Australian Grand Prix 2015: 5 Key Storylines Ahead of Season Opener
The 2015 Formula One season begins this weekend with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. It has been less than four months since Lewis Hamilton won the 2014 world championship at the last race in Abu Dhabi, but it feels like much longer.
After a preseason that yielded few surprises—Mercedes are still strong; McLaren struggled with their new Honda engines; everyone found something to complain about—we will finally get a real idea of what the many offseason changes mean for the competitive balance in the sport.
Of the 20 drivers who will start the race on Sunday, just 12 of them were with the same team at this time last year (and that is counting Kevin Magnussen filling in for Fernando Alonso at McLaren).
Alonso and Sebastian Vettel were the highest-profile driver moves, but there has been change up and down the grid. Only four teams boast the same driver line-up as they did in 2014.
With that in mind, here are five key storylines to follow this weekend in Melbourne.
Who Will Be Driving for Sauber?
1 of 5
Last November, Sauber surprised everyone by announcing they had signed Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr to race for the team in 2015.
Most surprised were Adrian Sutil and Giedo van der Garde, who believed they had contracts to race for the Swiss team this year. While Sutil has faded away quietly, Van der Garde has taken the team to court in Switzerland, where his contract was upheld, and in Australia.
After spending Wednesday and Thursday at the Supreme Court of Victoria, Sauber has been ordered to let Van der Garde drive this weekend.
The team tried to argue that it would not be safe to let the Dutchman drive, that they could not fit a seat for him in time and that he does not have an FIA Super Licence. After a Sauber appeal was rejected on Thursday, Van der Garde told F1 journalist Adam Cooper that none of those issues should prevent him from driving.
One of the drivers will not drive this weekend. If it is Ericsson or Nasr, their sponsors will not be happy. If it is Van der Garde, Sauber's race equipment could be seized by the court, per Cooper's blog.
At this point, no one—probably not even Sauber—knows what the team will do.
Update, March 14: Nasr and Ericsson will drive this weekend after Sauber and Van der Garde reached a temporary agreement, according to Cooper.
How Large Is the Gap to Mercedes?
2 of 5
While Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton set the pace in preseason testing in their new Mercedes F1 W06 Hybrid, the team seemed more focused on mileage, rather than speed.
Now, we will finally get to see Mercedes' true speed and whether any of their rival teams have started to close the gap.
At the 2014 Australian Grand Prix, after Hamilton retired early in the race, Rosberg cruised to victory by nearly 25 seconds over Daniel Ricciardo (who was later disqualified for exceeding the fuel-flow limit).
Sometimes, the gap seemed to be closing. In Austria, for example, Felipe Massa took pole position. And Daniel Ricciardo won three races in the middle of the season.
When the Mercs were really turned loose, though, no one could stay close. In Brazil, the second-last race of the season, with Rosberg and Hamilton pushing each other throughout the race, the Silver Arrows were about 40 seconds clear of Massa in third.
If anyone can finish within 20 seconds of a healthy Mercedes in Melbourne this weekend, it will be a sign that—just maybe—the other teams are starting to catch up.
Can McLaren Have a Problem-Free Weekend?
3 of 5
McLaren's preseason was marred by problem after problem with their new Honda power unit, capped with a seemingly routine crash for Fernando Alonso at the end of the second test. The crash proved anything but routine, though.
After a three-day hospital stay, the team announced that the concussed Spaniard would have to miss the Australian Grand Prix to continue his recovery. Kevin Magnussen, who was replaced by Alonso over the winter, will race in Melbourne.
McLaren completed the least mileage of any team to run at all three preseason tests, but Red Bull struggled similarly before last season and ended up second in the constructors' championship, winning three races along the way.
The Australian Grand Prix will give us some insight into whether McLaren will be competitive this year or whether they are destined for a third-straight season of disappointment.
The team sounds optimistic, with Jenson Button saying in a McLaren press release, "The team’s commitment to development and improvement, both in Woking and in Japan, is astonishing, and despite some tricky days in testing, we are seeing definitive progress. The car is a solid base which gives me optimism that we will get there, we just need patience."
McLaren probably won't win any races in 2015, but this weekend in Australia, just finishing the race will be considered a victory.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
How Many Records Can Max Verstappen Set?
4 of 5
Just by participating in the Australian Grand Prix, Toro Rosso's Max Verstappen will set a record as the youngest driver to start an F1 race, breaking Jaime Alguersuari's record by about two years.
The 17-year-old Dutchman's debut might be the most highly anticipated since Lewis Hamilton arrived on the F1 scene in 2007. Of course, Hamilton started with a much stronger team, so we shouldn't expect nine-straight podium finishes from Verstappen. But what is a reasonable expectation for a young man who has already drawn comparisons to Ayrton Senna?
Daniil Kvyat set the record for youngest points-scorer in F1 history at Australia last year. That is another record that is certainly within Verstappen's reach.
Meanwhile, another Red Bull-backed driver, Sebastian Vettel, set the record for youngest podium finisher when he won the Italian Grand Prix at the age of 21. But despite the confidence of Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost, who said, "Our objective is to finish fifth in the constructors championship and we are ready to do our best to achieve it," per a team press release, a podium is probably out of reach for Verstappen this year (at least barring a race with Brazil 2003-style chaos).
Nonetheless, Verstappen's debut could be the start of something special. If the Mercs are running away at the front, at least we will be able to keep our eyes on the young Dutch driver in the mid-field to see if the hype will be justified.
Lewis Hamilton or Nico Rosberg?
5 of 5
Speaking of Mercedes, the first race of the season could define the character of what should be another two-horse race for the drivers' championship.
Last year, Hamilton was forced to retire early in the race with an engine problem and spent much of the rest of the year playing catch-up to Rosberg. In fact, it was not until the Japanese Grand Prix in October that Hamilton led the championship at the conclusion of two consecutive races.
Hamilton will be keen not to allow a similar start to his season in 2015, but Rosberg will be equally eager to start the year on a winning note after narrowly losing the title last season. And Mercedes executive director Toto Wolff has already pledged that the team will continue its policy of allowing the drivers to race each other, per ESPN F1.
Around the tight streets of Albert Park, collisions—with another car or a wall—are always a danger. If the Mercs qualify first and second, as expected, do not miss the start of the race, no matter how early you have to get up.
Follow me on Twitter for updates when I publish new articles and for other (mostly) F1-related news and banter:
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
