sure here is that whosoever is crowned World Champion come October would arguably be the greatest Formula One World Champion of all time.

Which team and driver do you reckon stand a good chance to become World Champions at the end of the season. Feel free to share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

A Lotus Comeback After 16 Years

After just five months worth of preparations, Lotus has returned to the Formula One scene after a layoff of 16 years. Initially out of the running of a place on the Formula One grid, the team was given a grid slot at the eleventh-hour.

The long wait for the launch of the car has finally ended too. On the 12th of February, the team launched its car at its Norfolk base in the UK. The car sports a combination of predominantly green and a blend of yellow as its colour scheme, which are the traditional colours of the Lotus brand.

Actually, Lotus’s feat in getting its car fired up in five months is anything but sublime. That is because most new teams in the recent past had taken over the base and technology of its previous owners. For example, Brawn had taken over the remains of the Honda team whilst the Force India team had taken over the reins at Spyker.

So, Lotus had to essentially put up a team from its very essence. The engineers, designers and other staffs had to undergo interviews before being signed. Then, the car had to be planned from nothing as they had no previous model to work on. It had to get the sponsors too, in addition to picking the right drivers that would be spearheading their challenge this coming season.

One of the main reasons as to why this has been possible is because of the level of commitment and devotion that has been showed by the Lotus team principal, Tony Fernandes. For the maverick he is, he has got everything sorted out for the team.

His wide experience in the corporate sector has been a boon too. Add that to the technical intelligence of Mike Gascoyne and you get a team never lacking in inspiration to go the full distance. 

Many would not be aware of the fact that it was under the banner of this team that the legendary Formula One racer Aryton Senna once drove for. There is much history and heritage to the name of Lotus, as it had been synonymous with the international motorsports arena years ago. Therefore, the present Lotus team face a daunting task, which is to live up to its reputation.

As a Malaysian, I feel a high level of patriotism to this venture that has been made by the Malaysian government and a group of high-profile Malaysian entrepreneurs. When the Malaysian Prime Minister, Najib Abdul Razak, announced on the 15th of September that Malaysia was going to be directly involved in Formula one, many people raised a suspicious eyebrow. “What a dream...” I thought.

That ‘dream’, however, is no more a mere dream. It has become a part of reality, and this has proven doubters, me included, terribly wrong. With this, Malaysia as a nation stands to gain a lot. With plans in the pipelines to bring the whole operation to Sepang, the corresponding R&D (Research and Development) and technological gains would be an asset to the nation.

Not only that, but for people like me, this has given the platform for Malaysians to pursue a career in motorsports engineering. That is because I aspire to be a renowned Formula One race car engineer some day, and with this, it has made me realise that I am a tad closer to achieving that dream.

Whatever happens this coming season would be irrelevant to Lotus’s long term project. For this is their first season, it would be a steep learning curve. So, they would be finding their feet this season, and in the process learn as much as they can to launch a serious title challenge next season. However, don’t count them out as they could very well spring a surprise.

2010 Formula One Cars

The curtain for the 2010 Formula One season draws open in about a month and a half's time. As we, the Formula One fanatics watch from the sidelines in anticipation of the season to begin, the teams are in the midst of unveiling their 2010 challengers.

As we know it, 13 teams have been granted their slot on the Formula One grid for this season. However, how many that really make it for the start of the season is a question mark in itself.

The main rule change is that the 'double-decker' diffusers, a controversial episode of the last season, has been fully outlawed. This has radically changed the car designs of most teams, with many of them opting for a longer wheelbase.

The season will be run over 19 races across four continents. The highlight, or rather the talking point of the close season has been the comeback of Michael Schumacher. I wonder if can he still weave his magic wand and add to his eight world titles.

For now, I have compiled the pictures obtained from all over the net of teams who have already unveiled their 2010 cars. A full pre-season review will follow up in about two weeks time, by when we would be able to get a picture of the ensuing season as testing would have got underway in full swing.

McLaren

Mercedes

Ferrari

Renault

Toro Rosso

Sauber

Williams

Virgin

Force India

So, which 2010 car looks the best? Which car has the sleekest bodywork and design? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

Why Petronas Chose Mercedes

The wild goose chase is over, as far as the Lotus F1 team are concerned – and the outcome isn’t good. The new Formula One outfit had been searching for a title sponsor to fund a sizeable portion of their new endeavour, and since BMW-Sauber pulled out altogether from Formula One, who better than Petronas to be their sponsor as they are, after all, a Malaysian company that would undoubtedly work hand-in-hand with the Malaysian outfit.

News that Petronas chose Mercedes over not only Lotus, but also a few other teams was greeted with pessimism from the bosses of Lotus. Says an infuriated Alex Yoong, “Words fail me. Mercedes is a good team, no doubt, but what Lotus is doing is completely ground-breaking and brave and Petronas not seeing that fills me with shame.”

Now, assessing this situation, it is a rather baffling fact that a Malaysian oil and gas company snubs their own local Formula One team to sponsor German carmaker Mercedes who bought over the championship winning Brawn GP team. The question that is certainly on every Malaysian’s lips, and probably on that of individuals from the established Formula One fraternity is a simple “Why?”.

Henceforth, Petronas must have a very viable and concrete reason to validate their choice. It isn’t as if they are new to the Formula One world. They have been on the Formula One landscape since the year 1995. They have come a long way to understanding the name of the game, much unlike the Lotus F1 Team who are classified as rookies awaiting for the start their first season. Therefore, you could sum up that Petronas know what they are doing.

Firstly, had Petronas chosen Lotus over Mercedes, the marketability of their product would be centred around Malaysia, and at most probably around the Asia Pacific region. It would have been hard to tap into the European markets as the team will be centred in Sepang.

By sealing a partnership with Mercedes, Petronas have now enabled their brand to be promoted in the European markets. In addition to that, being associated with a household brand like Mercedes further enhances their reputation.

Next, technologically speaking, Petronas would have little to gain had they signed with Lotus. As we know it, Lotus are themselves embracing a sudden leap in technological advancement. This leaves them way below-par as compared to teams such as Ferrari and Mercedes who have been in the trade for a long time. So, Petronas would experience a better advancement in their motor oil industry know-how by virtue of their tie-up with Mercedes.

The biggest, most decisive reason that I feel prompted Petronas to consolidate their deal with Mercedes is the impeding and imminent arrival of the greatest racer ever to grace the sport that is none other than the prolific Michael Schumacher. At 41, many would feel he has lost the touch, itch and durability to race in the ever competitive Formula One grid. But given the right machine, nothing is impossible.

Just imagine – Schumacher clad in Petronas overalls. The end-product will be immensely positive. Petronas will achieve the sort of cult-status that Shell had enjoyed over the years due to their dual-relationship with both Schumacher and Ferrari.

Add that to the fact that Petronas presently sponsor MotoGP championship winning team Fiat Yamaha and multiple time world champion Valentino Rossi and you would realise the sort of impact it would have on Petronas’ sales volume and brand power on a global scale.

The Petronas-Mercedes tie-up should be viewed as a major breakthrough for a Malaysian corporation. Lotus should not lick their wounds over this; they shouldn’t rue it, for it is for the betterment of the nation and that is of paramount importance. For Lotus, there would be other viable alternatives to pick as their title sponsor.