Formula One racing teams – 2009 updates

Formula One has recently undergone some major ups and downs and at one point, fans and teams were worried whether F1 would continue to exist. There were high profile bribery and espionage scandals, race-fixing rumors, FIA insider fighting and favoritism, delays in confirming teams and circuits. Then there was the exit of F1 superstar Michael Schumacher. Some felt that there was no F1 life after Schumacher, other fans were tired and bored of Schumacher and Ferrari winning every race.

The last three years has proven that there is life after Schumacher, having allowed the much needed younger drivers to flourish and win championship titles. Now Schumacher is back this season. Some are asking why?

After all these upheavals seemed to have settled down, there was the high profile exit of major teams, which was a major blow and shock to the sport. In a depressed world economy, it was no longer possible for ailing car companies to justify spending vast amounts of money on F1.

FIA has come to the aid of teams, by putting in measures to reduce costs of F1 participation, but this was after the exit of Honda, Toyota and BMW. Although there is still a BMW Sauber team this season, this is a misnomer, as BMW is no longer part of this team and it may be renamed during the season. Also, the exit of tyre-maker Bridgestone at the end of 2010, means that there is no longer any Japanese corporate sponsor in F1.

Although some old teams have exited, new teams or old-new teams emerged and re-emerged. There has been a team line-up change, since FIA posted the new teams for the 2010 season in July 2009. In this list, three new teams were announced: Campos Meta, Manor Grand Prix and Team US F1. Since then, Campos Meta became Hispania Racing and Manor Grand Prix became Virgin Racing. Then, Lotus Racing was added to the line-up and US F1 withdrew. The new teams, most of which have newcomer drivers too, will have a lot to prove this season.

The team to watch this season probably will be Red Bull, which is using the two-team approach. The primary team being Red Bull and the secondary team being Torro Rosso. Red Bull supplies the chassis to Torro Rosso and Torro Rosso takes over Red Bull's Ferrari engine contract, while Red Bull uses the new Renault engine. With many new drivers coming up the ranks, the teams with veteran drivers will definitely be worth watching this year. Also, Michael Schumacher is back and everyone is waiting with abated breath to see what he can accomplish after a three-year hiatus.

Team McLaren Mercedes has a lot to prove this season too, having placed third in 2009 in the constructors' championship, with almost a 100-point differential to first place Brawn-Mercedes and 82-point differential with second place Red Bull-Renault.

This year will see the season opening and ending in the Middle East, with the first race being the Bahrain Grand Prix and the last race the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. For the 2010 circuit line-up, the Canadian Grand Prix is back, after a one-year hiatus and the Korean Grand Prix is the newcomer to the race line-up. Although the Korean Grand Prix is not yet 100% confirmed, because the track is only due to be completed in July, its addition is a great way to expand F1's Asian fan base.

The 2010 teams and drivers