It was a rather long hiatus, and not at all impromptu. I was basically computerless for several months. Well, now I'm back and there are several things on the Formula 1 front that require discussion.
First, congratulations to Jenson Button and Brawn GP for pulling the double last season and winning the Driver's and Constructor's Championship. Also, congrats to Lewis Hamilton for overcoming what appeared to be a god-awful McLaren and gaining the most points of any driver over the second half of the season.
So, let's move on to this season.
There are some new rules that you should know about. The top ten qualifiers must start the race on the same set of tyres that they qualified on. Also, the cars are no longer allowed to be refueled. This means that the cars are longer, and far heavier than they were last year. Thus, this season's racing is off to a rather bipolar start.
The cars were unveiled throughout January. Again, the McLaren is the best looking of the bunch, as evidenced by the photo.
The season opening grand prix in Bahrain was one of the most boring grand prix races ever. Or at least in my short experiences with F1. Seb Vettel took the pole, but a twitchy engine dropped him to fourth by the end of the race. The rather thirsty Ferraris were able to fight to the front and finish one two. Lewis Hamilton rounded out the podium at Bahrain, but it was still boring.
The return of Michael Schumacher was less than impressing. I mean, yeah he's back after a three year sabbatical, but the Mercedes Grand Prix cars have yet to show top tier speed.
Immediately after the race, calls began to come in from all corners of the F1 world, stating that the rules and regulations must be relaxed in order for the season to be saved. Bernie Ecclestone stated that we should wait.
So we waited. The Australian Grand Prix rolled around. And lo, it did rain. And rain always makes a race better.
Jenson Button took the chequered flag. Robert Kubica drove his black-and-yellow Renault to second place, while Felipe Massa piloted his Ferrari F10 to the last podium spot. Lewis Hamilton drove to sixth, but was rather unhappy with the result, thinking his team screwed him up. They've since come to peace.
So now, we have Ferrari leading both championships, with McLaren chasing them. The general thought at the moment is that the Red Bull Renault team has faulty cars that will not last them in the championship races.
So we'll make a 2-races in prediction for the remainder of the 2010 Formula 1 Season.
Driver's Champion: Lewis Hamilton
He'll rebound in a big way, especially when we get to the European part of the calendar.
Constructor's Champion: Ferrari
Those red cars are fast.
Most wins on the season: Fernando Alonso
I'm thinking he'll win five races, while Hamilton will eventually win four.
First Driver to be Replaced: Karun Chandhok, HRT
I'm think that Jose Maria Lopez or Sebastian Bourdais may find their way into the race seat opposite Bruno Senna.
Will Bernie go away at season's end?
No. Unfortunately no.
Who will fill the race slot vacated by the defunct USF1?
Most likely Stefan GP. I can't see Epsilon Eusakdi, or Prodrive moving in.
So that's our prediction. Let's see how it goes.
