Only 18 More Days F1 Fans!

photo by: Mark McArdle

One of the most exciting years of racing in Formula 1 history was 2010.  There was no clearcut champion until the very last race in Abu Dhabi.  I was very happy that Sebastian Vettel clinched the drivers championship becoming the youngest world champion in F1 history but at the same time I realized that it would be a very long time until the teams fired up their engines again.

The wait is soon coming to and end!  The 2011 season is about to kickoff with much anticipation and the world watching to see if Sebastian Vettel can continue his dominance of 2010, during which he claimed 10 pole positions.  He narrowly won the drivers championship with 256 points ever so slightly edging out rival Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso who finished with 252 points.

Bahrain is the location for the first race of the 2011 season.  Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone is closely watching the protest situation unfold in case a decision has to be made on delaying the race.  He has stated that it is up to Bahrain to make the call on whether or not it is safe to hold the race and that a decision will be made in the next couple days.  Let's hope that they can forge ahead with plans to hold the inaugural race in 18 days because I don't know if I can wait any longer!  

Some rule changes to look for this year:

- Drivers can now adjust rear wings from the cockpit.

- Pirelli takes over as the sports sole tire supplier.

- Gearboxes have to last 5 races this year instead of 4.

- Team orders are now allowed - (keep an eye for possible shenanigans from Ferrari).

The twelve teams are as follows:

1. Red Bull, Sebastian Vettel of Germany and Mark Weber of Australia.

2. McLaren, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button of the United Kingdom.

3. Ferrari, Fernando Alonso of Spain and Felipe Massa of Brazil.

4. Mercedes GP, Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg of Germany.

5. Renault, Nick Heidfeld of Germany and Vitaly Petrov of Russia.

6. Williams, Rubens Barrichello of Brazil and Pastor Maldonado of Venezuela.

7. Force India, Adrian Sutil of Germany and Paul di Resta of the United Kingdom.

8. Sauber, Kamui Kobayashi of Japan and Sergio Pérez of Mexico.

9. Torro Rosso, Sebastian Buemi of Switzerland and Jaime Alguersuari of Spain.

10. Lotus, Heikki Kovalainen of Finland and Jarno Trulli of Italy.

11. HRT, Narain Karthikeyan of India and TBD.

12. Virgin, Timo Glock of Germany and Jérôme d'Ambrosio of Belgium.  

You should be able to catch most races on Speed Channel or FOX.

Who are you rooting for in 2011?

-M