Who is a Dark Horse for a Podium Finish in Germany?
Predicting a Formula 1 race in 2010 has been an incredible simple matter: chose a driver from McLaren, Red Bull or Ferrari to finish in the top three and the chances are overwhelmingly in your favour to be right. In fact, only two drivers outside of those three teams have finished on the podium so far this season: Nico Rosberg and Robert Kubica. Every other driver from a team outside of the “Big Three” teams has been shut out so far this season.
This weekend’s German Grand Prix offers teams from outside the first three spots in the Constructors’ Championship the opportunity to break through the gridlock at the top of the field. While Red Bull and McLaren are the runaway top teams in Formula 1 this season, the regression of Ferrari has opened up opportunities for other teams to increase their position. Ferrari has scored just 19 points in the last three races and has not placed a driver on the podium on time in the past five races (Fernando Alonso in Canada).
So while the likes of Hamilton, Button, Webber and Vettel are the clear favourites to finish strong at Hockenheim, there is also a chance that a smaller team could spring a surprise. A victory might be out of reach for many teams but a podium finish would be a great result. Here is a look at some of the drivers who could surprise with a top-three result in Germany:
Nico Rosberg: It’s almost difficult to consider Rosberg to be a dark horse at this point in the season. He’s scored three different podium finishes this season to climb to sixth in the championship points. That’s as many podium finishes as Alonso has and one more than Alonso’s Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa.
The question heading into Germany isn’t whether Rosberg can finish on the podium - it’s whether he might be able to break the top teams’ stranglehold on race victories this season. There are several reasons to expect that Rosberg could pull the upset at Hockenheim. He’s coming off a third-place finish at Silverstone in the last race, and he’s been one of the most consistent drivers in the series this year, completing 599 of the 600 total laps raced through the first 10 races.
Most importantly, he’s a German driver racing for the top German team at the German Grand Prix. While early-season prognostications would have pegged his teammate Michael Schumacher as the Mercedes driver likely to break through this week, it’s clear that Rosberg is now the top driver on the team. This weekend could be his time to shine.
Robert Kubica: The Renault driver is the only driver other than Rosberg to break through the grip of the Big Three teams and earn a podium finish. He’s done it twice this year (Australia and Monaco) and has also placed the car on the front row of the grid this season. Despite exiting the British Grand Prix early, Kubica has also been consistent, especially in qualifying. With his place at Renault apparently firm, the time is now for Kubica to make another strong run.
Rubens Barrichello: While the Williams team has struggled for much of the season, Barrichello has surged in recent weeks. He backed up a season-best fourth place finish in Valencia with a fifth-place result at Silverstone and is coming into the German Grand Prix with plenty of momentum. Hockenheim is a track where Barrichello has had success in the past; in 2000 he won the German Grand Prix, becoming the first Brazilian driver since the late Ayrton Senna to claim a Formula 1 victory.
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