2010 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Well after a long boring Winter break with no A1 Grand Prix to follow, the long awaited 2010 F1 season is due to kick off on 14th March in Bahrain.

Here are some of my thoughts and observations on the venues...

14th March - Bahrain

Bahrain has taken over the season opening slot from traditional holder Australia. I do usually enjoy this grand prix. The track has recently been "remodelled" with an extra section added to hopefully increase the chances of overtaking.... We will see, is all I can say on that subject!


28th March - Australia


Following an intervention by the money grabbing Ecclestone, the race start time has been changed to 1700 hrs local to make it more convenient for television viewers in Europe.... Again, I find the Aussie grand prix one of the more entertaining ones.


Wouldn't it be great if Mark Webber could have a good home result? Remember how the crowd reacted when he came fifth in the Minardi on his F1 debut at the 2002 Australian GP?


4th April - Malaysia


Ecclestone has decreed that this race will start at 1600 hrs local time. It really annoys me when he sticks his nose in....


I find the racing at Sepang quite enjoyable particularly if it is rain affected. By changing the start time until the afternoon this race is more likely to be influenced by the weather.


It will be interesting to see if the new Lotus team can put on a good show.


18th April - China


All the BBC commentators bang on about what a lovely facility the Chinese have built... blah blah blah. The cars race in front of practically empty stands because the normal Chinese man (or lady) on the street can't afford to buy a ticket!


Last year's race was pretty lacklustre too. Not one of my favourites.


9th May - Spain


Not usually a classic. This year may be more interesting with the return of Michael Schumacher with Mercedes up against Alonso at his old team Ferrari.


16th May - Monaco


At last a proper old style classic GP. I know the race is won and lost during qualifying but there is always lots of drama. Even the best drivers can get caught out round this track.


30th May - Turkey


I have to say this is one of my favourites of the new circuits which have come on to the F1 calendar over the last few years. Sadly, I have seen reports that this venue's days in F1 may be numbered.


Our "friend", you know who, has apparently increased the fees which have to be paid to host the event. As per my comment for China, this was another track with empty stands last year.


It would be a shame to lose this event from the calendar in my view.


13th June - Canada

Wey hey! One of my favourites races makes a very welcome return after more posturing from Ecclestone last year.


Who will end up in "Champions Wall" this year!


27th June - Europe (Valencia)


From the sublime to the ridiculous. Why, Why, Why? another race in Spain - to line Mr Ecclestone's pockets of course! This race has taken over from Hungary as the most boring on the calendar. As Mark Webber put it "like racing around a supermarket car park". The sooner this one is killed off the better.


11th July - Great Britain


Saved and back at Silverstone (thank God) after the Donington debacle.


I really hope and pray that in their efforts to retain the British GP, Silverstone have not put themselves into financial difficulties and end up in the same boat as Donington.


Fingers crossed for a Lewis home win!


25 July - Germany


The crowd atmosphere here will be immense with Schumacher back in action. Hopefully this may make up for the usual lack of excitement on the track.....


1st August - Hungary


I've watched this GP for years and only remember one interesting race.... when Button took his first victory. I'm not expecting much from it although a certain Mr Schumacher could have a good shot at victory here.


29th August - Belgium


Probably my favourite race of the year. A classic driver's track with unpredictable weather to spice things up. Making a welcome return. A track which will suit Schumacher especially if the weather plays a part in proceedings.


12th September - Italy


Back to back classic race tracks. Definitely one of my top five. How will the Tifosi react now that
Schumacher has left Ferrari? One of the few high speed tracks left.


26th September - Singapore


I don't see why this race has to be run at night... It brings nothing to the show in my opinion. Not one of my favourites. It will be interesting to see if anything kicks off between Massa and Alonso at the scene of the crime!


10th October - Japan


I quite like the races in Japan as the weather usually plays a big part and results can be unpredictable.


24 October - Korea


The latest venue to pay into the Ecclestone retirement fund, I mean join the F1 calendar!


I have no idea what to expect from this race but judging by recent additions such as Valencia and Abu Dhabi, I'm not holding my breath.


Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised and we'll get another Turkey....


7th November - Brazil

Another of my top five races of the year. I really hope that Massa will win his home GP following his return from injury. I expect Alonso will get a hard time from the partisan crowd.


14th November - Abu Dhabi


This is another venue which gets the BBC F1 commentary boys in a lather - Ooh what a lovely hotel they've built, ooh what a lot of money they've spent... why can't we do something like this back home...


Yawn. Yawn. Yawn.


I think I speak for other (real) F1 fans when I say, forget the window dressing, get back to basics and put on a decent race!


Well that's my thoughts on the 2010 venues for what their worth...

What do you think? Which races are you looking forward to and which ones would you ditch from the calendar? Why not share your views by leaving a comment?


Other posts you may enjoy.....

2010 F1 Teams & Drivers - Update

Schumacher Returns - It's Official!

Schumacher Returns - It's Official

Mercedes Benz World - Brooklands

It has been a busy week for Mercedes F1...

Further to earlier speculation, on Wednesday 23rd December, the team officially announced that seven time F1 World Champion Michael Schumacher will race for them alongside fellow German Nico Rosberg in 2010.

Schumacher, ever confident, has already set his sights on an unprecedented eighth World title which he believes to be achievable despite his age and three year absence from the sport.

He is basing this assumption on the fact the Brawn GP (now Mercedes) Team produced the Championship winning car and driver in 2009.

As I have stated in this blog on a number of occasions, I believe that Brawn were afforded an early season advantage in 2009 over their rivals due to their clever interpretation of the technical rules regarding the use of a double diffuser.

By the time the other teams had modified their cars, Brawn had the Championship effectively sewn up.

It is highly unlikely, in my opinion, that the Brawn/Mercedes team will be afforded the same head start in 2010 and therefore it follows, that Schumacher will not have an open road to the Championship.

I do believe 2010 will be a very tight season with several teams and drivers in the hunt for Constructors and Drivers Championships.

Massa and Alonso at Ferrari will be fun to watch taking points from each other - and, I expect, squabbling throughout the season.

I have a good feeling about Hamilton at McLaren - provided the team can produce a decent car. I believe Button will struggle with a top class team mate coupled with an unfamilar car and team organisation.

If Red Bull can continue to develop their car, Vettel will definitely be another Championship contender. I would like to include Mark Webber in the list of possible Champions but fear he will continue to be dogged with the bad luck that has plagued his career to date.

In addition to the news of Michael Schumacher's impending return to F1, Mercedes have also signed a title sponsorship agreement with Malaysian oil giant Petronas, much to the chagrin of Lotus F1 who had hoped to do the deal themselves.

My friend Himmat Singh in Malaysia has written an interesting post on his blog from a local perspective about the Petronas/Mercedes link up and it's implications for Lotus.

If you'd like to read it, please click here.

How do you think Michael Schumacher will fair in 2010? Will he still be competitive or just make up the numbers?

Why not leave a comment? They are always very welcome.

Michael Schumacher Back to F1 in 2010?

Picture by Schumigirl1956




Rumours are rife that seven time F1 World Champion Michael Schumacher will be lured back to Formula 1 next season behind the wheel of a Mercedes following a sabbatical as "advisor" to Ferrari (and mentor to Felipe Massa).

Dear old Bernie Ecclestone's little piggy eyes have lit up already at the thought of the extra cash that would be generated.

He has already been reported in the media extolling the virtues of a Schumacher return to F1 action.

Ferrari boss di Montezemelo has stated that they would not stand in the way of a Schumacher return with rivals Mercedes and that his return would be a good thing for Formula 1 in general.

Whether it will actually happen remains to be seen. After all we have been in this position before a few months ago...

When Felipe Massa was injured at the Hungarian GP, Schumacher was lined up to replace him for the remainder of the season.

However, due to a neck injury he had to abandon the plan and there then followed the sorry debacle of Luca Badoer and Fisi - surely one of Ferrari's most embarassing seasons ever.

So what do I think (assuming it actually happens)?


