The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same?

Formula One Driver's Championship Trophy. (C)

    A year from now we'll be marvelling at the new Formula One cars and debating the new rules and regulations.  Modern, sleek charges with a return to ground effect principles, low profile tyres hugging 18" rims and optimised aerodynamics with a view to enabling a pursuing car to follow closer to a rival. Launch season and pre-season testing will be consigned to history. The cost cap will be in operation coupled with a more equitable distribution of prize money. We may also be about to savour a new weekend format. 
    Wait a moment! Time to wave the red flag. There's the little business of the 2020 Formula One season to navigate first. Largely unchanged, stable rules from last year usually results in the gaps between the teams narrowing. The law of diminishing returns, especially on the power unit side, normally fosters closer racing. Most cars are evolution's from the previous year. While it's difficult to draw conclusions from pre-season testing, we did notice, minus a few hiccups, that reliability was high as all teams completed a lot of laps, and that the times weren't that extreme from each other.
    So what does this mean as the 2020 season commences in a week at photogenic Albert Park in Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix (AGP)? Will Mercedes waltz away with another victory en route to another championship, or are we in for a classic season where any number of combatants can frequent the top step of the podium? The younger generation of drivers coming through are exciting to say the least. Can Red Bull's Max Verstappen or Ferrari's Charles Le Clerc mount a serious title challenge? Will we see McLaren through their young chargers of Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris continue to improve in their quest to get back to the front of the grid? Will exciting hotshoe George Russell propel Williams back into the midfield? We'll certainly be hopeful of a Renault resurgence to put Australian Daniel Ricciardo back on the podium. Last year's AGP for Ricciardo was inauspicious to say the least. 
    F1 is ably supported at the AGP by Supercars and Porsche Carrera Cup, both contesting championship rounds. The global category for touring cars, TCR, is making its Albert Park debut. Finally, but certainly not least, S5000 is commencing its first championship round. S5000 is a modern day twist on the old F5000 open wheel category of the 1970's. Retired F1 legends and fan faves Rubens Barrichello and Giancarlo Fisichella are returning to Albert Park to contest the S5000's. There's a massive music festival in the park precinct to delight the punters, a Speed Comparison featuring a 2-Seater Minardi F1 car, and as usual the Royal Australian Air Force will take to the skies overhead.
    Let's hope this year's AGP yields the start of a closely fought F1 campaign. See you at Albert Park....
     
    

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