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. In today's final part, McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull.
McLAREN-MERCEDES
McLaren's MP4/24 car was one of the worst that the team had ever produced, but a magnificent effort saw them claw back a full 2.5 seconds per lap in time, finishing the season with race wins, pole positions and fastest laps. It's difficult to see them making the same mistake again with the MP4/25. Pre-season testing has shown considerable promise, but the effect of their effort to sort out the shortcomings of their car last season is yet to be seen, as is the end of their lengthy technological partnership with Mercedes. If 2009 taught us anything, however, it's that McLaren will be there or thereabouts.
Car 1: JENSON BUTTON (GB)
BIOGRAPHY: Jenson Button was born in Frome on 19th January 1980. Britain's youngest ever Grand Prix driver, Button nevertheless found time to win the 1998 British Formula Ford championship and three races in the following season's British Formula 3 series, before his elevation to the top table.
F1 PEDIGREE: Like his ertswhile teammate Rubens Barrichello, the fact Button was so young when he started in Formula 1 racing can make you forget how experienced he in fact is. Button is now a veteran of 171 Grands Prix, of which he has won seven. Six of them came last season, when he won his first World Championship.
PROSPECTS: Jenson Button came of age in 2009, finally realising all his potential at the same time, particularly in his ferocious burst at the start of the season in which it seemed like there was nobody else on the circuit. Now seeking that sportman's favourite, "a new challenge", Button finds himself in a British superteam. His super-smooth diving style could well aid him under the new fuel regulations this season. What it's important to not lose sight of, though, is that it took Button 10 seasons to reach a goal which, as late as 2008, looked to have passed him by. As such, he'll be in no hurry to give it away. Button will surely win races in 2010.
IN A IDEAL WORLD: Jenson Button will become the first British driver ever to retain the Formula 1 World Championship.
IF THE WHEELS COME OFF: All the worst fears about Button being steamrollered by Lewis Hamilton will come to pass and the reigning champion will be reduced to being a back-up man.
Car 2: LEWIS HAMILTON (GB)
BIOGRAPHY: Lewis Hamilton was born in Stevenage on 7th January 1985. Known to the motor racing world since he was 10 years old, after a deal with McLaren's boss Ron Dennis, his early single-seater career was - by his standards - a slightly stuttering one. When he found his feet, though, he simply blitzed his way to the top of the sport, winning the 2005 Formula 3 Euroseries and 2006 GP2 series, in addition to the 2005 Formula 3 Masters event.
F1 PEDIGREE: No driver since Michael Schumacher has made such an immediate impact in the sport. Lewis Hamilton moved to McLaren's race team in 2007 and promptly finished on the podium in his first nine races, winning two of them. Two more victories followed, and it was just inexperience, plus a car problem at the last race, that cost him the title in his debut season. Five more wins in 2008 saw him become the sport's youngest ever World Champion. Two more wins followed in 2009, despite an awful start, taking his tally to 11 from just 52 races.
PROSPECTS: There's no point denying that Lewis Hamilton is arguably the best racing driver in the world today. I think Fernando Alonso is a more rounded package, but no-one in the field can match Hamilton's pace over one lap. The trying time he endured in 2009 have also added a new intelligence an maturity to his approach, without tempering any of his enormous aggression and speed. If the car is good, Hamilton will win a second world champion in a blink of an eye.
IN A IDEAL WORLD: World Championship number two.
IF THE WHEELS COME OFF: There's not much that could conceivably knock Hamilton's reputation in the sport, but I think he would be deeply mortified on a personal level to be beaten by Jenson Button - be he the World Champion or not - over the course of 19 races.
MERCEDES
The return of the most successful team in the history of Grand Prix motor racing, having bought the Brawn outfit who, in terms of statistics alone, were their closest rivals. The MGP W01 car looks to be a decent machine, with a high fallutin' super-diffuser promised for the start of the race meeting tomorrow. At the moment, they look to be the fourth best of the big four teams, but neither Mercedes, nor Ross Brawn or Michael Schumacher, are accustomed or willing to tolerate anything less than success.
Car 3: MICHAEL SCHUMACHER (D)
BIOGRAPHY: Michael Schumacher was born in Hürth-Hermülheim on 3rd January 1969. A product of the Mercedes junior system, he won the 1990 German Formula 3 championship, as well as that season's Macau Grand Prix, before going on to win two rounds of the Sports Car World Championship for the three-pointed star.
F1 PEDIGREE: Almost too long to go into. Schumacher is by far the most statistically successful Grand Prix driver of all time. Among his records are the following: (from 250 Grands Prix) most World Championship titles (7), most consecutive World Championship titles (5), most Grand Prix wins (91), most pole positions (68), most fastest laps (76), most podium finishes (154) and most championship points (1369). Did I also mention that, aside from the numbers alone, he is a brilliant racing driver?
PROSPECTS: The key question mark surrounding the biggest-name comeback the sport has ever seen is the physical condition of Schumacher's neck, which he injured in a motorcycle racing accident trying to get his fix at the start of 2009. Other questions have included whether his skills will have dulled and whether the same desire will be there. I don't think these are particularly pressing concerns, as we are talking about Michael Schumacher. Schumacher has never driven a full season of Formula 1 without winning a race, and it's hard to see him not keeping up his record.
IN A IDEAL WORLD: Unless the Mercedes GP car finds a little more pace compared to its key rivals, it's hard to see Michael Schumacher adding title number 8. Multiple race wins.
