Formula One racing out in force for Goodwood

The UK’s Goodwood Festival of Speed always attracts a plethora of Formula One drivers and machinery, and with an impressive 2010 line-up, this year will be no different. The annual event, which this year celebrates the 60th anniversary of the FIA Formula One World Championship, takes place in the grounds of Sussex’s Goodwood House.

McLaren team mates - and 2008 and 2009 world champions respectively - Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button are among those at the top of the bill. Button is looking forward to driving one of Alain Prost’s classic McLarens, the MP4-2C, as well the more recent MP4-23 on Saturday, while Hamilton will also take charge of an MP4-23 - the car with which he won his title - on Sunday.

2010 championship contender Mark Webber and test driver Daniel Ricciardo will field Red Bulls and the team’s chief technical officer Adrian Newey is also expected to give his own design a blast up the famous Goodwood hill. Nico Rosberg, meanwhile, will take a spin in his Mercedes GP car, alongside team test driver Nick Heidfeld.

Fellow German Nico Hulkenberg will be in action in the Williams FW31, while Ferrari test driver Marc Gene will be in action in the Italian team’s latest car. HRT’s Bruno Senna will be another current driver in attendance, the Brazilian having opted to showcase more vintage machinery - his late uncle Ayrton’s iconic McLaren MP4-8.

Past Formula One world champions and Grand Prix winners expected include Emerson Fittipaldi, Sir Jackie Stewart, Mika Hakkinen, John Surtees, Sir Stirling Moss, Jochen Mass and Patrick Tambay. Stewart will drive Jim Clark's 1965 Indy 500-winning Lotus 38, which is due to run for the first time since 1965, while Surtees will take to the hill in his 1964 championship-winning Ferrari 158. Clark’s Lotus Type 49 will be on show, while Lotus Racing’s Formula One drivers, Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen, will be in attendance.

The Goodwood Festival of Speed takes place from July 2-4.