Finishing Monday’s opening test at Valencia as the field’s slowest runner was almost certainly not how Robert Kubica had envisaged starting his Renault F1 career.

Ferrari have become the first team to officially launch their 2010 car after unveiling the F10 on Thursday. The machine will be driven by Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, as they attempt to return the Italian squad to title contention following a difficult 2009 season, which brought the team just one victory. The F10 is the 56th single-seater produced by Ferrari to contest the world championship and will make its track debut on Friday at the team’s Fiorano circuit, with Massa behind the wheel…

Although their 2010 car is still to make its debut, Mercedes’ launch event in Stuttgart on Monday was memorable.

All Formula One drivers are ambitious, but if someone were to compile a list of the most determined, then Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel would emerge very much a frontrunner. So you’d think Vettel, who finished last year’s championship second to Jenson Button, would be feeling more than a little frustrated with the news his team are to miss next month’s first official test of 2010. The young German, however, is content to sit out the opening three-day session at the Spanish track of Valencia, which gets underway on February 1

While 2009 runner-up Sebastian Vettel has been tipped for championship success this year by none other than Formula One Management’s CEO Bernie Ecclestone, some have questioned whether Renault power will be enough to propel his Red Bull to glory. The German, however, is confident the French manufacturer has solved the reliability issues that hampered his ‘09 campaign and believes the title is well within his grasp…

Red Bull came so close to clinching the 2009 title that chief technical officer Adrian Newey could easily feel disappointed that they couldn’t quite wrestle the championship out of Brawn GP’s grasp. Newey, however, believes their ‘09 performance has boosted the team’s confidence to such an extent that they are facing 2010 with optimism.

When race fans look back on 2009, they will describe it as the year of the underdog. While the usual frontrunners took a back seat, newcomers Brawn GP won both championships with fellow upstarts Red Bull hard on their heels all the way

Following the well-trodden path of most great drivers, Nico Hulkenberg began his career on the kart track. After starting at the tender age of ten back in 1997, within five years Hulkenberg was already making waves

After being hailed as a future champion on his F1 debut in 2000, it took ten attempts before Jenson Button finally won his maiden title at October’s Brazilian Grand Prix. But having the stamina to hold on to hope in the face of adversity is just as worthy as succeeding from the start – or so Formula One Management CEO Bernie Ecclestone believes

Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel started 2009 hoping for wins and finished it coming closer than anyone to beating Jenson Button to the title. Vettel says he has grown as a driver as a result, but makes no secret of his anger at losing out – at those missed opportunities and small, but costly mistakes.