5 things to expect from the 2016 Formula One season

With a little over a week to go before the latest Formula One season commences, the sport has seen serious transformations from last year. Overall, it looks like it will be a faster, more exciting, competitive year for a sport that has seen two years of a single team dominating, and, as a result, taking away significantly from the excitement of the sport.What should you look forward to from this season? Here's a lowdown:

#5 It\'s Open Season!

Mercedes are still strong, but so are other teams

For hunters – of pole positions, race wins and championship titles, that is! 2014 and 2015 were Mercedes’ years through and through, with each of their competitors acknowledging that the German constructors had an engine far superior to any other on the track.

Most notably, Ferrari principal Maurizio Arrivabene said ahead of the 2015 Italian Grand Prix that he thought Mercedes were 'miles ahead' in terms of development. Towards the end of the year, with both Mercedes and primary driver Lewis Hamilton having already firmly established a grip on the title, principal and team both vowed to come back stronger in the new season.

If testing is any indication, this season will not be nearly as one-sided as the past two, with both Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen setting the highest paces of the session, both on soft variants.

Mercedes still look strong, with reigning double champion Lewis Hamilton topping the charts in terms of mileage. Mercedes appear not to have gone for speed during the test, instead focusing on durability and racking up miles - which they have been very successful at. While that is in itself a strong indication that Mercedes will still be near the top, the fact that both Ferrari and Williams have set strong paces, with Force India and McLaren also in the fray, means fans will be treated to some proper racing this year.

#4 New teams, new talent

Haas F1 is the newest team on track; Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez will pilot

Renault have been in Formula One before – and even won two World Championships with game-changing youngster Fernando Alonso, who at the time of his win was the youngest ever Formula One world champion.

But with a number of years out of the sport, Renault have been supplying engines to teams instead. 2015 was not much of an advertisement for their power units, however, with Red Bull failing to truly fire given the potential of their drivers, and Lotus faring miserably the year before.

Although they will continue to supply Red Bull through the 2016 season, Renault will de-emphasize that relationship, announcing in late 2015 that they had completed a takeover of Lotus, and would return in 2016 as the Renault works team.

Both Lotus drivers have moved on, necessitating the team to look elsewhere. While Romain Grosjean moved to new Formula One team Haas, Maldonado, who had initially been confirmed for a 2016 drive, was unceremoniously dropped.

Formula One rookie and GP2 winner Jolyon Palmer has shown promise in the lower Formulae, and will this year make his Formula One debut. He will be driving alongside a non-debutant – the pacey Kevin Magnussen, who drove for McLaren-Honda in 2014 alongside Jenson Button before being dropped in favour of Fernando Alonso, who had then just quit Ferrari.

Magnussen finished 2^nd on debut, and in 2014 had 11 points finishes. Although he only had a test and development role the following year, the Dane has shown significant talent that will stand Renault in good stead on their Formula One return.

They aren’t the only ‘new’ team on the grid: while Manor were a team last year and will not be making a debut, they have two new drivers, both making their F1 debuts this year. DTM winner Pascal Wehrlein has had testing roles with both Force India and Mercedes and therefore has experience behind the wheel of an actual Formula One car. The young German doubtless has speed, and was the DTM’s youngest ever winner.

His teammate Rio Haryanto, who moves up to Formula One after 4 years in GP2, is Indonesia's first ever Formula One driver, and while he did not exactly set the track alight, put in fairly consistent performances with 13 points finishes the year, with three wins and two other podium spots. Given that Manor, competing as MRT, will be on Mercedes power, they could be a decent midfield team after a 2015 spent firmly at the bottom of the grid with both driver error and reliability issues plaguing the team.

Last but not the least, Formula One will finally see a new team – Haas F1, the first American team in the sport in two decades. Although they are the only new team on the grid, neither of their drivers are rookies to the sport. Primary driver Romain Grosjean has shown good pace all through 2015, and will be partnered by former Sauber driver Esteban Gutierrez.

The Mexican driver, who was formerly with Sauber in the 2014 season – a lackluster one for him, spent 2015 as a test and development driver for Scuderia Ferrari, where he will have had a chance to hone his on-track skills.

