While many of my colleagues are in Valencia for the first test, I'm at home in Paris. I've written a new book, the details of which I should probably keep slightly schtum on until it's unveiled - i.e given away - in Bahrain. It's been fun and I think the book will be a popular one, but I've been so busy writing, liaising with the designer, subbing, proofing and getting it signed off from the sponsor (yes, I'm a corporate whore) that I haven't managed to update my blog in a week. Apologies, I haven't actually slept in 60 hours. Print deadline, see.

Also, after a mammoth researching and writing sesh, my flat takes on the appearance of Withnail & I's and I cannot face anything. Always happens. I haven't done the washing up in three weeks.

I might not be in Valencia, but due to the amount my colleagues there have been Twittering I don't think I've missed anything. Thanks to the likes of @sarahholtf1, @byronf1, @NobleF1, @eddstrawF1, and @jamesallenonF1 for keeping me in the loop. Perhaps I should have F1 on the end of my name too.

But there's another reason I tend to avoid tests, unless there's a specific interview I'm going to get. It's because a) team personnel are really busy. I mean on a race weekend, it's difficult to talk to drivers and others because there are set schedules and 'it's grand prix weekend dahling' and that. But at tests, the only break they get in a 12 hour day is to stuff their faces. And then they physically cannot talk (I once got a frothing earful when I attempted to ask Alan Permane - aka Witness X, aka Bat - a question at the dining table. Calm down dear).

And b) because testing doesn't really mean much to journalists. Photographers yes, because they can get the first pics of Michael in the Mercedes and Jenson in the McLaren. But really, unless you know the fuel levels and set-up, it's hard to compare the times. It's all just guessing.



Fernando Alonso's first run in the Ferrari resulted in 40,000 Spaniards turning up to cheer him on. He was fastest, but is that a true indication of the car's abilities? Was it just PR? We don't know, that's the problem.

Most teams will be practicing with heavy loads. There's no refueling this year, and that will be a challenge when it comes to managing the tyres. The handling characteristics on light versus heavy loads will be very different too.

To find out who is genuinely fast, you have to talk to the drivers and technical chiefs, in the rare moment their not busy or inserting a vol-au-vont into their gob.

And then you have to hope their telling the truth. Teams have been known to pretend all is rosy, when all is not, in the hope that it comes right and they don't need to manage sponsor expectations (or they're still hunting sponsors - see Sauber). Or they say they're satisfied, when they mean the car is half a second quicker than anything else, but they don't want to be accused of running an illegal diffuser before Bahrain.

Red Bull, Force India and the new teams are not in Valencia. Ferrari look to be fast and reliable. McLaren are up there too. Mercedes have achieved quick times, but Schumacher has said he doesn't expect to be winning from the start and Ross Brawn has suggested the car isn't quite quick enough.

Renault hasn't set the world alight, but their new livery is much talked-about. I had managed to sneak a peek at some photos (and was sworn to secrecy), so I knew what was coming. It's already being called 'the yellow teapot' just as the Renault Turbo was in 1978. Yellow and black is back. It's in your face, and it's retro - with Mercedes and Lotus joining, it's like F1 has time traveled. Perhaps USF1 will enter a DeLorean.



As a nice retro nod, have you noticed that the red numbers on the Mercs, with a black outline and white circle, are just like they had in the 50s? Nice touch.



The McLaren is eye-catching, with that enormous engine cover linking the air-box to the rear-wing. I expect other teams may copy this.



The cars this year are longer, by 15-20cm, to accommodate bigger fuel tanks. And fuel companies have developed lower density fuel, so the cars can make a full race distance on a single tank.

Virgin unveiled their car yesterday. It was meant to be a 'virtual launch' online, but there was a technical hitch. Let's hope they'll be more reliable on track. A lot of commentators have praised the looks. My colleague Will Buxton and I agree it's a bit IRL, but hopefully it doesn't only turn left. It's all been designed on computer, using CFD rather than a wind tunnel. This saves a huge amount of money, and if the car is quick it'll cut F1 costs significantly. Will it be, though? Nick Wirth is very confident in his abilities, but when it comes to F1, well, his Simtek team hardly set the world alight.

We won't know until Bahrain whether he has a pair of trousers to go with his mouth.



On the drivers side, Renault confirmed Vitaly Petrov, which I think is a good move. He seems fast enough for F1, and Russian involvement is healthy for the sport.

A lot of noise has been made about the money he brings somewhere in the region of 10 million Euros. However, my colleagues at Metro Russia have told me that, though Vladimir Putin made calls on Petrov's behalf to engage Russian finance, Vitaly's father re-mortaged his real estate business to meet Renault's demands.

An Eastern European line-up, along with Robert Kubica, won't do Renault's car sales any harm in this developing region. This is smart.

Nick Heidfeld was left out on the musical chairs front and has joined Mercedes as reserve driver. It was the only option left to him, really. I think it is mad that Nick wasn't given a race drive. He may not be an Alonso, but he's still one of the top eight or nine drivers in F1, he outscored Kubica at BMW, he has been the most consistent finisher in the last couple of seasons and he has the record for the most second places without a win: eight.

He's a great development driver, and Mercedes are lucky to have him. But if I were a new team, and I wanted a driver who wasn't too expensive, was quick, experienced, and knew the tech side, he would be my first choice. Jose Maria Lopez... Are you kidding me??

Campos aren't going to any of the tests, so their place on the grid is looking a bit of a joke. The new Stefan Grand Prix set-up have come to an agreement to use Toyota's chassis and some staff, and I understand they're proposing to go to Bahrain without an official entry. I'm not sure how this is going to work out, but if it is - and I can't see that it will - they're going to have to do some pretty serious brown-nosing with the FIA.

