Unlike last year, however, appearance has translated into pace, with consistency over long runs on the last day at Barcelona that might even be the class of the field. This bodes well for Lewis Hamilton. For all the talk that this year's rules will suit his smoother team-mate, Lewis is no rock-ape ruffian behind the wheel. He, along with half a dozen others, start the season with realistic belief that they are in title contention, and he would just love to get one over Alonso at Ferrari and of course the returning Schumacher.

Jenson Button does have an uphill battle at a team where Lewis is the flavour of the day, but he will get a genuinely equal chance, is apolitical enough to get on with the job, and has the confidence that comes with carrying '1' on his nosecone. And the fact is that the rules do play to his strengths. With Mercedes' sell-out of its stake meaning little - the excellent engines are still there, and the team couldn't even be bothered changing liveries - all in all, McLaren look very competitive for both titles.

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Michael Schumacher has been rather ambivalent about his early-season prospects. But he thirsts for the thrill of battle and victory. If the car does turn out to be a winner at any stage, he will do the rest. No one dare doubts that anything's possible with Schumi, even an 8th title. But if the car spends the season fighting for 4ths, 5ths and 6ths, it may test the extent to which he thinks this comeback is worthwhile. Alternatively, he may galvanise the team around him as he did at Ferrari. Again, anything's possible.

As a further alternative, age and rustiness may have caused Michael to lose that eleventh-tenth edge that Hamilton, Alonso and Vettel possess. Why not add Nico Rosberg to that list? He has had a fairly quiet off-season as the spotlight shines on Schumi, but the reality is Michael is at his most vulnerable ever. Both drivers are new; it's not as if Nico is stepping into Michael's established team, so he should get a fair shot to make his own destiny. Why can't he cause a surprise? Anything's possible...

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Their pace over long runs puts them in the leading bunch, and though the Renault engine may be down on power it is economical. But reliability has been an issue, although the team says most of the stoppages were precautionary. If the RB06 is a genuine title contender, this will test Sebastian Vettel's mettle. He has to redeem himself after his errors cost him last year's title, but he has to do it in the face of opposition that knows how to win races and championships. If he can prevail, he can join the greats.

Although Mark Webber was arguably more solid than Vettel last year, he doesn't have the German's ultimate pace, and no one seriously puts him in the same category as Schumacher, Hamilton or Alonso. This has the potential to go both ways. Either he genuinely doesn't have that last bit of edge in which case he'll be battling for 4ths and 5ths and the odd podium all year. Or, with his leg fully healed, he could revel in underdog status, surprise Vettel and others, and we will all finally see Mark's true worth.

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It appears as though Ferrari have managed to tweak all the right areas to come up with an effective all-round compromise. Fernando Alonso calls it the best car he's driven, high praise given he won titles in the fabulous Renault R25 and R26. The question marks are not about his ability to score podiums and wins - that much is certain. Rather, at his second attempt at leaving the comforts of Renault, can he fit in at Ferrari or will he become a recluse, demand favouritism, and throw a tantrum if he doesn't get it?

This year could well make or break Felipe Massa. It is his mental strength, not his physical condition, which will be crucial. He came so close to winning the 2008 title, but the point is, he didn't. He proved himself against Raikkonen, but Ferrari's keenness to chase Alonso said that he could not be entrusted with team leadership. He's not viewed in the same league as Schumacher, Alonso and Hamilton, even Vettel. He finds himself, once again, needing to convince everyone. Don't rule it out; he might just be able to.

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There will be nothing particularly wrong with the FW32; it will be a good, solid, points-scoring car. It has been designed by Ed Wood with Jon Tomlinson as head of aero; no doubt they are competent, but largely unheard-of. The Cosworth engine will be there or thereabouts, and much of Williams' testing has focussed on engine performance. And in Rubens Barrichello, they have signed a consistent, win-on-his-day driver who is just no longer in the top echelon, if he ever was to begin with.

Barrichello and Williams seem to be a mismatch; it will be interesting to see how the Brazilian handles the no-nonsense environment. Surprisingly little has been made of Nico Hulkenberg despite him being GP2 champion. It's because he is very capable, but he has to do something that will actually attract attention. For the reality is that everything at Williams adds up to a default of ignorable midfield drabness, and their challenge is to break through that. It'd be nice if they could, but you just can't see it happening.

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Not a good starting point, then. Aerodynamically you can see that the team, now led by Eric Boullier, has tried to do what it can. Plus the Renault engine may be economical, but horsepower is not its strength. The result is a car which looks like it will be ensconced in the midfield; testing suggests that it may even be behind Sauber, Toro Rosso and Force India, and only ahead of the newcomers. Minor points will be good; podiums seem out of reach. The Renault name might not last much longer.

This will be yet another disappointment for Robert Kubica, for whom there was simply no room at the inn at the major teams. He needs to keep his chin up, give 110%, regularly punch above the car's weight, and be patient because his quality cannot be overlooked forever. Vitaly Petrov be the GP2 runner-up, but few seem to believe he merits his place; his task is simply to prove that he does. Currently what he brings is novelty value as the first Russian F1 racer, and the partly Renault-owned Lada name into F1...

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Testing certainly suggests that, whilst fairly competitive, the Force India is in a midfield pack with Williams, Sauber, Toro Rosso and Renault. These teams look set to battle it out for the lower points. Losing James Key to Sauber will hurt, but retaining the Mercedes engine should ensure there's no lack of horsepower. Adrian Sutil needs to step up though, and assert his leadership on the driving front and convert the team's potential into more regular points.

