Fernando Alonso in preseason testing.

Fernando Alonso made the best of his new job driving for Ferrari by taking the win in Bahrain. The two time world champion appeared unable to hang with polesitter Sebastian Vettel in the early stages of the race, but got lucky when Vettel experienced an exhaust problem following the final pit stop. Vettel’s misfortune proved to be an opportunity for Alonso as well as his teammate Felipe Massa, who took second. Lewis Hamilton, driving a McLaren Mercedes finished third.

Massa’s second place finish was particularly remarkable in light of his crash in qualifying for the 2009 Hungarian Gran Prix. Massa was hit in the helmet by a spring from Rubens Barrichello’s Brawn and received serious head trauma. His return to racing was in doubt, let alone his ability to return and compete at the top levels of the sport.

Seven time champion Michael Schumacher finished in sixth and complained that the car, “was not to his liking”. Schumacher’s teamate, Nico Rosberg, apparently liked his car much better, finishing in fifth spot some four seconds ahead of Schumacher.

After a long winter without open wheel racing, the F1 and IRL seasons both kick off this weekend. The F1 season opens in Bahrain, and Sebastian Vettel (driving for Red Bull) has put his Renault powered car on the pole. Felipe Massa (Ferrari) has the outside of the front row, followed by Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), Lewis Hamilton (McLaren Mercedes) and Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) to round out the top five. Rosberg’s teammate, seven time world champion Michael Schumacher, qualified in seventh spot, followed by current world champion Jenson Button in eighth.

Michael Schumacher’s official return to Formula 1 racing began on Monday, with the first test of the new Mercedes W01 car at Valencia, Spain. No comparative lap times were given, but Schumacher admitted to feeling “like a young boy that has a toy in his hands”.

Rule changes for 2009 and again for 2010 have made for closer competition than in Schumacher’s earlier F1 career. Drivers like Lewis Hamilton have an equivalent amount of talent but perhaps more ambition; it should prove to be an interesting season, and I’ll lay down my World Driver’s Championship prediction now: Hamilton first, Schumacher second, Felipe Massa third.

Source: RPMgo

2010 BMW Sauber C29

In case you needed proof that even F1 has underdogs, witness the 2010 BMW Sauber C29. Left for dead when BMW announced their withdrawal from F1 in 2010, the team scrambled for a buyer before being acquired by original owner Peter Sauber.

Here’s the first picture (credit to Autosport) of the 2010 McLaren MP4-25. Note the significant aerodynamic changes from the MP4-24, pictured below. The new car features down swept side pods and a sharper nose (presumably to reduce drag) and a pronounced vertical stabilizer running from the airbox to the rear wing.

The U.S. F1 team has announced the signing of Jose Maria Lopez as a driver for the 2010 Formula 1 season. Lopez, from Argentina, has F1 experience as a test driver for the Renault Team, and has enjoyed success in feeder series ranging from Formula Renault to GP2. Beloved in his native country, Lopez brings sponsorship dollars from the Argentinean government.

U.S. F1, based in Charlotte, NC, will be the sole U.S. team competing in the Formula 1 series. Executive vice president Peter Windsor has extensive F1 experience in team management, sponsorship management and media relations. The U.S. F1 team represents the United States’ first foray into the F1 series in over forty years.

Additional driver announcements are expected in the near future.

The Lotus F1 Team first publicly announced their decision to return to the Formula One circuit a month ago, and they’re already making quick time to overcome their lengthy to-do list. First and foremost is the vehicle itself, which has been spotted for the first time in model form today. Pictured above (and below, after the jump), the Lotus prototype is preparing to undergo a rigorous wind tunnel test to assess aerodynamics. Upon completion, the model will be refined and assembled in ready-to-race form, which is apparently easier said then done.

In addition to the difficulties commonly associated with getting any precisely engineered vehicles road-ready, Lotus also faces the sizable obstacles presented by the new F1 requirements. As per the new regulations (effective in 2010), vehicles are no longer permitted to refuel during the race, which will necessitate the addition of a larger fuel tank, and new tire regulations will finally force teams to switch to low-profile slicks (which is something the majority of F1 fans have been suggesting amongst themselves for years). Despite the numerous difficulties, however, technical director Mike Gascoyne is confident the Lotus F1 Team will be able to keep pace (no awful pun intended). “There is no escaping the challenges that we face simply to get the car ready for the first race of next season, but I am confident that we are up to the task in hand,” said Gascoyne. “Our target is to get the car ready for a roll out by the middle of February so that we can carry out pre-season testing in preparation for Bahrain in mid-March.”

Track marshals recover the crashed Renault Formula One car of Nelson Piquet of Brazil during the Singapore F1 Grand Prix, September 28, 2008

This morning, the World Motor Sport Council convened in Paris to hand down the thunder to the ING Renault F1 team. Apparently, an exhaustive internal investigation conducted following Renault F1 driver Nelson Piquet Jr’s crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix revealed that the maneuver had been a deliberate one. Piquet, Renault director of engineering Pat Symonds, and Renault team boss Flavio Briatore were charged with purposefully orchestrating the crash in order to propel fellow Renault driver Fernando Alonso to the victory. In the face of the overwhelming evidence both Piquet and Symonds admitted to their guilt, but Briatore is remaining stoic.