The return of Michael Schumacher and a British alliance being formed at McLaren have grabbed all the media attention. Many have predicted that the driver’s championship will go to Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton or Jenson Button which seems to be short sighted considering the strong driver line-up at Ferrari and the young talented drivers.

Schumacher’s return has put Sebastian Vettel in the shade who finished second in last year’s drivers championship, only eleven points behind Jenson Button. The young German won his first race at Monza in 2008 and claimed four more victories last season. If Red Bull give him a competitive car it’s likely that Vettel will reach the top step of the podium again and make himself Germany’s and maybe even the World’s best driver.

Another German that has passed under the radar is Nico Rosberg, Schumacher’s team mate at Mercedes. Rosberg hasn’t won a race yet but he was never given a car capable of winning races by Williams. He finished 7th in last season’s championship with 34.5 points which was 34.5 points more than his team mate Kazuki Nakajima. It’s unlikely that Rosberg will be a contender for the Championship but a season as Schumacher’s teammate it should help him improve and fulfil his potential in later seasons.

Another young driver that will be looking for success is Renault’s Robert Kubica. The Polish driver was a strong title contender in 2008 with BMW Sauber, he claimed his first and only victory to date and eventually finished fourth. Last season was hard for him as BMW Sauber were far from being competitive, but the Pole will be hoping that a fresh start at Renault will bring him success.

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