F1 - Who are this year's drivers?

With Kubica confirmed at Renault for next year, the 2010 driver market has almost fallen into shape with just five empty seats to fill.

The next minor slot to be filled is the second Toro Rosso seat beside Buemi. It was assumed that Alguersuari would continue after stepping into the action halfway through last year after Bourdais, however Toro Rosso haven’t confirmed that they are looking for a new driver after an initial denial of the story on their website back in October, his habit of crashing expensive cars on a regular basis may have something to do with this. The desire to replace him, if any, would be from Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz. As Toro Rosso is set up as the development team for Red Bull, any number of young drivers would fit the bill.

Xosé Estrada gave us the news this week that De La Rosa was in the frame for the second seat at Sauber which is as good a shout as any, it is still unclear as to the financial well-being of the team, but it is likely to be similar to the Honda – Brawn situation last year, without immediate need for a self-financing driver. This would seem to make sense to have an experienced driver alongside the raw energy of Kobayashi.

On to Renault, who could still go out on a limb with the Chinese (or Dutch) new-comer Ho-Pin Tung, as an upgrade on Grosjean and appealing to a big new market, he remains my favorite. Wiser heads have narrowed the list to Sato or Jerome D’Ambrosio as having the ability to keep Renault competitive with the perceived big four, McLaren, Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull.

The final two seats are maybe the biggest conundrum and possibly the smallest gamble, US F1, after months spent last autumn staying quiet have recently come out punching. With their funding stream and home market seemingly in good shape, the results in 2010 don’t matter as much as developing and staying in for those awkward teenage years. J R Hildebrand looks like a good potential No 2 for the team as he hails from California and has been testing well at Jerez for Force India.

For the No 1 car, it is still very uncertain as the only person who has been making noise about it for a couple of months is José María López who has been out of GP2 and single seaters for a couple of years. This has all the hallmarks of an Ecclestone deal, with the Argentinian in the seat, this would be good publicity to help draw a big audience and re-develop a historic market. Now that US F1 seems not to be as needy for a paying driver they could yet surprise us in a couple of weeks in Alabama.

Campos seem to be narrowing down the search to anyone with 5 million euros in his back pocket.

Who goes where in 2010

Following the recent flurry of announcements, here is ITV.com/F1's guide to how the 2010 Formula 1 field is coming together.

McLaren-Mercedes

Confirmed: Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton

Martin Whitmarsh's team has pulled off the coup of the winter by pairing the last world champions. Luring Button away from Brawn to join lifelong McLaren man Hamilton gives the Woking squad a mighty - and very sponsor-friendly - line-up.

Mercedes

No drivers confirmed

Nico Rosberg is understood to have signed for Mercedes, and with Button opting for McLaren, it seems an all-German line-up could be on the cards, with Nick Heidfeld - a Merc protege in his youth - mentioned in connection with the second seat. Kimi Raikkonen's management have hinted they would be willing to listen to a Mercedes approach, but the team is surely unlikely to offer Raikkonen the "perfect deal" he desires - unless Mercedes decides a Rosberg/Heidfeld line-up is just too lacking in star power.

Red Bull

Confirmed: Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber

Red Bull took itself out of the silly season early on by swiftly announcing it would retain rising superstar Vettel and gritty, proven winner Webber - a just reward for their 2009 success.

Ferrari

Confirmed: Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa

After years and years of rumours, Alonso has made his Ferrari move. The team is confident the recovering Massa will easily be fit enough to take up his place in the second car.

Williams-Cosworth

Confirmed: Rubens Barrichello and Nico Hulkenberg

Williams has gone for a blend of youth and experience - hiring Barrichello after his 2009 renaissance at Brawn, and promoting highly-rated test driver Hulkenberg following his impressive GP2 title triumph.

Renault

Confirmed: Robert Kubica

Despite some lingering doubt over the company's F1 commitment, Renault has signed up Kubica to fill the void left by Alonso. The silence over his team-mate's identity could be related to those future rumours. Timo Glock was briefly favourite but opted for Manor, and Heikki Kovalainen has also been mentioned, but Romain Grosjean will be fortunate to get another chance after his poor half season.

Force India-Mercedes

No drivers confirmed

The talented but erratic Adrian Sutil is expected to get a fourth season at the team, while Tonio Liuzzi's chances of staying on look less certain after he failed to maintain momentum following his brilliant comeback at Monza.




Toro Rosso-Ferrari

Confirmed: Sebastien Buemi

Toro Rosso put out a statement on its website several months ago effectively saying 'Buemi and Jamie Alguersuari are staying on, so leave us out of the rumours please'. Since then, there has been a little vagueness over Alguersuari's status, although none of the other Red Bull drivers - his most likely rivals for the seat - look ready for F1 at present.

