The 2010 Formula 1 World Championship begins in Bahrain this Friday morning and it promises to be one of the most open in years. On the days leading up to the start of practice, I'll be taking a look at the 24 runners and riders taking part this year. Today, Ferrari, Williams and Renault.
FERRARI
After a dismal 2009, Ferrari started work on their F10 car in the middle of last season. Predictably, it has been at the sharp end of pre-season testing from the beginning, and the Scuderia arrive in Bahrain as one of the favourites.
Car 7: FELIPE MASSA (BR)
BIOGRAPHY: Felipe Massa was born in São Paulo on 25th April 1983. Flamboyant but always very fast, Massa cut a swathe through the single-seater formulae, winning the Brazilian Formula Chevrolet title in 1999, before moving to Europe and adding the Italian and European Formula Renault crowns in 2000 and the European Formula 3000 title in 2001.
F1 PEDIGREE: Massa made his Formula 1 debut in 2002 for Sauber, where he continued in his elbows-out swashbuckling style. However, at the top level, his lack of refinement cost him speed, and for 2003 he moved to Ferrari as a test driver. It proved to be a formative season, under the wing of Michael Schumacher. Retaining his speed but with less rough edges, Massa returned for two more seasons with Sauber in 2004, before moving to Ferrari as number 2 driver in 2006. He won two races that season, and three in 2007 as his teammate Kimi Räikkönen won the World Championship. Massa really came of age in 2008, winning more races than anyone and missing out on the title by a single point to Lewis Hamilton at the final race. He entered the 2009 championship as favourite, but was let down by the shortcomings of his car, before a freak accident in Hungary fractured his skull and left him lucky to be alive. Massa has started 114 Grands Prix, winning eleven.
PROSPECTS: A lot depends on how well Massa has recovered from his accident in Hungary last year, both physically and psychologically. As well as brain swelling, Massa sustained an injury to his eye, something which historically can put paid to the ultimate speed of a racing driver. Moreover, the fact that the accident was absolutely nothing to do with his own fault may yet play on his mind. If all of this has been put aside, as he is confident that it has, there is no reason why he can't be a force once again in 2010. He'll win races.
IN AN IDEAL WORLD: In an absolute ideal world, Massa would finally win the world championship, but I think it's likely to be one season too soon for him after an accident of that magnitude. The best he can hope for is to match his new teammate in qualifying and win a handful of Grands Prix.
IF THE WHEELS COME OFF: There is a slim chance that Massa will face a realisation that he can't accept the risk of Formula 1 any more and walk away. It's very unlikely, however.
Car 8: FERNANDO ALONSO (E)
BIOGRAPHY: Fernando Alonso was born in Oviedo on 29th July 1981. Something of a prodigy in a country better known for producing motorcycle racers than racing drivers, he won the Open Fortuna by Nissan series in 1999, before going on to win at Spa in the following year's International Formula 3000 series.
F1 PEDIGREE: Extensive. Until Sebastian Vettel came on the scene, Alonso was the youngest driver ever to win an F1 pole and to win a World Championship Grand Prix, in Hungary 2003. Before Lewis Hamilton, he was also the youngest ever World Champion. He began his career at Minardi in 2001, impressing many in an awful car. A season as Renault's tester followed, before a step up to the race team in 2003. In 2005 he won the Formula 1 World Championship aged 24, following it up with a second title in 2006, becoming the sport's youngest ever double-World Champion. A difficult but competitive year at McLaren followed, followed by a troubled two-season return to Renault which saw him add just two further wins. All things being equal, Alonso is perhaps the most complete driver in Formula 1. He is also probably the only man ever to have beaten Michael Schumacher to the world title in equal machinery. His record is 21 wins from 139 starts, and a seriously impressive points-per-start ratio of 4.151.
PROSPECTS: After a ruinous 2009, Alonso will be like a coiled spring in 2010. He'll want to get back to winning ways as soon as possible, and as ever, if the car is anything like good enough to do so he'll be there straight away. Relentlessly consistent and brilliantly canny, I think Alonso will be the 2010 World Champion.
IN AN IDEAL WORLD: World title number 3 beckons.
IF THE WHEELS COME OFF: Alonso is outpaced and outraced by Felipe Massa.
WILLIAMS-COSWORTH
Although not the force they once were, Williams had a solid 2009. It could have been even better still, had they had two good drivers instead of one - the team's points tally last season were all accrued by Nico Rosberg. The FW32 promises more of the same, neat and showing promise in pre-season testing. However, 5th place in the Constructor's standings is as good as they can realistically hope for.
Car 9: RUBENS BARRICHELLO (BR)
BIOGRAPHY: Rubens Barrichello was born in São Paulo on 23rd May 1972. His early single-seater success came in Britain, winning the Formula Vauxhall Lotus series in 1990 and then Formula 3 in 1991. However, he was also prone to mistakes, one of which cost him the Blue Riband Formula 3 Masters in the latter year. His one season of Formula 3000 showed him adding consistency - perhaps at the expense of ultimate speed. Finishing third in the 1992 series, scoring points in all but one race, Barrichello's best single results were two second-places.
F1 PEDIGREE: Barrichello is the most experienced Formula 1 driver of all time, having entered 288 Grand Prix with Jordan, Stewart, Ferrari, Honda and Brawn. He's also won eleven times and finished as the championship runner-up on two occasions (2002 and 2004). However, it was his performance last year, in his 17th full campaign, that really was the most impressive yet. As Jenson Button increasingly stuggled with the Brawn car, Barrichello got better and better, winning two races and pushing the Briton all the way to the flag. He's fast, consistent, hugely experienced and still one of the fastest wet-weather drivers in the field. Don't discount, either, the fact that he starts the season as one of only two drivers to have driven in pre-mid race refuelling Formula 1.
