Button Eager to Challenge Hamilton at McClaren

Jenson Button said that he was lured to McClaren team thanks to the prospect of racing head to head with Lewis Hamilton. Both British drivers know that the spotlight will be on them as they battle each other in the white of McClaren. Button has signed a deal reported to be worth more than double what he was earning at Brawn, now to be known as Mercedes. This is the first British pairing in Formula 1 since 1968, when Damon Hills father Graeme joined Lotus to partner Jim Clark. Both Lewis and Jenson will be eager to show they are the number one driver for their team.

Both drivers have publicly stated how excited they are at the prospect of working together and competing in a similar car. The Formula 1 betting odds from bwin have Lewis Hamilton as favourite for the crown for the 2010 season at odds of 3.50 whilst Jenson Button is at odds of 9.00 to retain his title. The belief seems to be that Button somewhat crawled over the line in the Formula 1 season of 2009 and showed many signs of fragility before finally closing out the title. In what is likely to be a much closer battle at the beginning of the season this year the bookmakers need convincing that he can stand the close battles that Hamilton prevailed from in 2008. Formula 1 fans will be able to see just who the best British driver is as they are driving the same car.

Fernando Alonso is racing for Ferrari this season and he is second favourite with odds of 4.00. This suggests that his ferocious rivalry with Hamilton for the World Championship crown may be renewed now he is driving a competitive car. It is no secret that there is no love lost between the two drivers and the sport was invigorated by their battles in 2007 where their focus on each other allowed Kimi Raikkonen, who is not racing this year in Formula 1, to snatch the title from both of them.

The nephew of the late Ayrton Senna, Bruno Senna makes his debut this season and he will hope that along with his looks, his driving is a dead ringer for his uncle. He is 26 and driving for the new Campos team but there will be a lot of interest from other teams to see if he can drive like his uncle. If so, a move to a team like Ferrari or McClaren could be on the cards for 2011. Senna has said that he has done around 5,000 interviews and 99% of them have mentioned his uncle and it is something he is used to, but he wants to make his own mark on the sport and if his car is competitive he may be the dark horse of the season. Argentinean fans will certainly hope so.

Someone who has already made their mark on the sport is Michael Schumacher. After coming so close to a comeback last season when Felipe Massa suffered a terrible head injury which ended his season and very nearly his life, it has been confirmed that Schumacher has maintained his fitness and is interested in making a comeback to the sport that he dominated so well in the 1990’s. So far there has been no official comment regarding a comeback but the rumours are growing each day. Massa, on the other hand, will return to racing it is believed in time for the first race of the season.

There are many plots and subplots that make the 2010 Formula 1 season a must-see sport for any racing fans. British Formula 1 betting fans will have many bets to choose from with drivers like Mark Webber, Sebastian Vettel, Jenson Button, Bruno Senna, Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton and Rubens Barrichello in contention for every race. It promises to be a thoroughly exciting and engaging season and I for one cannot wait for the cars to hit the grid!

By Malcolm Clarke