USF1 – The driver dilemma
As Formula 1 gets closer and closer to Bahrain, most teams are finished in terms of their driver line-up, although Campos, Renault and Toro Rosso still have to confirm their second driver. However, it seems that USF1 is in more difficulty, as it to date has not confirmed either of its drivers. Many of the current drivers are already with other teams, so it leaves the team with a dilemma: Do they get rookies, experienced or pay-drivers?
Many of the experienced drivers are already signed up for next season. However, drivers such as Pedro de la Rosa, Nick Heidfeld, Jacques Villeneuve and Alex Wurz may be willing to join. However, Peter Windsor has already said that many of these drivers are not in consideration for the posts. To be honest, this could be a big mistake. Bringing on at least one experienced driver is essential for a startup team. Lotus and Virgin have already gone down this route, and will definitely help them start off.
There are many rookies to consider, such as James Rossiter and JR Hildebrand. Hildebrand was part of the young driver testing session in December, and drove for Force India. He was in the midfield in terms of lap times, but steadily improved across the 3 days. However, Windsor has told the official F1 website that they are likely to only bring on one rookie driver. This inevitably means considering one pay driver.
The favourite for the job here is José María López, an Argentinian touring car driver, who reportedly brings $8m in sponsorship with him. He has previous F1 experience, having tested an F1 car in 2004 and 2006. However, he was dropped from the Renault young driver scheme in 2006, after showing poor form in other competitions. If he is signed, it will be certainly because of his sponsorship money.
Without an experienced driver, USF1 could be in serious trouble. The rookie drivers may not be able to prove themselves, and without a pay driver, the team may fold. The driver line-up, in my opinion, is crucial to USF1’s survival. Whether they will make it to the grid, and show us their driver line-up, we will have to wait and see.
Next year should see teammates in fierce competition
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.
Forget last year, no refuelling is the biggest change in years

By the end of the 2009 season Ferrari had written off development on their F2009 car, abandoning what had been a disastrous year for them in order to focus on 2010. It’s not a new gamble – it paid off for Brawn (nee Honda) last season, and completely failed to pay off for BMW when they attempted the same thing. But their decision was motivated by the sweeping rule changes that came into force in 2009, totally changing the shape and balance of the car.
By contrast, the regulations for 2010 are largely the same as last year – leading many, including other F1 teams like McLaren, to conclude that the best strategy for 2010 is to continue developing their 2009 car, on the assumption that next year’s machinery will be a natural evolution of the cars they have produced this season.
However, what Ferrari have anticipated is that the banning of refuelling is going to fundamentally alter the behaviour of the cars next year, to a greater extent than any aerodynamic modifications of recent years have managed.
One of the most important factors in the performance of an F1 car is how it is balanced; it is important for a car to be stable or it will be impossible to drive. Starting on a full tank of fuel, F1 cars will start the race weighing around 780kg, which will drain to 620kg by the end of a Grand Prix. This massive difference in weight means that the fuel tanks must form the car’s centre of gravity, to stop the balance of the car shifting uncontrollably as the race progresses.
It was rumoured at the start of the season that one of the fundamental problems with the F2009 was its centre of gravity was somewhat off-centre; this problem will be exacerbated in 2010, and probably explains why Ferrari felt that this year’s car was no basis for next season’s challenger.
This year the FIA gave us the luxury of releasing the declared weight of each car before the start of the race, enabling fans to calculate fuel strategies before the race began. Over the course of the season, very few cars ever topped 700kg; what that means is that the ban on refuelling is a massive step into the unknown for teams, in terms of how their cars will behave.
Generally the behaviour of heavier cars is predictable; longer braking distances, slower acceleration and so on. But how the aerodynamics will work given the effects of an extra 100kg or so is less clear, and a lot of development time will be devoted to determining the best aerodynamic solution for each car. Perhaps even more critical is balancing the performance of the car, so it is consistently quick throughout the race. Again, this will be a challenge to F1’s finest technical minds, to best figure out how to surmount these difficulties.
Thus McLaren’s approach – to throw their resources into continued development of their 2009 car in the hope that some of it will be transferable to 2010 – seems like a gross underestimation of the changes conveyed by the ban on refuelling. However, the men who come and go across Woking’s immaculately polished gravel are not stupid, and they will have their own solutions to the problems posed by the new rule.
2010, then, should be expected to be every bit as much of a lottery as 2009 was, where the established order was overturned by some clever thinking from a couple of the smaller teams. Perhaps it is time once again for the best minds, rather than the fattest wallets, to shine.
F1’s head honchos – and by that I mean the people who are more concerned with “the show” than the technical spectacle that is F1 – are currently panicking over the perceived lack of excitement that will be generated by a lack of refuelling. But whatever happens on the track, from a technological point of view it’s going to be fascinating.