I have to say that I am not one of Michael Schumacher's biggest fans.

He is undisputedly highly skilled behind the wheel and can read a race tactically much better than many of his rivals.

However, in my opinion he has a crossed the line on too many occasions as to what I would deem to be appropriate behaviour on the track.....


OK, maybe I'm being too polite here - I mean he has a propensity to cheat when things aren't going his way!

Having said that, the prospect of the current World Champion Button competing with no less than three former World Champions (Hamilton, Alonso and of course Schumacher) could make for an entertaining season.

For Mercedes, pairing up Schumacher with a fellow German driver Rosberg, in a German car with a German engine, would be a marketing dream.

It would be interesting to see how Schumacher would fair in the Mercedes after a long absense from F1 and without the familiar Ferrari team around him.....

If you have found this post interesting, please feel free to leave a comment!

You may also like the following posts......

2010 Formula 1 Teams and Drivers

Fisichella's Ferrari Swansong

Ferrari - Face Facts - You Can't Polish a Turd!!

Schumacher rules out F1 return

Just when it looked as though we might have a bit of added spice for the rest of the F1 season, Michael Schumacher has decided against returning to Ferrari on medical grounds.

Schumacher sustained injuries in a motorbike accident earlier this year and suffered neck pain (some will say he has always been one of those!) when test driving a 2007 Ferrari on track. It is feared his injury would be further agravated if he were to temporarily replace Felipe Massa as reported previously in this blog.

Instead of the mouth watering prospect of the Red Baron returning to the track we have, err, Luca Badoer. Luca who? - Luca Badoer.

He has been beavering away behind the scenes at Ferrari for many years as one of their test drivers and last raced an F1 car around ten years ago so don't expect him to set the world alight.

I suppose given the very short notice this was probably the only option Ferrari had to replace Massa now that Schumacher has also stepped back.

It would appear that Ferrari have written off this season to concentrate of next year.

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F1 - Schumacher Returns - Piquet Out

Despite Michael Schumacher's manager stating last week that he was "200% sure" Schumacher would not replace the injured Felipe Massa at Ferrari, he has now been confirmed through to the end of the season!

Ferrari have thrown a hissy fit earlier this week (as they usually do when things don't go their way.....).

They had requested dispensation from the FIA and other F1 teams to allow Schumacher to test the 2009 Ferrari due to the in season test ban. This request was turned down flat by Williams, Toro Rosso and Red Bull in case it set a precedent. A tad harsh maybe but after all, rules is rules as they say.

I have a gut feeling that Schumacher could win a race later this year. If I was a gambling man my money would be on Abu Dhabi. Here's why -

1. It is the last race by which time he should be back in the swing and fully up to speed with the car

2. Ferrari will no doubt have made further developments to the car throughout the remaining races

3. It is a new circuit for all the drivers making it a level playing field

What do you think? Your comments are always welcome.

Meanwhile over at Renault, Nelson Piquet Junior has been shown the exit door - not unexpected.

Yet another in a long line of victims of the perma tanned Lothario.

He has already been replaced by rookie Romain Grosjean who was Renault's official third driver.

I cannot see that he will do any better than Piquet managed when all the team's resources are directed at Alonso.

I think it was a mistake for Piquet to join the Renault team in the first place although it is completely understandable that he would see it as an immediate move into one of the top teams at the time.

He may have been better advised to take the traditional route and join a team lower down the grid for a couple of seasons and then move up to better things (like Alonso for example).

Briatore is notoriously difficult to work with and it became quite quickly apparent that Piquet was not feeling the love!

Jenson Button had a similar miserable time at Renault but since leaving his career has flourished.

Piquet is not a shabby driver by a long chalk - at the inaugaral A1 GP meeting at Brands Hatch he wiped the floor with everybody (including some ex F1 drivers), winning both the sprint and feature races by some margin.

I really hope that he will get a chance to find another berth in F1, perhaps with one of the new teams and prove his true potential.

Nothing would give me greater pleasure than seeing Briatore made to look a twat once more!

Photos thanks to - Schumigirl1956 & Ann64