PROSPECTS: 18 seasons and 285 starts don't seemed to have dulled Barrichello's passion. He still looks driven by the thought he has something to prove at this level, and to that end it is worth saying that in the past three seasons, he has driven better than at any time before in his epic F1 career. If he keeps up the same standard and the motivation remains, there's no reason to believe Rubens won't rack up 350+ Grands Prix.
IN AN IDEAL WORLD: It would probably take a crazy race, most likely in the wet conditions in which he so excels, for Barrichello to win a race in 2010, but it would be hugely popular. Realistically, a podium or three would be terrific.
IF THE WHEELS COME OFF: Barrichello is outpaced and outraced by a rookie teammate and finally walks away from the sport come the autumn.
Car 10: NICO HÜLKENBERG (D)
BIOGRAPHY: Nico Hülkenberg was born in Emmerich am Rhein on 19th August 1987. Ominously for his rivals, his career path is very similar to that of Lewis Hamilton, as Hülkenberg arrives in F1 having just scythed his way to the Formula 3 Euroseries and GP2 Series crowns in successive years. Also the winner of the 2005 German Formula BMW title, the 2007 A1 Grand Prix championship for Germany and the 2007 Formula 3 Masters - plus a race winner in the GP2 Asia Series - Hülkenberg is also represented by Michael Schumacher's old manager, Willi Weber.
F1 PEDIGREE: Williams' test driver for several years, 2010 is Hülkenberg's first Formula 1 season on the race team.
PROSPECTS: The sky seems to be the limit for Hülkenberg. If Williams' car is as competitive as it has seemed in pre-season testing, there's no reason whatsoever that he won't be able to match the results of his epically experienced teammate. Having Barrichello's huge knowledge in the other garage won't do him any harm either. This could be the start of one of this decade's biggest Formula 1 careers.
IN AN IDEAL WORLD: A podium finish or two.
IF THE WHEELS COME OFF: Hülkenberg joins the ranks of drivers who never quite make their mark in Formula 1, after stellar early careers.
RENAULT
Renault had as horrible a season as it's possible to have without loss of life in 2009. An uncompetitive car, internal political strife and then the Crashgate bomb dropped. Unsurprisingly, the Régie seriously considered pulling out of the sport during the winter. Instead, they sold the team to the Swiss investment firm Genii Capital. An interim year is most likely on the cards.
Car 11: ROBERT KUBICA (PL)
BIOGRAPHY: Robert Kubica was born in Warsaw on 7th December 1984. Poland's first real superstar racing driver, Kubica's early career is best summed up as impressive but never overly so. A race winner in every discipline he has tried, his sole championship success came in the World Series by Renault in 2005.
F1 PEDIGREE: Kubica made the step up from test driver after Jacques Villeneuve walked away from BMW Sauber in 2006. He instantly made an impression, qualifying in the top 10 for his first Grand Prix and finishing in the points, albeit that he was later disqualified for technical irregularities. However, a podium finish a couple of races down the line at Monza really put him on the map, and guaranteed him a three-year stint with BMW. 2007 was difficult, outpaced by Nick Heidfeld and involved in a huge roll in Canada which saw him have to sit out the following week's US GP. In 2008 he took a big step forward, winning in Montreal and being a serious if unexpected title contender right up until the penultimate race. 2009 should have been his best chance yet, but he simply didn't have the car. His career so far has taken in 57 races, with 1 win, 1 pole position and 137 points.
PROSPECTS: The fate of Kubica's season lies, once again, very much in the quality of his machinery. Should the car go well, he's already proved he is capable of getting the job done on a consistent basis. If it doesn't, his head tends to go down a little, although to his credit his on-track performances don't seem to suffer as a result. Kubica, given the right opportunity, is still a potential World Championship contender. Not a chance in 2010, though.
IN AN IDEAL WORLD: A podium finish.
IF THE WHEELS COME OFF: Kubica spends another year floridly outlining the flaws in his car over the pit radio for the entertainment of the watching world during Friday practice sessions.
Car 12: VITALY PETROV (RU)
BIOGRAPHY: Vitaly Petrov was born in Vyborg on 8th September 1984. A hugely successful driver in his native Russia, he won the Formula Lada Cup in 2002, Russian Formula Renault 1600 series in 2005 and the Lada Revolution Series in 2006. Stepping up to the European stage has seen him continue to build on this. In GP2 he won races in each of the 2007, 2008 and 2009 seasons, scoring twice in last season's series to finish as the championship runner-up to Nico Hülkenberg. A season in GP2 Asia gave a similar return, with wins in both the 2008 and 2009 campaigns seeing him finish 3rd and 5th overall in 2008 and 2009 respectively.
F1 PEDIGREE: Russia's first ever Formula 1 driver is another of 2010's rookies.
PROSPECTS: There's a solidity to Petrov's career so far, coupled with an unassumingness which could see him spring a surprise or two in his debut year. I expect that his teammate will have the measure of him over the course of the season, but equally would not be surprised to see Petrov stay in Formula 1 for the forseeable future.
IN AN IDEAL WORLD: A podium finish, perhaps. Consistent points scoring, too, would be very welcome after two years of floundering second drivers.
IF THE WHEELS COME OFF: People start to wonder if there's not another Eastern European country to find racing drivers in.
Tomorrow: McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull.
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