The team, regarded as a b-team to Ferrari, will use power units from the Maranello-based outfit, and given that Ferrari’s engines have looked promising, will be positive about the 2016 season.

#3 Toro Rosso could give drivers a scare

Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz will have Ferrari engines this year

Red Bull junior team Toro Rosso has seen some of the sport’s best drivers pass through its ranks, most notably among them 4-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel. 2015 saw two strong drivers in Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz Jr,

Verstappen in particular was the standout star of the 2015 season, with former team boss Eddie Jordan comparing the young teen to Michael Schumacher. All of 17 when he made his Formula One debut, Verstappen saw some pacey racing and even a fifth place finish – twice during the year.

What particularly caught the eye of former racers, fans and critics was Verstappen’s consummate skill at overtaking – something Schumacher himself was famous for.

Given that both Toro Rosso and Red Bull were on Renault engines last year, engines that were unreliable and posed both teams serious problems. Both Ricciardo and Kvyat took multiple grid penalties through the season for engine changes, and the Toro Rossos had repeated electrical issues – developments that make Verstappen’s achievements even more significant.

Following a contentious 2015 with the French engine manufacturers, Red Bull looked to sever ties with Renault, with principal Christian Horner approaching both Mercedes and Ferrari for engines. While both rejected Red Bull, Ferrari agreed to provide Scuderia Toro Rosso with engines this season.

With what is likely to be a significantly better engine than last year’s and perhaps that of their teammates, Verstappen and Sainz could shake up the grid and be serious competition for the experienced Ricciardo and Kvyat.

#2 The return of McLaren-Honda

With a more reliable engine and two championship-winning drivers, it's looking good for McLaren

McLaren have historically been one of the best teams in Formula One. With the likes of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost dominating the scene with the team, they are one of F1's most successful. Following a fruitful partnership with Mercedes, but one that was not dominant as their earlier days with Honda, the Stoke-based team and the Japanese manufacturer came together again ahead of the 2015 season.Despite two championship-winning drivers on their team, McLaren's 2015 season was nothing short of dismal. With a series of retirements and a number of DNS and DNFs between them, Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button were a far cry from the drivers fans knew.Alonso has been regarded by many as a game-changer in the sport, and continues to be one of the most talented, sound drivers on the current grid, while Button had a singular consistency.Their team's engine, however, was arguably the most unreliable on the track. The two drivers kept their own spirits up, joking on track even as fans called for Honda motorsport boss Yasuhisa Arai to be sacked.Arai was in fact removed from his post earlier this year, and McLaren did well at testing. Both Alonso and Button set decent mileages with minimal problems, with the Spaniard managing a relatively pacey ride as well. Given the serious reliability issues they faced last year, which appear to have been ironed out significantly, the team could see a resurgence.They are certainly not short on talent, and with a strong, reliable car could even put up podium fights again.

#1 Qualifying shaken up

Perhaps the biggest change this year comes in the form of the new qualifying session. The most recent format saw three qualifying sessions, with the four slowest drivers eliminated during each session, but regulation changes from the FIA mean this will no longer be the case.Under the new qualifying format, drivers will still drive three qualifying sessions, but with a twist. Q1 will last 16 minutes, with the slowest driver on track eliminated 7 minutes in. That driver will automatically start at the back of the grid.Following this, one driver will be eliminated every 90 seconds until the end of the 16 minutes, with 15 drivers advancing to Q2.This year will also see the return of the 107% rule, which means that any driver whose fastest Q1 time exceeds 107% of the fastest lap time in that session, will only be allowed to race at the discretion of race stewards. That will see more pressure on drivers, and a less straggling final racing session.The same Q1 process will then repeat itself in Q2 after times are reset.The final 8 drivers will then compete in the last and final qualifying session, with the first driver eliminated 5 minutes into the session, and then one driver eliminated every 90 seconds until two drivers remain. Those two will battle it out for pole.While older Formula One fans will remember the format, newer viewers may not be as familiar.The format was reintroduced with significant support from F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, who favours the more fast-paced elimination qualifying. The older format was popular with fans and kept race proceedings quick, so it will be interesting to see it return.