The next new team launch will the Lotus, on February 12 in London. I'll be there.

Mercedes GP launched their 2010 livery today in Stuttgart.

This is the first time Mercedes have raced in F1 under their own steam (rather than riding on the back of another team) since 1955. In the pre-war years, Mercedes dominated grand prix racing and did so again in 1954 and 1955, before pulling out in wake of a crash at Le Mans which killed 88 spectators. In 1954 they became the only team to score a 1-2 on their debut... until Brawn went and did the same in Melbourne last year.

Underneath the silver paint (which is lighter than McLaren's) this car is a Brawn. It's last year's championship-winning car, but the new Mercedes GP W01 ('W' stands for Wagen) will debut at the Valencia test next week.

Schumacher is hugely motivated, this is clear. But we shouldn't overlook Nico Rosberg, who will be learning alongside the most experienced winner of all time. Nico is a very smart kid, and there's no doubt he views this as an opportunity. "When I win in Bahrain..." he said last week, which is just the kind of purposefully big-headed line his dad might have come out with. He's a chip off the old block.

When Mercedes came into F1 in '54 they had Fangio, aged 42, and Moss, aged 24. It's like a mirror image - Schumi is 41 and Rosberg 24. Fangio and Moss had huge respect for each other, and raced like father and son.

Perhaps we'll see a similar relationship between Schumacher and Rosberg. Frankly, I doubt it. I don't think they'll give an inch, and that's what's going to make this team - a team which should have a car that can challenge for the championship - so incredibly fascinating.

Nelson Piquet has revealed his intention in 2010 is to race in NASCAR. The Brazilian had been working behind the scenes to secure a drive with one of the new F1 teams, but to no avail. 

Lewis Hamilton and his girlfriend, Pussycat Dolls front woman Nicole Scherzinger have announced they're spitting up.

The FIA has issued a communique. Here's the meat from it:

It came as a great surprise to hear that Flavio Briatore has won his legal action against the FIA, through the French courts. His ban is lifted, as is the one for Pat Symonds. Briatore gets 15,000 Euros damages (he was asking for 2m) and Symonds gets 5,000. The FIA now has 15 days in which to advertise the ruling in a French newspaper of Flav and Pat's choosing, and inform the F1 teams.

Eric Boullier has been confirmed as Renault's new team principal this afternoon. Has the date been chosen to coincide with the Briatore verdict from the French courts?

McLaren have released a web video from Jenson Button, welcoming in the new year and saying how much he's looking forward to working with McLaren. I shan't upload it because it's a bit boring, but the interesting thing about it is that JB has, for the first time, donned McLaren threads.

It might take a bit of getting used to. And I don't think McLaren are ever going to get used to that straggly little beard. It'll have to go.

Happy new year from MetroF1 and all that.

Had an email through from Gareth Bumstead this morning - award-winning F1 photog and MetroF1.com reader. He was on his commute into central London and spotted this poster on the underground

"I swear its Vettel!," writes the Bummer. "Anyway thought I would send it to you as I'm very bored at work and know you like weird lookey likey stuff!"

Indeed I do. It's a remarkable likeness. And with his love of British comedy and northern accents, surely a West End play would be right up Seb's street.

Michael Schumacher's move to Mercedes GP has been officially announced. It's been confirmed they have agreed a three-year deal, which is a surprise as many thought this would be a one-year comeback special. Instead, Schumi says he's :"looking for continuation". It would appear he plans to help build this team in the same way he shaped Ferrari.

Nico Rosberg has probably developed an ulcer.

The announcement has been expected for some weeks, but it's still quite unbelievable. After the aborted return to Ferrari last year, I think we were all preparing for another let down. When doctors put the breaks on his return in August no one was more gutted than Michael. Since then, he's been rocking backwards and forwards in his Swiss chateau, dreaming of a return to F1. Retirement doesn't suit Schumi. Sitting on the Ferrari pitwall bored the hell out of him.

When Jenson Button signed for McLaren, Ross Brawn called his old friend. The timing could not have been better.

People are asking, at 41 will he be able to keep up with the young bloods. Yes, he can. Michael is in super shape, he will now re-start his regime, he has an amazing gym in his house and his own simulator. He is not Nigel Mansell - Schumacher will be able to get his arse in the car, no probs.

What will be a shock to the system, though, is the competition. Between 2000-2004, when Michael won all five of his Ferrari titles, there was no one who could touch him. But since then, it's like that movie Gremlins and the grid has been sprinkled with water. Now there are all these little monsters running around. Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel will not give an inch.

Eddie Irvine said last week that Michael still has the ability to win races, but because of his age he will lack the psychological edge that his younger rivals will possess. I'm not sure I buy that. Michael is not the kind of guy who drives with pictures of the wife and kids on the dashboard.

But, when he retired in 2006 he was being beaten by Fernando  Alonso. He seemed to slow a little. Had he already peaked, or was he just tired. Michael says 15 years of top flight competition left him needing a rest.

But will the Mercedes be up to Schumi-standard next year? The prospect of Schumacher reuniting with Ross Brawn is an exciting one. You have to assume, with those two working together again the team will be on song.

Competition between Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes will be strong next year. Michael was never happy to finish off the podium, and that will be the case again. With Mercedes-Benz putting all their efforts into it, and Petronas adding further finance to the team, the former Brawn squad are going to be a powerhouse - Michael is the final part of this jigsaw. There is reason for celebration in Brackley, and I think optimism that they can defend their title.

The big question is, why is Michael doing this? He doesn't need the money, he's already got seven titles, and why risk his reputation after a three-year absence.

The answer is he just loves racing.