F1 : Team forecasts for the 2019 season

#2. Mercedes

Valtteri Bottas - surprise winner of the season-opening Australian F1 Grand Prix

The defending champions are chasing a record sixth consecutive double, and Lewis Hamilton his sixth overall Drivers' Championship, but the task seems to be a lot harder than previous years.

Aided by a string of costly errors from Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari in the 2018 season, Hamilton will have to be at his absolute best if he wants to get closer to Michael Schumacher's all-time tally of 7 Drivers' Championships.

On paper, the Mercedes were slower than their Ferrari counterparts in testing and the W10 was less stable compared to their nearest rivals' SF90 but Hamilton's acumen and doggedness may come in handy. Valtteri Bottas, fresh off winning the most remarkable race of his career in the season opener will also be one of the title contenders given how things stand.

Prospects: Top two guaranteed. Second this time probably?

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#1. Ferrari

Sebastian Vettel at the 2019 F1 Grand Prix of Australia

The most prominent Team on the F1 calendar will be looking to break its duck of not winning the Constructor's title since 2008. That's a pretty barren spell for a giant in the Sport like Scuderia Ferrari. Sebastian Vettel will be hoping that he will inch closer to winning the Drivers' title in his fifth season for the 'Prancing Horse'.

Monaco-based Charles Leclerc replaces Kimi Raikkonen as Vettel's partner having made the switchover from Sauber. Long-time Ferrari man Mattia Binotto is the Team Boss for 2019.

Ferrari was quickest during the testing phase - a feat which they achieved in 2018 too. Having won 6 races last year, the Team didn't accomplish a single 1-2 finish compared to Mercedes' four and it proved to be one of the key reasons why they couldn't win the title last season.

Will Hamilton's composure and controlled aggression prove to be their Achilles' heal yet again or will Ferrari finally be able to make amends for their costly errors of 2018 and bring the Double to Maranello?

Prospects : Expected to top the charts but Hamilton could spoil their party