US F1

No drivers confirmed

An endless array of American racing superstars have been mentioned as 'possible eventual candidates' for US F1, but the team bosses do not expect to have an American driver in the project's first year. Right now, there are few clues as to who will occupy the seats in 2010.

Campos Meta

Confirmed: Bruno Senna

Senna gets his deserved F1 break with the new Spanish squad. Campos was originally expected to sign experienced McLaren tester Pedro de la Rosa, but looks like it might require a driver with funding as the loss of the budget cap came as a blow.

Manor

Confirmed: Timo Glock

Ex-Toyota man Glock will lead the Manor team, which is expected to get Virgin backing, and will probably have a young driver as his team-mate.

Lotus

No drivers confirmed

Jarno Trulli's close ties with Lotus technical boss Mike Gascoyne could see him lead the team. Gascoyne is keen to have two experienced drivers, but team chief Tony Fernandes has hinted at a 'youth and experience' pairing. Both have dismissed early rumours of a race seat for top Malaysian driver Fairuz Fauzy.

Qadbak/Sauber

No drivers confirmed

The former BMW team remains in a state of flux until the FIA officially awards it the entry left vacant by Toyota's withdrawal. It looked like this team might be Heidfeld's best bet until the Raikkonen/Button situation opened up bigger opportunities for him. Ex-BMW tester Christian Klien could be an option, though.

Waiting in the wings

Unsigned 2009 drivers: Jarno Trulli, Heikki Kovalainen, Giancarlo Fisichella, Kazuki Nakajima, Nelson Piquet, Romain Grosjean, Kamui Kobayashi

Fisichella says he is open to any race team offers that he could combine with his new life as Ferrari's reserve. Piquet has financial backing and wants an F1 return despite his role in the Renault race-fixing scandal. Kobayashi looked a dead cert for a 2010 Toyota drive before the team's pull-out, but Toyota has hinted it could help him find a slot elsewhere. Fellow Toyota protege Nakajima's chances look more remote given his poor 2009 form for Williams.

Blasts from the past: Jacques Villeneuve, Pedro de la Rosa, Christian Klien, Alex Wurz, Anthony Davidson, Takuma Sato, Franck Montagny

Former world champion Villeneuve is openly chasing an F1 return three years after his mid-season split with BMW. The sidelined Sato has been approaching teams, while many would love to see his former Super Aguri team-mate Davidson back on the grid, but the Briton's perennial lack of sponsorship makes a return a long shot. Montagny, another ex-Super Aguri man, has also been the subject of surprise F1 comeback gossip.

From GP2 and beyond: Lucas di Grassi, Vitaly Petrov, Pastor Maldonado, Andy Soucek, Karun Chandhok, Bertrand Baguette, Paul di Resta

GP2 frontrunners Petrov, di Grassi and Maldonado hope the new teams might open F1 opportunities for them, while Formula 2 champion Soucek is keen to capitalise on his forthcoming prize Williams test. Scottish Mercedes protege di Resta - a star in the DTM touring car series - was briefly linked to Force India last year and Mercedes' greater F1 involvement could help his chances of landing somewhere.

2010 Drivers Line-Up Takes Shape

With only three teams having confirmed their complete 2010 driver line-up there are plenty of places still available on the grid. But not many with the top teams...


BRAWN GP
Jenson Button: Still to be confirmed.
Despite winning the World title, Jenson Button has yet to secure a contract with Brawn GP for next season, although it is believed to be more of a when rather than if.


The 2009 World Champion's contract negotiations are still be concluded as a result of a difference in opinion regarding what Button is worth and what the team can afford. However, as said, we reckon it's only a matter of time. But it's a little disconcerting that it is taking so much time...
Nico Rosberg: Still to be confirmed.
The identity Brawn GP's second driver has also yet to be confirmed with the team waiting for Button's signature before announcing their complete line-up. Nico Rosberg, though, can enjoy his winter break, secure in the knowledge that he's Brackley-bound next season - we think.


RED BULL RACING
Mark Webber: Confirmed
Sebastian Vettel: Confirmed.
Red Bull has become a hot team for drivers to join given their remarkable move up the pecking. However, their 2010 line-up is signed, sealed and has proven they can deliver.


McLaren
Lewis Hamilton: Confirmed
The 2008 World Champion has a long-term contract with McLaren and will remain at Woking next season where plotting another title-tilt in 2010 will be top of the winter agenda.
Kimi Raikkonen/Heikki Kovalainen: Still to be confirmed/Still to be decided.
The race is on between Raikkonen and Kovalainen for McLaren's second race-seat with Kimi thought to be in the lead. With a World title already to his name and a solid past with McLaren, the only thing keeping Raikkonen out of the seat are his own (exorbitant?) salary demands. Should he fail to drop his price then another Finn, Kovalainen, would be the likely beneficiary though both Jenson Button and Nick Heidfeld continue to be linked...


