Webber - Challenge Will Fade

Red Bull driver Mark Webber is confident that not all pre-season title favourites will be in contention as the 2010 Formula One season unfolds.

The battle for this year's Championship promises to be fierce, with as many as eight drivers named as real contenders for the driver's crown.

Pre-season testing suggests Ferrari and McLaren are in top form, while Mercedes GP and Red Bull are also tipped for success.

Intra-team battles have also emerged, with Jenson Button up against Lewis Hamilton at McLaren, Michael Schumacher going head to head with compatriot Nico Rosberg at Mercedes, Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa vying to be Ferrari's top dog and Webber out to prove himself the better Red Bull driver against Sebastian Vettel.
Rivalry

But Webber believes this rivalry between team-mates will see some title contenders fall by the wayside as the season progresses.

"I don't think that it will be eight. It will become a bit less than that quite quickly," Webber told the official F1 website.

"Sure there are some very strong teams this year, but by halfway through the season I don't think that you will have eight people in contention for the Championship. There will be less."

Australian Webber insists both he and Vettel have a serious chance of claiming maiden championship titles.

"Of course both of us are in it - that's my personal opinion," he added.

"We all have it in our heads that Michael Schumacher is with the Championship-winning team, and they are of course looking to win the Championship again.

"McLaren have two World Champions, Red Bull was very strong last year and got a lot of points, Fernando (Alonso) is with Ferrari and Felipe Massa is also doing very well.

"That's what everybody is thinking - that you've got these four teams who will decide the Championship amongst them, but as always we will have some dark horses who will pop up here and there."