F1 2010 Fever

If you have not been following news about Formula since last season ended, this article is just what you are looking for. We take a look at the changes made for the upcoming season, allowing you to catch up on what has been missed.

Out With the Old and In With the New.

Since the last season, there has been several blows to Formula 1. First off, two major players have pulled out of the Series. Both Toyota and BMW have decided to pull the plug and back out of Formula 1. Whilst there is a team on the grid that is named BMW Sauber, it no longer has backing from BMW. USF1 has also pulled out just before the season is about to begin.

Despite major manufacturers pulling out due to economic reasons, there is also an influx of new players. Virgin Racing, Hispanic Racing Team and Lotus Racing will be participating in F1 2010.

There are new debutants to Formula One and entry of older experienced drivers, like Michael Schumacher. Suddenly, it seems that the hype is back on F1 and the world stands with bated breath to see how Schumi will perform after absence from the sport.

We take a look at the grid line up. What teams? Who are the drivers? You would want to know about these as there have been a lot of changes with drivers jumping teams.

Team	Constructor	Engine Manufacturer	Drivers
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes	McLaren	Mercedes	Jenson Button Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes GP Petronas F1	Mercedes	Mercedes	Michael Schumacher Nico Rosbesg
Red Bull Racing	Redbull	Renault	Sebastien Vettel Mark Webber
Scuderia Ferrari Malboro	Ferrari	Ferrari	Felipe Massa Fernando Alonso
AT&T Williams	Williams	Cosworth	Rubens Barichello Nico Hulkenberg
Renault F1	Renault	Renault	Robert Kubica Vitaly Petrov
Force India F1	Force India	Mercedes	Adrian Sutil Vitantonio Liuzzi
Scuderia Toro Rosso	Torro Rosso	Ferrari	Sebastien Buemi Jaime Alguersuari
Lotus Racing	Lotus	Cosworth	Jarno Trulli Heiki Kovalainen
Hispania Racing F1 Team	HRT	Cosworth	Karun Chandhok Bruno Senna
BMW Sauber F1 Team	BMW Sauber	Ferrari	Pedro de la Rosa Kamui Kobayashi
Virgin Racing	Virgin	Cosworth	Timo Glock Lucas De Grassi

Changes to Rules

Since the last season, there have been some changes made to the rules.

1. There will be no more refueling during the race.

What this means is that all cars will be fitted with larger fuel tanks, making the cars heavier initially, but reducing in weight as the laps go on. This brings about several problems. Weight distribution as the car uses up the fuel changes, and drivers will now have to deal with a car that behaves differently as the race goes on. As the car becomes lighter, the handling characteristics also change, and in this season we can expect to see drivers put their skills to the test.

1. Front Tires are now 10cm smaller in width.

This means that there would be lesser grip from the tires in the front, and the setup of the car will have to change. The drivers would need to adapt accordingly.

1. No more KERS

It was decided that the boost in power provided by KERS was too much of an unfair advantage and all players have voluntarily dropped KERS for F1 2010. Hence, there will be a more level playing field, and this increases the pressure on the drivers to perform and out maneuver each other.

1. More teams on the track (12)

Compared to last year’s 10 teams, with 12 teams now on the grid, drivers will have to cope with the additional pressure of a crowded track. It will certainly be a test of their mettle as they try to out maneuver and overtake each other.

1. Car’s minimum weight has been increased from 605kg to 615kg.

This modest increase in weight will affect the performance of the car and the tires. Tires would probably wear out faster, and thus race strategy would have a higher weightage compared to the previous season.

Conclusion

The way that things are going, we can only say that Formula One 2010 will be a spectacle to watch. With Schumi back in the game and new young blood like Nico Hulkenberg being groomed, this season will be sure to thrill. Greater pressure and emphasis on the drivers due to rule changes means that we will see the strong pick off the weak, and who wouldn’t like to see that happen?

Pairing two world champions, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton will also be a delight to watch. One can only wonder if they will let their rivalry get the better of them instead of working together as a team. Another new location for Formula 1, (think Korea) also makes for a refreshing season.

In summary, this year’s season will be THE season to watch. Huge pool of talent, competitive cars, glamorous locations and fantastic atmosphere would be the reasons not to miss the races.

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