FERRARI
Felipe Massa: Confirmed
Massa proved himself a racer in 2008 when he came within a heartbeat of winning the World title. He also proved himself a gentlemen, earning respect in the paddock. This past season, he also earned a whole heap of sympathy after a life- and career-threatening injury sidelined him mid-season. The Brazilian, though, has another chance at glory next season after being confirmed by Ferrari.
Fernando Alonso: Confirmed
One of the longest sagas in Formula One history finally came to an end in September when Ferrari confirmed Alonso would definitely be racing for them in 2010. Finally! The double World Champion, who says he brings 6/10ths of a second to the car, will need every millisecond of those 6/10ths to get Ferrari out of their 2009 slump.


SAUBER
Nick Heidfeld: Still to be confirmed.
With Toyota out of the mix, the Sauber team looks to have been thrown a lifeline, although that too is unconfirmed. But should the team make the 2010 grid, expect Heidfeld to be behind one of their steering wheels.
Rookie: Still to be confirmed/Still to be decided.
No rumours have been forthcoming about who could race for Sauber because one even knows if they'll be on the grid next season. But one would expect given Peter Sauber's past-history of uncovering natural talent that an unnamed rookie we've never ever heard of is likely to team up with Heidfeld.


WILLIAMS
Rubens Barrichello: Confirmed.
The most experienced driver is Formula One has been handed yet another season in the sport. And he's got talent too.
Nico Hulkenberg: Confirmed.
A future World Champion? Schumi 2, Schumi-esque, and a sort-of Kimi Raikkonen look-a-like. And this lad is a talent.


RENAULT
Robert Kubica: Confirmed.
Kubica will definitely race for Renault next season after the team announced he would be their No1 driver. A nice move up for the Polish driver...
Romain Grosjean/Timo Glock/Heikki Kovalainen: Still to be confirmed/Still to be decided.
Although Grosjean had the No2 seat in the latter part of 2009, there are plenty of gossipers who believe it's only a matter of time before Renault confirm Glock. And if that doesn't happen, Kovalainen could return to his old team.


FORCE INDIA
Adrian Sutil: Still to be confirmed
Better than the car but as yet still too inconsistent, Force India will be wanting more from Sutil next season.
Tonio Liuzzi: Confirmed.
Having taken over from Giancarlo Fisichella when he moved to Ferrari ahead of the Italian GP, Force India will most likely give Liuzzi a full shot at F1 racing next season.


TORO ROSSO
Sebastien Buemi: Confirmed.
Already confirmed by Franz Tost, Buemi has a year's experience under his belt and the drive to succeed in F1.
Jaime Alguersuari. Still to be confirmed
Hinted at but not confirmed, Jaime is a raw and young talent. Is that enough for Toro Rosso, though?


CAMPOS META
Bruno Senna: Confirmed.
Bruno brings with him not only talent but also the Senna name back into Formula One. Huge pressure on his shoulders as the world waits to see if his talent can live up to his name.
Pastor Maldonado/Vitaly Petrov: Still to be confirmed/Still to be decided.
Both are talented GP2 racers looking to make the move up to F1. And both have caught the eye of team boss Adrian Campos


LOTUS
Jarno Trulli: Still to be confirmed.
Lotus wants Trulli's experience and Trulli wants a race-seat after Toyota quit the business. It's a match made in heaven.
Jacques Villeneuve/Kamui Kobayashi/Anthony Davidson: Still to be confirmed/Still to be decided.
Although Lotus have spoken with Villeneuve, it's unlikely that the former F1 Champ will make a return. He's just been out of F1 for too long. However, Kobayashi is a breath of fresh air for the sport, an exciting prospect who deserves a chance. But he may yet come with a hefty repair bill. That means former F1 racer Anthony Davidson could be the better option. Davidson has experience, is more recent than Villeneuve and has pace.


USF1
Alex Wurz/Pedro de la Rosa: Still to be confirmed/Still to be decided.
Although USF1 initially wanted American drivers, their tune has changed as the team admits experience will be necessary in their debut season. And one thing Wurz and de la Rosa both have is experience,
Kyle Busch: Still to be confirmed/Still to be decided.
NASCAR driver Busch is keen to try his hand at Formula One and USF1 could try hold onto at least half an American line-up.


MANOR GP
Timo Glock: Still to be confirmed.
New rumours making the rounds claim Glock could be heading to Manor instead of Renault as the latter outfit has refused to commit their future to F1.
Lucas di Grassi/Adam Carroll: Still to be confirmed.
Di Grassi has proven himself in the GP2 series as well as winning Macau at the wheel of a Manor F3 car while Carroll is another youngster coming through the lower ranks