After months of preparation and weeks of testing, it is almost time for the 12 teams and 24 drivers that make up the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship to finally put their cards on the table and show just what they can do. For the teams it will be their first real chance to see if they can really challenge for the title, while for the drivers the joy of racing again will be just as potent. The Formula One fraternity look ahead to the season opener in Bahrain…
Pedro de la Rosa, BMW Sauber
2009 Qualifying - n/a, 2009 Race - n/a
"I have good memories of Bahrain. In 2005 when I had to jump in I scored the fastest race lap. In 2007 I was there for two days of testing. However, I think the new section which is added to the infield will make it an all new track, because it means we have to adapt the downforce level. The best aspect of the circuit is that you can overtake. There are three long straights with each followed by a corner where you have to brake really hard. We will have good racing there, I think, and all I want is to fight because this is what I missed most. It is difficult to tell yet which track will be good for our car. In any case it will be very interesting to see how the strategies unfold, and how the teams will react to each other's strategy in the race. Due to the fact that refuelling isn't allowed anymore, the team can influence the outcome a lot more. After we have had four good tests on three different circuits I feel very confident for the season's start. I covered a lot of mileage with the team and we learnt a lot. Bahrain will mark my return to racing and I can't wait."
Kamui Kobayashi, BMW Sauber
2009 Qualifying - n/a, 2009 Race - n/a
"I won two GP2 Asia races in Bahrain in 2008 and 2009 and I have been testing there in Formula One in 2009. I like the fact that the season starts on a circuit I know so well. The track is quite nice, I like every corner and now we get some more of them. The track has a lot of stop-and-go corners and I really enjoy that style, while I also think it will suit our car. During the tests I learnt a lot and I'm training hard. I definitely feel ready for the start of the season and I'm also looking forward to the usual good weather in Bahrain, as I really like it warm."
Willy Rampf, BMW Sauber technical director
"The kick off for the coming season promises extra excitement because very few of the teams showed their full potential during the tests. Due to the refuelling ban the fuel cells have become much larger and, therefore, we've got radically different cars. It is an engineer's task to find a set-up which provides a good balance for the cars, although they will now be a hundred kilos heavier at the start of the race. Race strategy also provides totally new challenges. Pit stops will be mainly dictated by the tyre performance. Both tyre specs still have to be run. The circuit lay-out in Bahrain has changed significantly as it is now dominated by a narrow section in the infield with eight additional corners. The downforce level will be a compromise. On the one hand the many low speed corners require high downforce, but on the other the extraordinary width of the track encourages overtaking and this means you can't disregard the need for top-speed."
Michael Schumacher, Mercedes GP
2009 Qualifying - n/a, 2009 Race - n/a
"Finally the season will start! I feel like a child looking forward to Christmas. The decision to make my comeback feels like a long time ago now and I can hardly wait for the season to get underway in Bahrain. It's funny to think that I will be competing in Formula One again when just a few months ago, I would have declined the opportunity categorically. But sometimes things change and the right circumstances come together. I feel fresher than I have for many years. I am perfectly prepared physically and most importantly, my energy is back completely. When I retired from racing in 2006, my batteries were simply empty. Now they are totally recharged and I am ready for the challenge. It is the competition at the highest level that only Formula One offers which has provided the temptation for me. It is always difficult to predict the form in pre-season testing, this year more than ever, but the final test in Barcelona proved to us that we should be competitive. We know that we will have more new parts in Bahrain which should bring extra performance to the car. It's important to be in the leading group from the start of the season and I am confident that we will be there."
Nico Rosberg, Mercedes GP
2009 Qualifying - 9th, 2009 Race - 9th
"The build-up to a new Formula One season is always an exciting time, particularly when you have a new team to settle into and a brand new car to get used to. It has been a really nice process integrating into the team. Everyone has been very welcoming and I feel very much at home here already. Our pre-season testing programme has gone pretty well in February. We did have some concerns that we were not able to find the right direction to extract the maximum potential from the car but by working hard, we were able to find our way and ended testing on a high. We also have a good upgrade coming for Bahrain which should develop the car further and so I am quite optimistic that we will do well. Bahrain is a track which I really enjoy so it should be a good start to the season all in all."
Ross Brawn, Mercedes GP team principal
"Everyone at Mercedes GP is proud to be representing the rich motorsport pedigree of Mercedes-Benz as we start the season as the first Mercedes works team for over half a century. In addition, knowing that we go into the new season as the reigning World Champions gives the team confidence and a fierce pride to defend our position. However this is a new season and a new challenge. We had a strong pre-season testing programme with the MGP W01 but we are not quite reached the level of preparation that we would have liked prior to Bahrain. The car shows promise and we have a strong development programme planned for the season but there is a lot of hard work ahead to ensure that we will be in the fight for the title. I am very pleased with how our new drivers Michael and Nico have settled into the team and developed a close working relationship. They have really pushed the development of the car throughout testing and they will push each other to achieve better results on the race track. This season should be a fantastic one for the fans with so many talented drivers competing and what is likely to be a very close fight for the title between the top teams and that can only be good for our sport."
Norbert Haug, vice president Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
"The Bahrain Grand Prix as the first race of the 2010 Formula One season marks the beginning of a new era for Mercedes-Benz. 55 years after the last race of the Silver Arrows works team, Mercedes GP will start to continue this tradition. In preparation for our first season, we have covered over 6300 kilometres during 15 test days from the 1st to the 28th of February. Judging our competitiveness for the first couple of races, my impression is that we are not quite where we want to be and I would not see our team in the role of favourites. Having said that, I am fully convinced that the whole team and our drivers Nico and Michael are fully prepared to get on top of our job and fulfill our targets which are winning races and fighting for world championships."
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