Questions and answers about the 1 Formula 2019 season

What's up? Formula 1 starts its 70th season in Melbourne and change is in the air - admittedly, not for the first time in recent years. Once again it seems as if Ferrari is finally in a position to end Mercedes' title run around world champion Lewis Hamilton. But the omens for Sebastian Vettel and the Scuderia have rarely seemed as good as they did this spring. There will be answers from Sunday (6.10 a.m. CET). Who wins? The experts pretty much agree that the favorites for the start of the season are wearing red. Ferrari performed strong winter tests in Barcelona, was extremely quick on one lap and also impressed in the racing simulations. But all predictions could turn out to be wrong this weekend, that's just how it is in Formula 1: Nobody really knows how much the individual teams have already shown, perhaps the setup has been significantly refined again, and Melbourne is a completely different track anyway as Barcelona. But even if Ferrari has the best car in Australia - who says the winner will be called Vettel? Vettel against Hamilton - is it that easy again? That remains to be seen. One of the most interesting stories in the paddock is undoubtedly the rise of Charles Leclerc. The Monegasse got to know Formula 1 for a year in the Sauber cockpit and was very convincing. So convincing that Scuderia Ferrari promoted its pupil this winter. And you can now see it like this: Vettel is no longer competing WITH his loyal friend Kimi Räikkönen, who no longer seemed too ambitious. But AGAINST Leclerc, the 21-year-old who wants to prove himself and who should have the future at Ferrari anyway. The Monegasque wants to challenge Vettel straight away. It will also be interesting to see whether Valtteri Bottas finally manages to step out of Hamilton's huge shadow at Mercedes. The Finn has decided to do this. How drastic are the rule changes? The goal was: closer duels in the race, less dirty air, i.e. turbulent air, so that the cars can follow each other closely. The supposed solution: The cars of 2019 come with significantly simpler aerodynamics, especially on the front wing. Now simple doesn't mean it was easy for the developers. On the contrary: the teams took very different paths in their search for grip under the new regulations. And so the change has the potential to actually have a major impact on the balance of power. After the first week of testing, it was even suspected that Mercedes might have made a serious mistake. However, Silver came into the second week with a huge update, and the gap to Ferrari ultimately no longer seemed as big as initially assumed.

Football

Italy

International leagues

International

Winter sports

Tennis

Other sports

Motorsport

Cycling

Watersports

Events

Favorites

Questions and answers about the 1 Formula 2019 season

Before the season starts on Sunday in Melbourne, we answer the most important questions about the Formula 1 season.

Suggestions