The 2014 Australian Formula One Grand Prix has been run and won, with Mercedes' Nico Rosberg cruising to an emphatic victory followed home by Red Bull's local hero Daniel Ricciardo and McLaren rookie Kevin Magnussen. Not two hours since the chequered flag dropped however, than the bubble burst for Ricciardo, Red Bull and every Aussie who painstakingly rode every lap with them, as the stewards announced that the fuel flow rate had been exceeded, and thus Ricciardo disqualified. Ouch! No doubt all Aussie fans hope that Red Bull's appeal will be upheld, or at the very least, since Ricciardo himself has already been absolved from any wrong doing, be allowed to keep his points. Fingers crossed.
    The much publicised technical changes which require 2014-spec F1 cars to adopt 1.6litre V6 turbo powertrains with extensive Energy Recovery Systems (ERS) have resulted in a vastly different engine note, and have left some fans pining for the sound of the high-revving, screaming 2.4litre V8's of previous years. For some punters, the very essence of F1 is the timbre combined with the intensity of the sound these intricate machines produce. But is there a bigger picture that needs discussion? In the larger scheme of things, is the sound really that important?
    F1 has often been criticised for not being relevant to road car manufacturing, whilst not placing enough importance on their environmental impact. In recent years road car manufacturing has been delving into the world of hybrid technology, whilst F1 has persisted with normally-aspirated engines. Now, with F1 embracing hybrids and therefore the best automotive brains developing the technology, expect the level of efficiency and performance to increase exponentially, which will filter down to road car manufacturing. Remember traction control, launch control, active suspension, carbon fibre? All pioneered by F1 and prevalent in road car manufacturing today. F1 has also in recent years incorporated bio-fuels into the mix. Now in 2014 with ERS providing a third of their power, F1 cars are carrying a third less fuel to cover the same race distance. You don't have to be mathematician to understand this, just like you don't need to be an environmentalist to know that this is a step in the right direction with emissions greatly reduced. Who's to bet against F1 pioneering full electric cars in the future? There'd be next to no engine sound then.
    So what's in a sound? Are some fans awarding too much emphasis on the "old" F1 sound? Do F1's new leaner, more efficient powertrains with reduced emissions condone rendering the traditional F1 sound the scapegoat for progress? Send formulafrontrow.com your opinions and views via email at: [email protected] or simply leave a comment.
    Besides, wasn't it nice to hear racing nuances we don't normally get to experience? Tyre squeal, throttle blips, brake lock-ups, the high frequency whooshing of the turbo, clear radio comms and trackside commentary, or the amazing cheering Melbourne crowd going ballistic when D. Ricc. brought the Albert Park house down?
    Malaysia's next. Let's go.... 

    Nervousness, anticipation, excitement. All feelings felt by everyone from drivers, team personnel, media, promoters through to the fans themselves as Formula One is about to commence another bumper season at Melbourne's stunning, lakeside street circuit at Albert Park. 
    Never more so than this year as this will be the first time the new era F1 cars have run in anger. The regulation changes this year are extensive and has effectively meant that this year's chariots are designed from scratch, rather than evolutions of previous year's cars. We covered the changes before (see Archives Aug. 2013), but in short - 1.6 litre V6 Turbos with extensive Energy Recovery Systems, single exhaust with no bodywork behind, fuel capacity and fuel flow limits, 8 forward gears, lower rear beam wing outlawed, and lower noses brandishing narrower front wings. All designed to reduce downforce and promote fuel efficiency. With some teams, including world champions Red Bull, struggling at pre-season Winter testing from problems ranging from hydraulic leaks, electrical failures, and most notably, cooling issues, the focus at Albert Park will be on reliability. Any brave souls want to tip a winner?
    In the past in our Australian F1 GP previews we've suggested some great spots to visit in Melbourne, plus outlined some excellent vantage points to watch F1 cars around Albert Park. This year we thought we'd try something different. 
    A lot of people ask us how we deal with photographing motorsport through the safety catch fencing at street circuits? Quite often, "the fence is in focus and distracts you from the action", they say. "Do you use manual focus", they ask?
    Whilst we take great pride in our photos and no exposure you see on formulafrontrow.com is edited whatsoever, we certainly don't profess to be professionals. We simply love motorsport and sharing our photos, as an incentive to you to attend events of your choice. 
    Bear in mind the tips we share are tailored to punters utilising d-SLR cameras. If you're using a point-and-shoot or a (ahem) camera phone, well, err, good luck. 
    Although the auto modes and scene preset modes work quite well on a d-SLR, it doesn't give you much control over how you want the shot to look. We shoot in Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, or full Manual Mode. For motorsport, we predominantly shoot in Shutter Priority. Remember a fast shutter speed (typically 1/640s or faster) will freeze the motion and blur the background, and a slow shutter speed (typically 1/500s or slower) will blur the motion and give the illusion of speed.
    Now, let's deal with fence. Here's one technique we hope you find helpful. Have your camera's focus set to Auto. More importantly, have the focus mode set to 3-D Tracking. When the shutter release button is pressed halfway, have it set so that it only locks the exposure, not the focus as well. Therefore, you can exploit the number of focus points your camera possesses when you pan the camera. When ready to shoot, meter the light. You do this by simply pointing your camera in the direction you want to shoot to get a reading on your display. Next, adjust your shutter to your desired speed. Now, the tricky bit. Through the viewfinder, line up your shot through one of the holes on the fence on a piece of circuit that you know the racing will pass over and press the shutter release button halfway. At the appropriate time, simply fire the shutter and the 3-D Tracking will keep the racing in focus, especially useful if you choose to pan. Voila! Happy hunting.
    Any motorsport photography tips to share? Let us know at: [email protected] or simply leave a comment. Maybe you'd like to let us know how Aussie Daniel Ricciardo will fare in his home GP on debut for champions Red Bull Racing?
    Melbourne, here we come....