Australian GP Preview: season opener…what to expect?

Melbourne lost the position of season opener some seasons ago, but thanks to the political crisis in Bahrain it returns as first leg once again. This year the driver lineup starts-off with five world champions: Vettel, Button, Hamilton, Alonso and Schumacher

At this moment, had the Bahrain GP taken place, we were supposed to already have an idea of the cars performance during race. This time around in Albert Park we will get the chance to see if testing gave the true indications, or if any team had something hiding under their hood.

Red Bull starts in Australia as clear favourite for a win. Driving numbers one and two, the Austrian team has shown a staggering pace over the winter tests. Still we can’t forget that since the team’s debut in 2005, when David Coulthard drove to a surprising 4th place, the team is yet to perform at Albert Park. Will Vettel and Webber be able to turn that misfortune around?

Then we have Ferrari that has been a very discrete team during testing but departs, as always, as one of the teams fighting for the title. Alonso and all the Scuderia definitely want to forget the mistake in the last race of the season that might have cost them the 2010 title. And will Massa be able to return to his 2008 form?

And there is also McLaren that have had a tough testing process, with several reliability problems, but who are still showing the strength and guts to take risks in order to be a contender in Australia. And Button still wants a third in-a-row victory.

Surprises might come from Mercedes GP and Schumacher that in the last tests in Barcelona showed an incredible pace that might put him, who knows, in the path for an eighth world title. Or it might come from the other Red Bull team, Toro Rosso, which also showed surprising pace during the tests.  Lotus Renault and Williams also may have a word to say this year.

Strategy and new technology will also be a fundamental during the whole season as the new Pirelli tyres will require more visits to the pitstops and the rear wing technology is expected to bring more competitiveness to F1.

And by the way, if you are an F1 fan and think you know who will win the race in Australia you might want to join or F1 competition. Learn more about it here.