[deetjohn]

The circus is back!


And no guesses on who Australia will be supporting this weekend.


And the covers are coming off for the big long season. 20 racing weekends, that's what we got in 2015.


All about Albert Park




New helmets
The drivers will be using only one helmet design for the entire season. Catch the entire lineup in here


New Safety car and medical car

Mercedes-AMG GT S Safety Car, 2015


Mercedes-AMG C 63 S Medical Car, 2015


However the introduction of the Virtual Safety Car this year may mean the actual Safety Car makes fewer appearances. Former DTM driver Bernd Maylander will remain at the wheel.

Big news of round 1

1. Alonso wont be racing at Melbourne as a precaution following his shunt at preseason testing.
2. Manor will debut with a modified version of Marussia' 2014 car with a Ferrari engine.

No TV telecast?
I couldn't find the schedule at tvguide.starsports. Has cricket spoiled it for motorsports fans once again?

Will add more details to this thread as we get through the week. Its all a bit quiet as of now.

[GTO]

Great to have the boys back on track. 2014 was a beautiful season, here's to more racing action in 2015.

After all the testing & rumours, when the lights go out, we'll know which team stands where in terms of pace. Personally, I think Mercedes remains the team to beat. Ferrari has demonstrated good pace (for the first time in years!!), as has Williams.

Eager to see McLaren-Honda's partnership at work again, though it might be a long time before they are a frontrunner. Get well soon, Alonso. I'm hoping it's nothing more serious than has already been reported. Get the feeling his team is hiding something.

Originally Posted by deetjohn

I couldn't find the schedule at tvguide.starsports. Has cricket spoiled it for motorsports fans once again?

It'll surely be broadcast. Guess we'll know what channel closer to the weekend.

[Maky]

Finally! The new Formula One season is upon us!!

It looks like from testing Mercedes will still be the ones to beat. I wonder if Ferrari does indeed have something up it's sleeve however : 0. Doesn't seem like McLaren will be challenging the Silver Arrows as I had hoped for and 2015 looks like a reliability test....at least the first half.

King Hamilton still seems to be the favourite for WDC 2015. After last years gracious defeat I have personally gained a lot of respect for his team-mate and wouldn't mind if he takes the title either : ).

F1 2015 Let's go!.....

[Octane_Power]

Finally the wait is over to hear the words "And its lights out at Albert Park"

Hamilton is even more confident this season and claims he is not troubled by the issues in his personal life. Nico will be more eager than ever to pip Lewis. Toto has also stated that they won't be interfering in the two drivers' rivalry and will let them fight! Its going to be interesting.

The cherry on top will be Kimi securing a podium finish. I will miss Alonso though. Finally we will get to see where McLaren-Honda stand truly as compared to others. Button and Alonso are two of my other favourite drivers and I really hope they have a good season.

-Bhargav

[anachronix]

Look, an unknown visitor in the paddock



Edit: From ManorF1 Team Twitter...

Roberto Merhi & Will Stevens to drive the Manor GP cars, both have driven the Caterham cars in 2014

[speedmiester]

Finally the F1 Weekend is here.

Hopefully the likes of Ferrari, Williams and Red Bull would give Mercedes a run for their money and offer closer racing at the top this season.

[gtonsing]

Finally! Its back! Eagerly waiting for the start of races. However, since the last few years, this race has become more and more boring. I hope with the changes and modifications, this year will be good, along with the team changes. I need to find a team to support andI dont want to go to the prancing bulls; as a second option of SFI.

I hope it does get telecast, and in HD - let not all the Star Sports HD channels telecast cricket only.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Octane_Power

Toto has also stated that they won't be interfering in the two drivers' rivalry and will let them fight! Its going to be interesting.

This is what I love about Mclaren & Mercedes. Totally agree with their 'no preferential treatment' stance to drivers, unlike some other teams (I'm looking at you Ferrari). The boys are there to race, let them fight it out on track.

Of course, toward the end of the season, if one driver has a clear lead & far greater shot at the championship, only at that stage should the other driver support him.

[Tushar]

Mclaren-Honda's Fernando Alonso was recently in the news after his car crashed during a practice session in Barcelona. The severity of the crash was all the more concerning when reports emerged, stating that Alonso woke up thinking it was 1995 and he was dreaming of becoming an F1 driver. Alonso has since recovered, but will not be participating in the Australian GP, as doctors have warned him against the risk of a second impact.

Alonso suffered two blows to his head and was hospitalized for 3 nights. Doctors have urged him to take the requisite precautions as he has yet to recover from the concussions sustained in Spain and runs the risk of making things a lot worse if he crashes again. Mclaren-Honda's reserve driver Kevin Magnussen will be racing in his place alongside Jensen Button, before Alonso returns for the Malaysian GP at the Sepang International Circuit from March 27-29.

Source: Twitter



Kevin Magnussen will be at the wheel in Australia:

[s.prashanth]

no info on telecast of the race forget hd even in sd there is no mention. but they are showing Formula E live

[StarrySky]

Apparently Kimi was asked what he thought about Enzo Ferrari's opinion that fatherhood makes drivers slower. His answer? "It will be hard to be slower than last year."

[deetjohn]

Originally Posted by GTO

It'll surely be broadcast. Guess we'll know what channel closer to the weekend.

Saw a TV commercial for the new season saying the race will be broadcast live at 10:30 AM on SS HD4. Still no update of that on the website though.

Looks like the telecast will only be on HD for the opener.

[PlatzdaTurbo]

Could be another Mercedes rout. Only thing that the manifold change in regulations did was to change the dominant team from red bull to mercedes. Fans want to see multiple teams fight it out to make it interesting ! Not just that, if like me you dislike the hamster and dont think too much of Brittany too then there isnt much to look forward to is there ?

Only consolation is that it looks fairly close between 3 other teams - Ferrari / Williams and Redbull with McHonda being the dark horse down the line. Bottas for me is the next big star. The next flying Finn. What a driver !

For the good of the sport i genuinely hope these guys catch up with Mercedes as the season progresses. You cant blame Mercedes for being too fast ! Also lets face it, for a LOT of reasons Ferrari need to be winning in formula 1 again. Just look at those viewership ratings. With how things were last year,the only ones wetting their pants with joy are the Sky sports panel.

Finally a word on Kimi. A lot of Bull**** was said and written about him last year after 1 bad season in f1. This despite knowing his limitations with an understeering car. Everyone conveniently forgot what he has done in the past and what he is capable of in a car to his liking. To me he is THE fastest man out there in a car he likes. Just look at the all time fastest laps list. Could well be his final season in F1 i genuinely hope he shuts all loud traps once and for all. Shutemup Iceman !

Oh wait, i forgot. You couldnt possibly care any less could you !

[polopm]

Yay, it's that time of the year. Months of no F1 makes us all dull boys !!
I hope all the others challenge Mercedes, else it will be "Them" Vs "All the rest".

Adding to the spice you have Fernando's injury, Sauber's legal soup and Manor.
Can we start the T-Bhp mini league again ?

[D33-PAC]

Any guesses about who will be going P1 ? I say Hamilton !