To do that, he will need to keep putting in eye-catching performances in the dry as well as in the wet, and cut out the mistakes that still dot his weekends. For Vitantonio Liuzzi, this is a second chance after his unhappy Toro Rosso experience. No one else in the paddock seems interested in his services and even Force India have Paul di Resta waiting in the wings. The Italian must match Sutil regularly and score at least five to ten points to ensure that he still has an F1 future.

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But what it does mean is that Toro Rosso have a very handy chassis at their disposal; that much has been apparent from testing, when both Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari have appeared at the pointy end of the timesheets. The difference between Red Bull and Toro Rosso's performance levels will lie in STR's Ferrari engine, how the smaller team fares operationally and strategically, and how the still-inexperienced drivers can exploit the potential out on the track.

Buemi started and finished 2009 brightly and his aim will be to translate that kind of form into a season-long campaign. He was a pleasant surprise last season and so expectations of him are now higher. Alguersuari gets a full season and the opportunity to test, so he will need to start matching Buemi and scoring points on his own. Minor points should come at regular intervals, and under the new points system a haul of around 20 points should be a realistic target for Franz Tost's men.

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Throw in an Italian and a Finn behind the wheel as well. And yet somehow it all seems to gel, in the sense that everyone involved seems serious and intent on putting in a respectable effort. That much is shown in the fact that their entry was only granted in September, yet they have produced a car in time for testing, and a very reliable one at that. Not that the T127 is fast - it's 4 to 5 seconds off the pace, more conservative than Margaret Thatcher, and apparently has less downforce than a 2003 Minardi!

And yet they appear to be at the head of the new teams, which shows the gulf the newcomers have to bridge. At any rate, Lotus look the best placed to give a decent account of themselves. For Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen, it's about building for the future, finishing races, using their solid speed and experience to improve the car, beating the other newcomers, and maybe scoring a point or two in wet or high-attrition races. If they can do that, it will be well and truly a case of mission accomplished.

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The odds are heavily stacked against HRT though. Dallara may be an experienced racing car maker, returning to F1 for the first time since 1992, but Lotus and Virgin have shown how hard it is for a brand new team. The car will get no real hit-out until Bahrain, so there's no time to iron out the chinks, let alone find any pace. Plus who will be responsible for development? Dallara or HRT, which apparently only has a shoestring crew? There's been no time to sort out important details like that.

So you feel there's going to be a lot of trial and error. In Colin Kolles at least they have a capable if mercurial team manager, but unlike Lotus and Virgin they have no-one with any serious F1 mileage behind the wheel. Karun Chandhok deserves his chance, while Bruno Senna, who missed out on the Brawn seat last year, might be wondering what he's getting himself into, with a team most likely to fill the last row. Though he's bringing the famous family name back to the grid, he'll be hoping not to embarrass it.

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The car was stunning in early tests, although one suspects that the chart-topping times were due to low fuel runs. In longer race simulations the pace hasn't been quite as staggering but it has still been promising. Do not be surprised f the Saubers head the midfield battle and occasionally give the leading four teams a fright. The big issue will be ongoing development, which has always been Sauber's weakness, with no sponsors currently and a need to secure funding to ensure the team's future beyond 2010.

The driving line-up is a curious mix of youth and experience. Much has been said about Kamui Kobayashi's daring as shown in his first two GPs; he needs to display that form consistently over a full season. But Pedro de la Rosa is an odd choice. He's a good tester, but that doesn't always make a great racer. He's 38, hasn't raced since 2006 not had a full time race drive since 2002, and his F1 record isn't exactly stellar apart from a few memorable drives. He may not have what it takes to remain competitive at this level.

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How testing has gone should make them nervous about whether they can go the distance on a race weekend, due to recurrent problems with leaking fluid and mounting issues for the front wing, and whether they can handle the pace of the field. The Virgin has regularly come last on the timesheets, usually five to six seconds behind the best. How well they can tap into their potential and fully consummate the relationship between chassis, engine and tyres will determine if Virgin can end up on top of the newcomers.

At least the Virgin can look good doing it - that paint job has got many people's juices flowing. In the cockpit, Timo Glock is fast and relatively experienced and will coax the car along, and based on recent form Lucas di Grassi is an exciting prospect as well, but in reality neither are likely to score this year. Virgin won't be blowing anyone away in 2010, but if they bed down the basics, squeeze all they can out of the VR01, keep trying and not lie down, they will be bang on target for next season.

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The rest of the established teams look like having a close battle for the minor points, with Sauber and Williams maybe having a slight edge, although Force India and Toro Rosso could surprise. Renault might be starting the year slightly behind the eight ball. The three new teams will fight each other in a distinct group at the back of the pack. All in all, the most anticipated season for years deserves its billing, and a fascinating story seems certain to unfold.

REJECTS IN 2010:

Bahrain's 'endurance' layout

Crowds (or lack thereof) in Istanbul

The new teams' hopes of matching the established outfits

Williams' aspirations of being a front-running team again

Renault - you know you're in trouble when you're sponsored by Lada

Virgin's all-CFD design

The "BMW Sauber Ferrari" name

Of the drivers, Vitantonio Liuzzi and Pedro de la Rosa

Zoran Stefanovic - you know you haven't heard the last of him yet

USF1's attempts to be back on the grid in 2011