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| Drivers |
Group A
Brawn GP, now re-branded as Mercedes, were the success story of 2009, rising from the ashes of the Honda team to take the Constructors'
and Drivers' championships. However, they were pushed all the way by Red Bull, who arguably finished the season with a stronger car. Both
teams will be strong contenders for the championships this season.
You must select ONE driver from this group.
Michael Schumacher  (Mercedes) |
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DoB:
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03/01/69
254
91
154
1379
7 (1994-95, 2000-04) |
The most successful F1 driver in history attempted a headline-stealing comeback last season following Felipe Massa's injury in Hungary, but was thwarted by a damaged neck. Now fully healed, and after three years in retirement, he is making a full return to the sport. Given a decent car he will still be a big threat, even at 41, but he has some tough competition. |
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| Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) |
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27/06/85
74
0
4
2nd
125
0 |
The son of 1982 champion Keke, Nico has demonstrated some good pace during four seasons in a relatively uncompetitive Williams, utterly outclassing teammate Kazuki Nakajima in 2009. He will be keen to demonstrate his skills in a better car and will not wish to be put in the shade by his new, more illustrious teammate. |
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| Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) |
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03/07/87
47
6
10
170
0 |
The young German was the championship runner-up in 2009, taking four victories and four other podium finishes, but making a few costly errors including crashing out in Monaco. He is seen by many as a future world champion, and will want to live up to these high expectations. |
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Mark Webber  (Red Bull) |
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27/08/76
144
2
11
197
0 |
Webber used to be seen as one of the unluckiest drivers in the field, suffering numerous mechanical failures and other misfortunes. However, in the quick and reliable Red Bull he had a much better 2009, scoring his first two victories and finishing on the podium eight times in total. He is capable of being more than a match for Vettel and, with the right car, challenging for the championship. |
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Group B
McLaren and Ferrari both started 2009 very poorly by their standards, but fought back well to take victories towards the end of the season (two and one respectively).
They will be keen not to make the same mistakes this time round, and will want to provide more of a championship challenge to Mercedes and Red Bull.
You must select ONE driver from this group.
Jenson Button  (McLaren) |
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19/01/80
176
9
26
387
1 (2009) |
Button enjoyed an incredible start to the 2009 season, winning six of the first seven races for the Brawn team. However, as the other teams developed their cars and caught up, the British driver struggled to continue such excellent form. Even so, he still put in some good performances, including an incredibly gutsy drive to clinch the championship in Brazil. Now at McLaren, he is relishing the chance to challenge Lewis Hamilton in the same car and prove he is a worthy champion. |
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| Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) |
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07/01/85
56
11
29
305
1 (2008) |
The youngest ever world champion endured a difficult start to 2009, with the car well off the pace and leaving him no chance of defending his title. However, he and the team battled back to form and achieved victories in Hungary and Singapore. If the team can give him a good car from the start then he will be a serious contender for his second title - but he will have a strong challenge from his world champion teammate. |
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Felipe Massa  (Ferrari) |
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25/04/81
120
11
30
361
0 |
The Brazilian used to be seen as a reckless and second-rate driver, but greatly matured at Ferrari and was hugely unlucky to be beaten to the championship by Lewis Hamilton in 2008. His 2009 challenge was ruined firstly by a relatively uncompetitive car and then by a horrific season-ending head injury in Hungary. He will be looking to bounce back this season, and could well be a threat. |
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Fernando Alonso  (Ferrari) |
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29/07/81
144
22
54
626
2 (2005-06) |
The double world champion has had two difficult seasons at Renault, following from his controversial time at McLaren, but is now back with a top team and will be a strong challenger for the title. However, his attitude when at McLaren and struggling to match Lewis Hamilton suggests that he is only happy when clearly number one - but Massa will be tough to beat... |
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Group C
Sauber, Williams and Renault had very mediocre seasons in 2009, collecting some points and the occasional podium but doing nothing
spectacular. In addition, Renault had to deal with the scandal regarding Nelson Piquet's deliberate crash at the 2008 Singapore GP, BMW chose to withdraw from F1 but
have sold the team back to Peter Sauber, and Williams are still a shadow of their former all-conquering selves. All three teams will want to have strong seasons
and put their troubles behind them.
You must select TWO drivers from this group. You may not select two drivers from the same team.
