KEY POINTS:
For the first time in years Formula One will be roaring off into the unknown when the wheels start spinning at Albert Park this weekend.
The annual driver merry-go-round, which usually produces little more than an interchange of team graphics, could result in a coup for fans this season.
For too long supporters have lamented the tyrannical rule over F1 by whichever outfit might represent the current force.
For the past two years Renault reigned, before that the greatest driver the sport has seen, Michael Schumacher, did his best to generate both records and a general malaise.
Ferrari's unparalleled string of five successive championships from 2000 to 2004 lowered the temperature among the faithful fans of rival teams, many of whom might not have survived another rout.
Those five years produced startling statistics which threatened to transform a cutting-edge sport bursting with ebullient supporters into a dreary, follow-the-leader parade more likely to induce inertia.
Of the 85 races staged from 2000 to 2004, 82 were won by three teams. Ferrari took 57, McLaren-Mercedes 15 and Williams 10.
The figures were no better in the two years which followed. Three teams - Renault (16), McLaren (10) and Ferrari (10) collected all but one of the 37 grands prix. Last year only Renault and Ferrari won races, punctuated by Honda.
Jenson Button's win in a Honda at last year's Hungarian GP was a lone cry in a wilderness where the big guns had prowled unchallenged.
The triumvirate will probably be hard to topple again but at least this season there should be both a measure of dispute about just who will preside at the podium and the possibility of wildcard wins.
Theoretically, if pre-season pace is discounted, there should be little alteration to the status quo, but realistically there remain questions over how the personalities of the new lead drivers will fit with the dynamics of the pacesetting teams.
The retirement of Schumacher has most drivers and teams breathing a sigh of relief for a variety of reasons.
Opinions of the seven-time world champion vary. Some politely recite his undeniable statistics, masking his unforgiving, ruthless approach. Some worship him unreservedly.
His replacement, Kimi Raikkonen, is undoubtedly fast, but in the manner of some Finns, uncommunicative.
Mark Webber, who should know, says this won't matter, but Raikkonen will surely not be able to command the total devotion, at least for some time, that Schumacher did.
The speed that the Brazilian Felipe Massa has shown in testing is encouraging for Ferrari and may help to build a genuine rivalry with Raikkonen which could go some way towards making up for the loss of Schumacher's majestic methodology.
Renault are chasing a hat-trick of world titles but must do so without the world champion of the past two seasons, Fernando Alonso.
The French team responded to his defection to McLaren by plunging in the deep end with the untried Heikki Kovalainen and stuck with the veteran Italian Giancarlo Fisichella.
This season could actually help with Formula One's great unanswered question - does the driver matter?
This year we could find out if Renault is fast no matter who is behind the wheel or, conversely, if McLaren can improve its performance simply by hiring a world champion.
On paper there are several outsiders who have the potential to gatecrash the familiar soiree.
Chief among them is BMW, while Honda has finally broken through with Button's victory in Hungary and it is time Toyota did the same.
But the prospects don't look great pre-season, according to Schumacher, who said recently: "There is no point trying to hide it, but in all probability we are going to have a difficult year."
Interestingly, both Renault and McLaren - which failed to win a race last season for the first time in a decade - have already declared their cars can't win in Melbourne, while Ferrari's test pace has been searing.
Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has tipped Ferrari to win the championship this year. Massa, who topped the timesheets for most of the test days in Bahrain, said: "In the end, winning the championship doesn't just mean being quick and being strong. You need to put everything together, especially luck, consistency and speed."
- AAP
