The wait is finally over as the long winter months draw to an end, and we’re heading back to the sun of Australia as the world gears up in anticipation for the 2009 Formula 1 season. The off-season mayhem, along with the new regulations, means that we should be in for a very exciting season – but what can we expect from the first race?

This year sees the return of slick tyres, as well as a huge reduction in the amount of aerodynamic parts allowed - meaning we should see F1 go back to its roots with nail-biting overtaking manoeuvres – hopefully spelling an end to the ‘overtaking fear’ shown at the end of last season. But the biggest question of all is who will adapt to the changes best? The Melbourne GP could spell boom or bust for this year’s line-up, as an in-season testing ban will halt those slow out of the blocks and benefit those capable of charging for victory.

BMW may be an obvious tip for the win with competitive testing times, a car that’s been in development from mid 2008 and a true title contender in the shape of Robert Kubica. However, the introduction of KERS could play a key role; will BMW’s keen development be a help or a hindrance? Will the weight play into the hands of tiny Heidfeld, or disadvantage the larger Kubica? How many of the teams will actually run the KERS system? It may be compulsory in 2010, but the short development time and high risks are putting teams off already.

These radical changes, however, may not be playing into the hands of McLaren. The new aero packages in particular could prove a problem for McLaren and reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton – whose get out of jail free cards may have (hopefully!) run out. With much of their winter spent fiddling with the rear wing and seeing the MP4-24 covered in luminous green paint, unconvincing testing times and various pessimistic team reports would suggest the Woking-based team are lacking in pace. Despite this, Heikki Kovalainen insists there’s nothing to worry about – here’s hoping 2009 will see the Finn showing the speed we all know he has.

Kovalainen is of course not the only Finn we’re hoping does well – Kimi Raikkonen has shown competitive times and is insisting he’s ready for the fight, despite Ferrari’s lack of development time due to 2008’s close title chase. Last season showed a return of the Iceman’s bad luck, sparking more suspicions of his disinterest – but Raikkonen has praised the F60 and we look forward to seeing the Iceman diminishing the critics’ repetitive and brainless remarks once again.

One team who have certainly diminished any criticism is Brawn GP – the rescued Honda team who, with almost zero testing time, have left the F1 world flabbergasted by consistently topping the time sheets with last year’s drivers, Barrichello and Button. Rumour has is that Brawn GP have been artificially quick, running underweight cars, but the team insist their pace is genuine – only time will tell whether they’ll be this year’s shock contenders.

The mid field is certainly shaping up to be an interesting battle. Red Bull see the return of Mark Webber after an off-season injury, along side the up and coming Vettel – a sure front runner of the future. Renault showed elements of getting back to their best in 2008, with Fernando Alonso scoring more points than anyone during the tail the end of the season. Yet it remains to be seen whether Piquet can prove himself as more than a liability. The same could be said for Williams’ Nakajima – who’s teammate, Rosberg, often threatens a breakthrough, but is yet to show whether he has the talent to do more than just threaten. Torro Rosso were without doubt threatening last year, but will ‘the Sebastiens’ be able to cause more upsets than just confusing the commentators? Toyota could cause a few upsets too – the strong team line up is steadily progressing forward .Unfortunately the same cannot be said for Force India; who may show the odd glimmer of hope, but seem unable to hold onto it. That being said, Melbourne’s first corner might be a white-knuckle ride!

This may all shape up to a close-knit season – thank god the new points system has been abolished as quick as it arrived! That is until next year – hopefully by then the teams will have kicked some sense into the madmen who came up with the ‘winner takes all’ idea. However, not all the new rules are so bad. Plans to make F1 drivers more accessible to fans include compulsory interviews after a driver retires from a race – that could provide some controversial moments from our favourite Finn if bad luck strikes!

Needless to say, Melbourne should not be a disappointment – that first win is crucial. A possibility for all teams to shock and surprise, first corner battles, full on overtaking and comical interviews - fingers crossed, at least!

Sarah Peacock
(Gokimi forum member - kimi_the_icesnail)