Kamui Kobayashi  (Sauber) |
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13/09/86
6
0
0
6th
3
0 |
Kobayashi replaced the injured Timo Glock at Toyota for the last two races of 2009, proving to be fast and aggressive, and achieving an excellent 6th place in Abu Dhabi. He impressed enough to be offered a full-time drive by Sauber for 2010, and he will be keen to show that he has what it takes. |
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| Pedro de la Rosa (Sauber) |
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24/02/71
76
0
1
2nd
29
0 |
The Spaniard drove for the relatively lowly Arrows and Jaguar teams in 1999-2002, and was McLaren's test driver from then on. However, he took the place of Juan Pablo Montoya at the end of the 2006 season, putting in some good performances including 2nd place in Hungary. He may not have tremendous pace but he is experienced and reliable, and will surely relish being given another chance with a full race seat. |
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| Rubens Barrichello (Williams) |
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23/05/72
292
11
68
612
0 |
The driver with the most F1 starts in history, Barrichello struggled to match his eventual title-winning teammate Button at the beginning of 2009, but was arguably the stronger of the two towards the latter part of the season, winning the European and Italian GPs. His unsurpassed experience will be vital as he begins a new chapter at Williams. |
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| Nico Hulkenberg (Williams) |
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19/08/87
4
0
0
10th
1
0 |
The young German has been highly successful in the lower formulae, with A1 Grand Prix, Formula Three Euroseries and GP2 titles under his belt. He has been the Williams test driver for the past two seasons, and will want to continue his success now he has a full race drive. |
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Robert Kubica  (Renault) |
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07/12/84
61
1
10
177
0 |
The highly-rated Pole was a championship contender for BMW Sauber in 2008, taking his maiden victory in Canada, but struggled with a relatively uncompetitive car in 2009. Now at Renault, he will hope to have better machinery at his disposal and live up to his billing as a champion of the future. |
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Vitaly Petrov  (Renault) |
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08/09/84
4
0
0
7th
6
0 |
The first Russian to be given an F1 drive, Petrov has performed well in the lower formulae, finishing runner-up in the 2009 GP2 series. Renault have now given him the chance to prove his worth in F1, and he will be keen to do so. |
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Group D
Force India once again struggled towards the back of the grid in 2009, although pole position and second place at the Belgian GP, followed by fourth
place at the Italian GP, were notable highlights. Toro Rosso also had a disappointing season, sacking a driver and suffering from the lack of experience of
their two rookie racers. Both of these teams have potential to perform better, but it remains to be seen whether it will be fulfilled.
You must select ONE driver from this group.
| Adrian Sutil (Force India) |
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11/01/83
56
0
0
4th
16
0 |
The German was tipped to be a star of the future early in his F1 career, but has had three seasons largely at the back of the grid with Spyker and Force India. However, 4th place in Italy last season showed what he can do when the car is performing, and he will want to demonstrate more of this capability and attract the attention of the top teams. |
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Vitantonio Liuzzi  (Force India) |
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06/08/81
48
0
0
6th
13
0 |
The Italian was brought in as replacement for Giancarlo Fisichella after the latter's move to Ferrari towards the end of last season, and put in some solid performances. Liuzzi has good F1 race experience, having driven for Red Bull in 2005 and Toro Rosso in 2006-7, and he will be keen to show that he is worthy of another full-time race seat. |
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Sebastien Buemi  (Toro Rosso) |
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31/10/88
21
0
0
7th
6
0 |
The young Swiss driver performed solidly in his rookie season in 2009, taking 7th place in his first race and outperforming his more experienced teammate, four-time Champ Car champion Sebastien Bourdais, who was sacked mid-season. Buemi will want to continue to perform well in 2010.
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| Jaime Alguersuari (Toro Rosso) |
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23/03/90
12
0
0
9th
2
0 |
The Spaniard became the youngest ever F1 driver when he was brought in as a mid-season replacement for the sacked Sebastien Bourdais, and performed well despite the ban on mid-season testing; he had only straight-line tested the car before his debut in Hungary. Now with some more experience, 19-year-old Alguersuari will be keen to show his skills. |
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Group E
Three new teams are competing in F1 this season. Lotus and Virgin have struggled in testing, while Hispania (formerly Campos Meta) are yet to test
their car. It seems likely that they will be battling amongst themselves at the back of the grid, but they may have the chance of pushing for points if they can
develop their cars well through the season.
You must select TWO drivers from this group.
| Jarno Trulli (Lotus) |
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DoB:
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13/07/74
223
1
11
246
0 |
After five seasons at Toyota, Trulli has switched teams after the Japanese manufacturer withdrew from the sport. The Italian is renowned for his excellent qualifying performances, but can struggle to carry this speed into the race. On his day, though, Jarno can be up there with the best. |
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Heikki Kovalainen  (Lotus) |
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19/10/81
56
1
4
105
0 |
The likeable Finn very much played second fiddle to the dominant Lewis Hamilton over his last two seasons at McLaren, but this is more due to Hamilton's talent than Heikki's lack of it. Now at a new team, and out of Hamilton's shadow, Kovalainen has the chance to shine. |
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| Timo Glock (Virgin) |
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18/03/82
41
0
3
2nd
51
0 |
In addition to four races with Jordan back in 2004, Glock has had two solid seasons with Toyota, providing a strong challenge to his more experienced teammate, Jarno Trulli. A back injury sustained in a crash in Japan meant he missed the final three races of 2009, but he is now fully healed and ready to show his skills in a new team. |
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| Lucas di Grassi (Virgin) |
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11/08/84
4
0
0
14th
0
0 |
The Brazilian has raced in GP2 for the last four years, winning several races and finishing runner-up in 2007. He was test driver for Renault last season, and this season steps up to a full race drive with Virgin. He will want to challenge his teammate and show that he is worthy of an F1 seat. |
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Karun Chandhok  (Hispania) |
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19/01/84
4
0
0
14th
0
0 |
Chandhok becomes the second Indian driver to enter Formula 1, following Narain Karthikeyan's 2005 drive for Jordan. He has won races in the GP2 series and will want to show that he can perform at the highest level. |
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| Bruno Senna (Hispania) |
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15/10/83
4
0
0
16th
0
0 |
The most famous name in F1 returns. The great Ayrton Senna, in 1993, is claimed to have said "If you think I'm fast, just wait until you see my nephew Bruno". The younger Senna clearly has talent, finishing 2nd in the 2008 GP2 championship, but time will tell whether he can live up to his uncle's glowing assessment. |
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