Pedro de la Rosa

Cast to the sidelines for the last eight years, the lion-hearted Spaniard, Pedro de La Rosa, is all set to make his F1 comeback. Leading team Sauber, for the 2010 Formula One season, De la Rosa brings with him huge technical experience as well as expertise that he has garnered over the last seven seasons with a hugely successful and well-resourced team like Mclaren. But that's not the only thing he's bringing to the Sauber paddock, besides analytical wisdom, he packs quite a punch in the speed department as well.

While he spent most of his time with team Mclaren pounding around on test days and diligently working with the engineers, he also had several race chances when Juan Pablo Montoya was injured in early 2005 and then bailed out of NASCAR in mid-2006. A scintillating performance in the Bahrain GP in 2005 saw de la Rosa outdo team-mate Kimi Raikkonen and set the fastest lap, while he took his maiden F1 podium with another splendid drive in Hungary a year later.

Technically sound, armed with a keen analytical approach and extremely motivated, de la Rosa's back, and this time for the long haul. His only drawback is that he's been away for way too long, and has had a string of inconsistent performances even in his best form. But as of right now he has team boss Peter Sauber's confidence to back him, who believes he's the right contender to lead his team, after reclaiming it from BMW. Well, we surely hope all the best for him, and that this season Pedro De la Rosa makes it to the podium and let his driving skills silence his critics once and for all.