IF THE WHEELS COME OFF: Schumacher's neck gives out and he has to meekly walk away. However, there's little that could significantly dent his standing in the history of the sport. If the driver in the current field with the second-highest number of Grand Prix wins - Fernando Alonso - wins in Bahrain and then just keeps on going, it wouldn't be until race 14 of the 2013 season until he overhauls Michael Schumacher's record.
Car 4: NICO ROSBERG (D)
BIOGRAPHY: Nico Rosberg was born in Weisbaden on 27th June 1985. Son of the 1982 World Champion Keke Rosberg, Nico's path through the junior formulae was perhaps predictably impressive. Having won the 2002 German Formula BMW title and four races across two seasons in the Formula 3 Euroseries, he went on to win the inaugural GP2 series crown from Heikki Kovalainen.
F1 PEDIGREE: Rosberg made his Formula 1 debut at Bahrain in 2006 for Williams, promptly finishing 7th and becoming the youngest driver to ever turn the fastest lap of a Grand Prix into the bargain. Since then, his chances have been limited by the standard and - more usually - the reliability of his car. Last season was his most consistent yet in Formula 1, though he will be disappointed it didn't see him add to his 2 podium finishes. Second place in the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix remains his best result from 70 races.
PROSPECTS: Now moving to his second Formula 1 team, there's no doubting what Rosberg's aim must be for this season. And until he does it, doubts will always surround him, especially after a mistake cost him a sure second-place at last year's Singapore race. His pace in qualifying can also be underwhelming compared to the speed he is capable of in both practice and the races. What there is no doubting, however, is that Rosberg is fast, consistent and hugely capable. Not yet 25, it's hard to see him not winning a race sooner or later. It could well open the floodgates when he does.
IN A IDEAL WORLD: Rosberg holds his own in qualifying against Michael Schumacher and wins his first Grand Prix.
IF THE WHEELS COME OFF: Rosberg joins the growing list of drivers chewed up and spat out by Michael Schumacher's Formula 1 career. Mercedes wonder if Sebastian Vettel would be a better fit for their seat.
RED BULL RACING-RENAULT
2009's RB5 car was the class of the field, winning the last three events of the season, despite the notable disadvantage of being a late adopter of the double-diffuser concept. In designer Adrian Newey, the team have one of the all-time Formula 1 greats, and the majority of the 2010 field have honoured him by imitation with their cars for this campaign. The RB6 is yet another classically sleek and elegant Newey car, which has flown in testing. Perhaps its weakest link is the reliability of the Renault engine. Red Bull are also, of course, the only team out of the four major championship hopefuls to not boast a World Champion driver. Yet.
Car 5: SEBASTIAN VETTEL (D)
BIOGRAPHY: Sebastian Vettel was born in Heppenheim on 3rd July 1987. One of the youngest drivers to ever start a Grand Prix, Vettel has understandably limited lower-formulae experience. However, he did win the 2004 German Formula BMW crown, as well as four races in the 2006 Formula 3 Euroseries.
F1 PEDIGREE: The youngest man ever to win a World Championship Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel could still become the youngest ever World Champion if he were to go one better than last season's runner-up spot. In 43 races, he has won five times, including one bewilderingly improbable victory on pace alone in a Toro Rosso, at Monza 2008. Also searingly quick over one lap, Vettel will most likely be Lewis Hamilton's biggest challenger for the most pole positions in the 2010 season.
PROSPECTS: The sky is the limit for Sebastian Vettel, after a magnificent 2009 season. But for a little inexperience - understandable at 22 years of age - and persistent engine gripes, he could have been World Champion. As it was, he won 4 races, 4 pole positions and 3 fastest laps, as well as overhauling Rubens Barrichello's points tally in the season's final race. If Sebastian Vettel doesn't win multiple World Championships, I would be very surprised. With the right car, he's ready to start immediately.
IN A IDEAL WORLD: World Champion.
IF THE WHEELS COME OFF: Vettel loses out to Mark Webber due to a series of niggling mistakes and car problems.
Car 6: MARK WEBBER (AUS)
BIOGRAPHY: Mark Webber was born in Queanbeyan on 27th August 1976. The only driver in the big four teams without a championship title to his name, Webber has nevertheless been a consistently successful driver throughout his career, having variously won the 1996 Formula Ford Festival, four races in International Formula 3000 (as well as being the series runner-up in 2001) and five wins towards being the season runner-up in the 1998 FIA GT Championship.
F1 PEDIGREE: A veteran of 139 Grands Prix, Webber finally broke his duck in Germany last season with a typically bullish drive from his first ever F1 pole position. An effortlessly smooth triumph in Brazil followed, as well as 3 fastest laps. But for a spell of mediocre races in mid-summer, Webber looked the more likely of the two Red Bull drivers to take the fight to the Brawn GP team. Such a series of non-races was very much uncharacteristic of Webber, as reliable a driver as there is in Formula 1.
PROSPECTS: Webber was excellent in 2009. His first win was a masterpiece of heads-down Aussie aggression and raw speed, his second a masterclass from a driver who looked as though he'd been winning Grands Prix his whole life. His biggest problem is the bloke in the other car. Webber is one of the sport's greatest qualifiers, but last season saw Vettel blitz him 18-1, Webber's sole qualifying success being a pole position. Webber now looks like a driver capable of winning on a consistent basis and, by extension, is a potential World Champion. The thing is, can he really beat Sebastian Vettel over 19 rounds in the same car?
IN A IDEAL WORLD: Mark Webber becomes the most popular World Champion since Jesse Owens.
IF THE WHEELS COME OFF: Kimi Räikkönen ends his WRC adventure after one season.
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