Schumacher’s comeback has got many fans salivating at the idea of the old legend vs the fresh new talent but it has also slots in nicely with the many teammate rivalries we could see.
Schumacher’s deal could have been decided after Button left Brawn and Nico was signed. If so, then Rosberg probably felt he had a good chance of being top dog and grabbing his first win. But with Shumacher’s return and Brawn in the team, there could be that doubt in Rosberg’s mind whether he will get a fair shot or be the next Barrichello. Even if he does have a a free reign and the chance to take on his compatriot, he’s still going to face the toughest challenge of his career by trying to beat the winner of 7 World Championships.
There are at least three other teams who are going to be watching their drivers’ rivarlies closely. The one that everyone has been talking about recently is Ferrari. The two Latinos fighting to be top dog. Massa will have something to proove after returning from injury and Fernando will need to make the most of a competitive car after two years in a poor Renaults.
However, Felipe’s contract is up at the end of the season and no doubt the highly-rated Kubica (who is thought to have only a one-year deal at Alonso’s former team Renault) will be waiting in the wings to take the Ferrari cockpit. If these two get bitter than surely it’ll be Massa who goes as Ferrari have invested so much in Alonso. Despite that, Alonso’s reputation was badly damaged in 2007 and he’ll be keen to show he can cope with the pressure from a competitive teammate. So there should be a hard fight but it’s unlikely to implode the way Mclaren did in 2007 with Alonso and Hamilton.
Then there is the all British line-up at Mclaren. Button should cope with the new rules better; his smooth driving style should look after the tyres with the hevay fuel load whereas the incredibly aggressive Hamilton may take more time to adjust. However, Hamilton is the most rated in terms of talent and has built the entire Mclaren team around him. It remais to be seen just how Button will slot into the team and deal with a car which may not be completely stable. Alonso may also be the one with the bad reputation but Hamilton was there in 2007 too. Mclaren may never be shy when it comes to hiring the best drivers and it’s always good to see some rivalry but Button will have to fight hard to retain his crown.
At Red Bull Webber will want to be top dog and his contract is up soon too. If Red Bull are to stay as a top team then they will need the best drivers possible so if Mark wants to keep his seat he needs to stay as close to Seb as possible.
The new teams bring a new element too, many will have familiar faces and new rookies (Glock/di Grassi, Sauber wants experience with Kobayashi and at Williams Barrichello will be against Hulkenberg). Next year is shaping up nicely for teammate rivaries.
It’ll be a good mix of the rookies desperate to show their worth and progress and the ones at the top racing hard for the big prize.
Steph is an occasional contributor to An F1 Blog. Steph is a Ferrari and Felipe Massa fan and jointly runs the Formula 1 blog 
Top post Stephanie – most excellent. I’m going with Schumacher, Hamilton, Vettel and, er, Alonso. Webber and Massa will be in hot pursuit, but I’m not sure about Rosberg if Mercedes go all-out behind Schumi. I think the top 5 I’ll be following are: Hamilton, Vettel, Barrichello, Webber, Massa, with a keen eye on Kobayashi.
Thank you
Yeah Kobayashi will be one to watch. Senna will have a lot of pressure with that name.
My head says Fernando should get it, everyone else will say Schumi. Hamilton has a strong chance and the car is already quicker than this year’s. Tough call really for the championship. We won’t really know until testing but the 2010 season is setting itself up rather nicely
Bruno Senna all the way! Like madman Kobayashi too.
We’ll have to see about Bruno. I don’t know enough about him. Hope he does well, though.
It may be tough for Bruno especially when he didn’t get much racing mileage this year. However the fact he has came this far after nearly a decade out of motorsport shows he has some talent.