Australian GP preview: Teams step into the unknown at 1st race of the year in Melbourne

As the teams get ready for the first Friday of the season with some unexpected events guaranteed, the fans also look forward to the new season and the first race with bated breath. With the sport ready to witness some of the biggest technical changes in its history, the teams have had their tasks cut out, with a lot of work having to be done from scratch. With the powertrain modifications and other significant changes, it is expected that unpredictability will be back in Formula One after what has been a period of sheer dominance at the hands of Red-Bull and Sebastian Vettel for four back-to-back seasons.

Based on what was seen at the pre-season tests in Jerez and Bahrain, the teams were trying their best to understand the new technology and get maximum mileage before the season opener at Albert Park. And the tests did give clear indications of who was struggling and which team was on better footing compared to the others.

Mercedes seem to be ahead of the pack at the end of the pre-season testing with both Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg having a good outing in Jerez and Bahrain

While pre-season testing cannot be a sureshot indicator of how things will plan out during the season, it definitely does give an idea as to who is expected to perform better. Mercedes appeared to be miles ahead of the rest of the pack, with only a few gearbox problems bothering them. Both Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton were seen doing long stints throughout testing and the 2008 champion topped the charts on the final day of testing at Bahrain. While the Brit would be hoping this will be his year, his German team-mate would looking to turn the tables in a repeat of last year where he had three wins to Hamilton’s one. The Silver Arrows team would be gunning for the ultimate glory in 2014.

Ferrari for the first time in a few years has a fiery pairing of championship-hungry drivers. Kimi Raikkonen is back in red and Fernando Alonso would be hoping to bring glory to the Italian team after years of being overpowered at the hands of Vettel. However, the strategy for Ferrari during the tests seemed to be ‘play it safe’. The new F14T was there and thereabouts the Mercedes, and both Raikkonen and Alonso did put some hard laps.

Red Bull, despite their problems during testing, cannot be ruled out completely. They have to have a back-up plan ready though after what transpired at the tests; they might struggle in the initial races. The pairing of an experienced Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo is an interesting one (reminds you of a young Vettel and an experienced Mark Webber). The young Ricciardo, despite being under pressure to perform, has everything to gain with a Championship-winning team. His team-mate Vettel, on the other hand, has everything to lose if things don’t go well for the German defending champion.

Lotus clearly seemed to have missed the bus by opting out from the first test at Jerez. Thanks to the problems related to the Renault powertrain, they too struggled, like Red Bull, to get going in the latter half of testing. Mclaren, on the other hand, would definitely feel more comfortable with the results from the tests, especially after what happened last season. Rookie driver Kevin Magnussen impressed with his drive and the car too looked in decent shape. Their counterparts from Silverstone, Force-India also seemed to be in fine touch as both Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez produced good test runs in new machinery. The car seemed fast and reliable and both the drivers would be in the fray for at least a top-10 finish, if not better.

2014 season opener in Australia is full of surprises and thanks to the new rules and regulations this year, predicting a race outcome is even more harder.

The dark horses are clearly the Williams after what seemed to be a very good outing for the Grove-based team at the tests. With just a single break down and second highest number of laps completed, 2014 could be the revival of erstwhile championship-contending team. Nevertheless, it will be quite astonishing if spectators get to see old war-horse Felipe Massa winning a race. Valtteri Bottas would also want to announce his arrival in the sport by finishing races and scoring points.

While Toro Rosso seemed to be better placed than their sister team Red Bull, Sauber were not very spectacular but still made it high on the number of laps completed. Caterham and Marussia were nothing out of the ordinary as they grappled to get a handle of the new setup.

As always, the Australian Grand Prix as a season opener remains one of the most anticipated events of the year and more so this season, because of the rules and regulatory changes. Kimi Raikkonen was a surprise winner last year and with all the hoopla around the new rules, it’s practically anyone’s race, with the possibility of a few cars not making it to the chequered flag.

The 5.3 km Albert Park circuit has been there for a while and is known for its high number of signature key corners and the fact that it does not have a single hairpin. While high temperatures are predicted for free practice and qualifying on Friday and Saturday respectively, what makes things even more interesting is the forecast of rain on Sunday.

All said and done, the season opener Down Under promises to be an action-packed one and full of surprises. So sit tight, for the new and improved Formula One is here.