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On Sunday March 15, at 4pm local time, the five red lights will go out and the 2015 Formula One season will whir into action.
After 58 laps of the Albert Park street circuit are completed, 1 of the 22 drivers will be crowned as race winner.
Twelve months ago, during rainy qualifying, Mercedes AMG’s Lewis Hamilton claimed pole position with his teammate Nico Rosberg starting third.
Splitting the Silver Arrows, much to everyone’s surprise and delight, was the Aussie Daniel Ricciardo.
The race itself saw Hamilton retire with a minuscule setback in his power-unit. Rosberg claimed the victory and took the reins of the 2014 championship.
All the indications from pre-season testing lean towards another year of domination by Mercedes AMG. Dry conditions on the Saturday for qualifying should yield Rosberg another pole position.
During the pre-season, one thing that was evident was the German’s speed over one lap had not been compromised. The real fight will come during the race, where Hamilton had the advantage last year, beating Rosberg 11-5.
Evidently, the top two positions on the podium have already been decided, it’s just a question of who will stand atop.
The win from last year will definitely echo inside Rosberg’s helmet, but Hamilton’s premature retirement from the race deprived spectators of an intense fight.
In the scrap for the final podium place should be Williams’ Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa. Bottas was unlucky to miss out on a podium on the streets of Albert Park last year, but with an improved package and greater confidence, a podium is on the cards.
Both Ferrari and Red Bull will be there or thereabouts with Williams. The duo have remained mum on their performance through the winter, however it is apparent that Ferrari have made genuine gains on the previous season.
Red Bull on the other hand still believe their horsepower deficiency from their Renault power-plant may put them behind the likes of Ferrari and Williams, however heroics from Ricciardo and his eccentric young teammate Daniil Kvyat cannot be ruled out.
With Force India declaring that their car won’t be as competitive as they’d like until the commencement of the European season, the Lotus team may enjoy having their cars finish in the top 10 for points.
During the final Barcelona test, Lotus’ trackside operations manager Alan Permane set Q3 berths as a realistic target for the team in Melbourne.
The more ‘driver friendly’ E23 Hybrid has no doubt benefited from the switch-over to Mercedes-Benz power from Renault. A complete overhaul of the chassis also put smiles on Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado’s faces.
Bringing up the rear then should be Toro Rosso, Sauber and the renewed Manor Racing Team. The Red Bull junior team always present a mixed bag in terms of their car, however it could be their two young drivers’ efforts that reward them with points.
Sauber too could be in the fight for minor points, however it is uncertain whether their speed can match that of the middle-tier teams.
Manor’s presence on the grid will be pleasing for many, considering where they were not so long ago. Having been given permission to race their 2014 car, with a 2014 spec Ferrari power-unit and new nose (that meets the safety regulations for 2015), the team look to move forward to ensure their long-term survival.
The real uncertainty prediction wise is hovering over McLaren. After their sub-par pre-season, the general expectation for them is to struggle to make the chequered flag.
Red Bull underwent the same unreliability woes during their testing this time last year, however came to the first race with a car that finished on the podium (before the exclusion).
Could the new Honda-powered McLaren repeat that feat?
Their drivers, Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen (standing in place of the recovering Fernando Alonso), are certainly no slouches around Albert Park. Button is a three-time race winner there, with two wins having been yielded in his tenure at McLaren, while Magnussen achieved his maiden podium finish on his Formula One debut last year.
Nevertheless, if the car is able to run the full distance then mere points could be the reward that McLaren may have to accept for their pre-season efforts. Points in a sense would be a victory for the team.
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