Welcome to the first battle of our brand new Character Cup competition. As explained in the introductory post, we are pitting the drivers against each other in a fight to be named the Sidepodcast Character Cup Winner 2009. Catchy title, eh?

Up first, we have the long-time Williams golden boy Nico Rosberg squaring up against the new Brazilian face of Nelson Piquet Jr. Who will be victorious of these second generation F1 drivers? Only you can decide.

Nico Rosberg

Generally considered to be an all round good egg, Nico's boyish good looks have seen him secure a loyal position at Williams, where he likes the team, and they very much like him. 2008 saw him score his first podium, and although the car isn't really up to scratch, he has shown that he can fight up there with the best of them. It's easy to forget that Nico is only heading into his fourth year in Formula 1, as his relaxed and mature manner shows wiseness beyond his years. Perhaps he gets it from his father, but he's quick to stand on his own two feet. He's quite a visible face in the paddock, and takes part in plenty of PR events, but never misses an opportunity to prove that he's more than just a driver.

Nelson Piquet

When it was announced that Piquet Jr would be taking to the Renault, it wasn't long before he was building himself up for a fall. Believing he could beat anyone and everything, Piquet soon found that Formula 1 isn't easy, and a little bit of humility goes a long way. Lesson learned, he set about chasing after Alonso with as much gusto as possible. In 2008, it was easy to see the double world champion run rings around his team mate, and we more than once professed a desire to see Piquet leave the sport. But his perseverance and desire to keep hold of his seat saw him pick up 18 points and a drive for 2009.