Why You Really Should Watch Formula One in 2010
Formula One, it is a sport that divides many. Many consider it the ultimate demonstration of man and machine working together in perfect harmony at incredible speed. Others think it’s just a bunch of cars going around and around for hours. I guess in a way, both views are correct.
I bloody love it though, and this year, even if you have never watched Formula One before, you should at least try and watch some of it.
There are so many things going on in Formula One this season that will make it an historic one. It will be talked about for years and years to come, some say, it could even be the best season ever. I have prepared a list of the reasons you should watch. I am a fan of lists.
- Michael Schumacher is back. Non Formula One fans know Schumacher, he is a sportsman who has risen above the walls of his own sport and into the ranks of recognisable legends. He is coming out of retirement to race again. Aged 41, it will be interesting to see if he still has his abilities, or if his neck will fall off going round a corner.
- Team GB. Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton are going to be team mates at McLaren. They are the only two British drivers in the field. They are both World Champions, Jenson in 2009 and Lewis in 2008. They are both capable of winning. They both want to win and will want to prove to the United Kingdom who is the better driver. This will be very interesting and may result in crashes/tears.
- Team Germany. Schumacher will be joined at Merc by Nico Rosberg. Nico is an upcoming star in the sport. This makes two German drivers, driving a German car vs. two Brits in a British (with a German Engine) car. Germany vs. Britain. I’m sure there is a rivalry there.
- Fernando Alonso is driving a Ferrari. He is a two time world Champion, 2005 and 2006. However, since then he has not had a good enough car to be competitive. Having said that, he did drive a McLaren alongside Lewis Hamilton in 2007, which he could have won in, however Lewis refused to be a push over and raced for himself. Taking crucial championship points off of Fernando. He is a good driver, and this year he is in a very good car.
- Felipe Massa is also in a Ferrari. He is also a potential World Champion. He had to miss half of last year because of a very serious injury caused when a large spring smashed through his crash helmet at 160mph. It will be interesting to see how he copes with the return to F1, if he jumps back in the car and is competitive, that’ll be one hell of a comeback.
- Alonso vs. Massa. Both of the two previous points can be merged into this one. Alonso and Massa are both fiercely competitive, they both have a fiery temper. Alonso likes to be number one, but like Lewis and Alonso in 2007, Massa will not want to give any ground to his Spanish team mate. Sparks will fly. These two have previous clashes on record.
- Bruno Senna will début. Bruno is the nephew of the famous Ayrton Senna, who is another legendary Formula One driver, who’s life was tragically cut short in 1994, when he became the last Formula One driver to die in a race. It will be interesting to see how Bruno copes with the pressure of expectation, brought on by his name. It’ll also be interesting to see how it affects some of the older drivers, including Schumacher and Barrichello, who will remember racing against Ayrton.
- The cars will be closer than ever. There are four potential title winning teams, Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes. That means eight possible world champions. Although this list will get cut down over the season, it’s still a good selection.
- There will be more cars this year. 24 instead of 20. More cars equals more noise and more interesting battles.
- Pedro De La Rosa and Kamui Kobayashi are racing for Sauber. These two are bloody mental, and like to make silly overtaking attempts, that will end in some form of chaos.
- Richard Branson has his own team. It’s just good to watch Branson work, he is like a lion. It’s good to see new money coming into Formula One, and will be interesting to see how long Virgin Racing last.
- There should be no more lame stewards decisions. The system has been overhauled, and there is every chance that the driver who crosses the line first will be the actual winner of the race.
So please go and watch the race go down, there is nothing else to do on a Sunday. Except eat and talk to your family. Pah.