Reports suggest that Jenson Button has stated that he was “more motivated than ever” for the upcoming 2010 Formula One season. Jenson had just visited the McLaren factory in Woking, UK. A number of former Grand Prix drivers have publicly stated that they doubt Jenson will be able to compete with Lewis over the coming season. Jenson has taken little notice of the jibes and continues to relish the challenge of being team mate with Lewis in a major team such as McLaren.
Personally, I think Jenson is in with a great chance of retaining the Formula One Drivers Championship. It certainly will not be an easy task, but I suspect that he experience and smoother style of driving will ideally suit the new regulations which will see cars on the starting grid with a full tank of fuel which must last the entire race distance. Tyre management will be crucial, especially in the early stages of a grand prix, and this is where Jenson can gain the upper hand.
Robert Kubica is set to confirm his seat at Renault for 2010. He has been considering his options since Renault sold a large stake of the team to Genii Capital. Kubica’s manager said that they were happy with the new set up and that they had needed to be sure that everything was in place for a successful 2010 including key roles within the team and sufficient budget to compete competitively throughout the season.
Meanwhile, Virgin driver Timo Glock has said it is not necessary to have vast numbers of team personnel or unlimited budgets to be successful in Formula One. He feels that a unique atmosphere within the Virgin Formula One team could lead to considerable rewards. He is looking forward to being a leading driver within the Virgin Racing team. Last year Glock drove for Toyota where the team personnel was between 600 /700 people. Now at Virgin Racing, that number is reduced dramatically and is down to about 120 team personnel.
Michael Schumacher has been confirmed as a driver for the Mercedes Formula One team. The deal, which is for a period of three years was announced officially today. It will see Schumacher team up again with Ross Brawn with whom he shared much success at Ferrari. Michael will join his new team mate Nico Rosberg for an assault on the 2010 F1 world title. If successful, it would be Schumachers 8th Formula One title.
So, the upcoming season promises some fascinating contests between the old hand, and relative newcomer Lewis Hamilton. Jenson Button will hope to be in the mix also, along with the Ferrari challenge of Fernando Alonso and Phillipe Massa.
Nets years cars will not be able to make refuelling stops and must start with enough fuel to see them through to the race end. It will surely benefit the driver who is best able to manage tyre wear during the races. My personal prediction will be that Jenson Button, although perhaps not the out and out quickest or most spectacular driver should be able to benefit with his smooth driving style by making his tyres prform to the optimum level especially when on the crucial segment of the race on a full tank of fuel when it would be easy to overheat and desroy the tyres.
It has been announced that Malaysian state oil and gas company will be sponsor to the Mercedes Formula One team from 2010. It is believed to be a long term deal which will see the Petronas livery on car and team liveries. It is likely the new colour scheme will be presented at testing in Valencia on February 1st.
Both Lotus and Sauber will have been looking to get Petronas on board with their respective teams. Petronas had previously backed the BMW Sauber Formula One team, and plans to continue as title sponsor for the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang on April 4th.
One of the team drivers is confirmed as being Nico Rosberg, formerly of the Williams team. It continues to be widely rumoured that Michael Schumacher will come out of retirement to lead the team. Reports suggest that Schumacher will be testing a GP2 car over the coming weeks. It is hoped his old neck injury is now fully healed and that it would not prove to be a significant issue in his planned come back.
According to reports, Michael Schumacher will be seen in a Mercedes F1 car next season. Reports suggest that Luca di Montezemolo of Ferrari had spoken with Michael on the telephone and that he had suggested that there was indeed a strong possibility of a return to the F1 scene. Schumacher had attempted a comeback mid season in order to fill in for Phillipe Massa following his accident in which he sustained a fractured skull. However, due to neck injuries which he had sustained a while earlier in a motorcycle accident Schumacher was unable to complete the comeback. He is hoping medical tests will give him the all clear to compete in 2010.
Bernie Ecclestone is reported as saying that he would be “over the moon” at the prospect of a Schumacher comeback. If Schumacher does indeed return to F1 it would give a great boost to the publicity for the sport of F1 which has suffered a number of serious scandals and publicity set backs over the past season. It is three years since Schumacher retired.
