Today Codemasters announced champions mode which pitches you against the 6 WDC on the grid. In champions Mode you pitch yourself against them in a series of challenges.
For example: "The Kimi Räikkönen challenge sees the player join a race as Kimi’s teammate at Spa Francorchamps. The player has just pitted and is on new tyres while the rest of the pack is on worn rubber with three laps to go until the end of the race. In order to complete the scenario the player has to race through the pack and overtake Kimi before the end of the race."