Formula 1 - 2010 Season
It barely seems like a few days since Jensen Button became the tenth British driver to win the Formula One World Driver’s Championship. The 2010 campaign kicks off in Bahrain and with eight drivers with realistic ambitions of becoming the 2010 World Champion, new teams, the return of Mercedes and four strong leading cars it promises to be the best Formula One season for years.
A change to the scoring system along the MotoGP lines will also shake things up. With 25 points to the winner and points awarded right down to tenth place, the racing should be as competitive as ever.
Ferrari
The 2005 and 2006 champion Fernando Alonso is the 5/2 favourite to win the Drivers’ championship in 2010, whilst his Brazilian teammate Filipe Massa is an 8/1 chance.
The 2009 season was disappointing for Ferrari, with the team all but giving up on the title mid way through the campaign to concentrate on the 2010 car. Ferrari scored just eight points in the last four races in 2009, but with the two times world champion Fernando Alonso desperate to regain his title, and the vast experience of Filipe Massa, it could be a great year for the iconic Italian team.
However, they are likely to have to run a higher fuel load than some of the other cars and so whilst they might provide profits in qualifying, they may be slightly disappointing in the races. I’d prefer to look elsewhere for value.
Ferrari are 15/8 to win the constructor’s championship.
McLaren
Two British drivers, the last two World Champions and a terrific new car; all bodes well for McLaren in 2010.
McLaren are another team who had a disappointing 2009, although a huge amount of research and development has gone into their MP4-25 car for this season. The car has been extremely fast in testing, but all eyes are going to be on the two British drivers and the rivalry between the pair.
2008 champion Lewis Hamilton is considered the more likely to win the title at 4/1, with Jensen Button 11/1 to retain his crown. If both drivers are in contention in the latter stages of the race, team orders might go out of the window as these two ultra-competitive drivers go toe to toe. Sparks could fly.
Mercedes GP
Probably the biggest story of the 2010 Formula One pre-season is the return of 41 year old Michael Schumacher to Grand Prix racing.
Can the 41 year old, who hasn’t driven in Formula One in three seasons, really come back and be competitive against the younger drivers? Schumacher certainly thinks so, and Mercedes’ recent testing in Barcelona seemed to confirm his opinion. The German is expected to win races (it’s 3/1 against him not winning a race in 2010) but whether he can string enough points together remains to be seen. Schumacher is 5/1 to win an unprecedented eighth World Drivers title.
His team mate in 2010 is the talented Nico Rosberg. The German finished seventh in the 2009 Championship although he should do better this time around. Whether the fact that all the focus will be on his team mate will frustrate or inspire the 24 year old remains to be seen. He’s 20/1 for the title.
Red Bull
If you’re looking for value in the 2010 Formula One season, this could be the place to find it.
By the end of last season the Red Bull RB5 was the car to beat in Formula One. With chief technical officer Adrian Newey arguably the best designer in Formula 1, the RB6 could be the car to beat this time around.
Sebastian Vettel is one of the leading drivers around and is 4/1 to win the 2010 Drivers Championship. His team mate Mark Webber is also in great shape and can be backed at 12/1.
The Rest
Whilst Williams haven’t won a race since 2004, 2010 could see a return to form for one of the sport’s most famous teams. In Rubens Barrichello they have one of the most experienced F1 drivers and the new FW32 has been quick in testing.
Renault boast one of the best F1 drivers in young Robert Kubica, but they are still struggling to recover from the 2008 Singapore GP scandal and we shouldn’t expect much in 2010. Force India, however, looked impressive in the second half of 2009 and nearly won in Spa. They have two hungry drivers in Adrian Sutil and Vitantonio Liuzzi and are certainly a team to watch.
The other teams; BMW Sauber, Virgin, HRT and Toro Rosso make up the numbers, as do Lotus who return to Formula One in their iconic green and yellow colours.
Verdict
Picking a winner in 2010 is as tough as it has been for years. Four teams have realistic chances of winning races, but with doubts over Ferrari’s race speed and the fierce rivalry in the McLaren camp, I think it could be the surprise package of Red Bull who prevail. The 28/1 dual forecast over Sebastian Vettel winning the Drivers Championship and McLaren winning the constructors looks good value.
Formula 1 Betting
