A Swisse two-seater grand prix car is getting geared up to go in Melbourne. Pictures / Getty Images
A Swisse two-seater grand prix car is getting geared up to go in Melbourne. Pictures / Getty Images
Changes see attention shift from drivers
At the opening round of Formula One in Melbourne, the focus won't lie on the domination of Sebastian Vettel. Instead the attention will be on the new cars.
Only a handful of parts from previous years have been recycled, and while some fans aren't impressed with the small 1600cc turbo-charged V6 engines, the cars do have a distinctive, if somewhat muted sound.
The new rules have reduced maximum revs from 18,000 to 15,000rpm and the banning of blown diffusers ends the distinctive bark some cars had on deceleration.
The sound of the ERS (energy recovery system) and the turbo winding down after the engine is turned off is reminiscent of a fighter jet spooling down.
In addition to the new turbo engines (last seen in F1 in 1988), the cars now have a central exhaust as opposed to the twin pipes of previous years. In order to increase fuel efficiency, power is down 112kW and teams are allowed only 100kg of fuel to finish a race.
Drivers get an extra gear - eight-speed fixed ratio gearboxes - and the boxes have to last six races in a row rather than five. To avoid punctures the front wing has been reduced by 150mm and there is no longer a lower beam rear wing, while the top part is narrower. Chassis height has been lowered by 415mm and car weight increased to 691kg.
Sebastian Vettel revs up during Winter Testing in Bahrain.
Other than all the interest in how the new cars will go, there are two other big pieces of news. Red Bull Racing isn't up to speed yet, so a few teams will be looking to grab an early advantage because the Austrian outfit will be a force to reckon with in the second half of the season.
The other focus is that Ron Dennis is back in command of McLaren. Last season the team couldn't even manage a third-place finish for the first time since 1980.
In typical fashion, Dennis is bullish in his belief the team will be back this year and may even win a race or two. This could just be the rocket Jenson Button needs to go about his work with renewed vigour.
It would be interesting to see how Ferrari is this year, as they've been the whipping boys for Red Bull four years in a row. The pressure is on for Fernando Alonso to deliver and things aren't going to be easy for the Spaniard with the return of Kimi Raikkonen.
Though a reformed man since his first stint in the red car, the Finn is still a bit of a firebrand and won't want to be regarded as the number two driver. The two will push each other hard.
With Red Bull on the back foot and the new Mercedes-Benz car showing early form, it would be churlish not to put a lazy fiver on Lewis Hamilton to tick off world championship number two. He'll have to keep a close eye on his ever-improving teammate Nico Rosberg whose ability to understand the engineering of an F1 car is second to none.
Felipe Massa has moved from Ferrari to Williams and it would appear his passion has been re-ignited, setting some of the fastest times in pre-season testing. Also, the Williams' car looks marvellous liveried up in the old Martini colours.
The Magnussen name returns to F1 in the guise of Jan's son Kevin. This young fellow, at McLaren, could easily get one top-three finish this year and it's not beyond the realms of possibilities for the lad to post a maiden Grand Prix win.
Qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne starts at 7pm NZ time today with the race tomorrow at 7pm NZ time.
