Formula 1 is Back, and 2010 is Go!

Whilst browsing through the available photographs for our required Free Practice schedule, we realised there are just too many good ones to narrow it down to one.

Instead, we’ve selected our ten favourite photographs from today in an F1 Minute special. Highlighting several moments that made the day fascinating, the photographs take you from posed portraits to raw speed out on track. Enjoy this F1 Big Picture – 2010 is Go Special.

1. The Class of 2010 – every single driver who will be on the grid on Sunday poses for a photo.
2. I’m Still Standing – Rubens prepares himself for the task ahead.
3. Bruno Meet Bahrain – Bruno Senna, and Hispania Racing, make their Formula One debut.
4. Let’s Get This Party Started – Lucas di Grassi is pleased to have got the weekend underway.
5. Grumpy Old Men – Michael Schumacher gets used to the way F1 is now.
6. Whole Lotta Laps for Liuzzi – Tonio gets plenty of running in for his first day of work in-season.
7. With Finland Behind Him – Heikki flys the flag for Finland and gets off to a good start with Lotus.
8. Glock ‘n Roll – Timo Glock holds off a Sauber. Probably not the last time he’ll have to do that.
9. Many Massa Returns – Felipe makes a welcome return to the cockpit of the red car.
10. The Boys are Back in Town – Smiling faces in the paddock, but how long will that last for?

I hope you enjoy this special set of Free Practice photos, look out for more F1 photo goodness as the season progresses.

The Boys are Back in Town

A ten-part F1 Big Picture series celebrating the return of F1 in Bahrain. Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel compare notes as they make their way through the paddock in Bahrain. Button finished ahead of Vettel in both sessions, but the pair were only four tenths apart by the end of the day. Vettel is slightly concerned about the lack of running he got in the afternoon, a brake problem meant he completed ten laps less than Button.

Credit: Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Many Massa Returns

A ten-part F1 Big Picture series celebrating the return of F1 in Bahrain. Massa steers the Ferrari around Bahrain during Free Practice. Felipe made his F1 weekend return after sitting out the sport since his accident in Hungary 2009. His performance in testing showed no significant issues, and despite running with a temperature today, he says he’s ready for the first race to begin.

Credit: Bridgestone Corporation

Glock ‘n Roll

A ten-part F1 Big Picture series celebrating the return of F1 in Bahrain. Timo Glock leads Pedro de la Rosa, Virgin ahead of Sauber during Free Practice today. We saw several cars overtaking others as the teams got used to slower drivers on the grid. The field spread was vast. Glock has admitted he’s frustrated with the lack of running he got today, he just wants to get on with it.

Credit: Virgin Racing

With Finland Behind Him

A ten-part F1 Big Picture series celebrating the return of F1 in Bahrain. Heikki Kovalainen awaits the call to get in the car for Free Practice. The Lotus driver finished ahead of teammate Trulli in both sessions, and although the new team were quite a way off the pace, Heikki posted some of the better times of the new entrants.

Credit: Lotus Racing

Whole Lotta Laps for Liuzzi

A ten-part F1 Big Picture series celebrating the return of F1 in Bahrain. Tonio Liuzzi gets plenty of running during Free Practice. He finished the first session in P1, although dropped to 12th during the second session, but ended the day impressed with what they’d achieved: “The car is reacting well, as we saw in testing and we covered a lot of laps so we saw how the cars reacts to different levels of fuel.”

Credit: Force India F1

Grumpy Old Men

A ten-part F1 Big Picture series celebrating the return of F1 in Bahrain. Michael Schumacher sits in the car awaiting some Free Practice action. The talk of the paddock was how uncomfortable Schumi seemed – having been denied a request to switch sides of the garage, and finishing tenth in the first practice session. He and Rosberg both improved for FP2, though, finishing 3rd and 1st respectively.

Credit: Mercedes GP Petronas

Let’s Get This Party Started

A ten-part F1 Big Picture series celebrating the return of F1 in Bahrain. Lucas di Grassi gets some laps under his belt during Free Practice on Friday in Bahrain. The Virgin Racing driver had a slow morning, but things picked up for him during FP2. Afterwards, he said: “I wasn’t able to run this morning so the afternoon laps were key to my performance and helping us get started this weekend. The mechanics did a great job running the car and everything seems fine so far.”

Credit: Virgin Racing

Bruno Meet Bahrain

A ten-part F1 Big Picture series celebrating the return of F1 in Bahrain. Bruno Senna tentatively takes to the track in his brand new Hispania Racing car. The team only had one half of their lineup representing, as Chandhok’s car was not ready, but Bruno made the most of the opportunity, despite finishing about four seconds off the pace.

Credit: Bridgestone Corporation

I’m Still Standing

A ten-part F1 Big Picture series celebrating the return of F1 in Bahrain. Rubens Barrichello prepares to get back in the car for Free Practice in Bahrain. The veteran racer is one of only two drivers on the grid who have experienced Grands Prix with no refuelling, and Rubens has said he is extremely grateful to still be in the sport and he’s ready to fight for wins.

Credit: Lorenzo Bellanca/LAT Photographic

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