To obey or not to obey?

At the legendary Imola circuit in 1982, Ferrari were gifted victory. A boycott of the San Marino Grand Prix by the majority of the FOCA aligned teams - including McLaren, Lotus, Williams and Brabham - meant that just 14 cars would take the start, and the dominant Renaults both suffered mechanical problems.

With the race in the bag, Ferrari ordered its drivers, Gilles Villeneuve and Didier Pironi, to slow down and preserve their cars; Villeneuve believed this also implied an instruction to not overtake. When Pironi did so on the final lap, taking victory as a result, Villeneuve was so incensed that he vowed to never speak to his teammate again. Two weeks later, at Zolder, he suffered a fatal accident whilst trying to better Pironi's qualifying time.

21 years later, a similar situation unfolded at Sepang. Red Bull issued the 'Multi 21' instruction to Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel, ordering their drivers to go into car preservation mode and bring the cars home in their current order - car 2 ahead of car 1, hence '21'. Had the situation been reversed, the order would have been 'Multi 12'.

Vettel had other ideas, however. On a day when Fernando Alonso ended his race in the gravel, the reigning champion simply couldn't resist the temptation to  ignore his team's wishes and seize the opportunity before him to win. In doing so, Vettel revealed a steely, ruthless determination to succeed at any cost that is reminiscent of his compatriot Michael Schumacher before him.

Some would argue it's exactly that which makes him one of the greatest drivers in the sport and sets him apart from the likes of Webber, who had turned down his engine in response to the team's instruction and thus left himself completely exposed to attack. The fact remains however that, just like Pironi did to Villeneuve all those years ago, Vettel stabbed his visibly enraged teammate in the back.

Relations have always been frosty between the Red Bull teammates since their infamous clash at Istanbul back in 2010. But this newly opened divide could come to cost the team one or both titles this season if not swiftly healed. The trouble is that Vettel, as Malaysia proved, is now a law unto himself. Team principal Christian Horner didn't even attempt instruct Vettel to fall back behind Webber after the pass was made, as if he felt powerless to overrule his driver's decision.

Similarly, a disillusioned Webber can no longer be counted upon to obey team instructions, or indeed to support his teammate's title bid. That's not a problem Alonso is going to face at Ferrari, as the Scuderia operate a transparent policy of having a clear number one driver and a subservient teammate, which, providing the latter is happy to play second fiddle, works well.

Red Bull, on the other hand, maintain a pretence of driver equality, whilst discreetly favouring Vettel, who is a product of Helmut Marko's Red Bull Junior Team and has enjoyed the team's backing and support since the very early days of his career. Marko groomed Vettel to become world champion, and during the past three years Red Bull have reaped the rewards.

It should come as little surprise that, with so much nurturing and protection throughout his career, Vettel feels entitled to be the team's number one. That's clearly not compatible with the philosophy of driver equality that Red Bull team owner Dietrich Mateschitz claims to subscribe to, and it's Marko's clandestine favouritism towards Vettel that is at the root of his decision to ignore 'Multi 21' and Webber's subsequent frustration.

Mateschitz needs to have a long, hard think about the way his team is run. How will Horner re-gain his authority, which has been so badly undermined by the Marko-Vettel alliance? Horner needs to re-establish himself as the one in charge, and it could be argued that Vettel should have been dealt some kind of punishment to prevent a similar situation recurring later in the year.

Where does all of this leave Webber? It should be noted that, at the point at which Vettel took the lead around the outside at turn 4, the Aussie could have followed the racing line and forced his teammate off the road, sending a firm signal to Vettel. The fact he chose not to do so, and failed to give chase thereafter, unwittingly affirmed his number two status within the team.

At 36, Webber is the elder statesmen of the grid, and if retirement wasn't on his mind before, it must surely be now. Webber is only in it to win it; that's why he turned down an offer last year to join Ferrari, where he would have had to give best to Alonso. If Red Bull is Vettel's team, which events last weekend suggest it very much is, what chance does Webber have of winning whilst remaining at Milton Keynes?

Outside of Red Bull, Webber's options as far as competitive seats are concerned appear limited. Ferrari would probably still have him, and you could argue that a season of being number two to Alonso is far from a bad way to round off one's F1 career. Lotus may be able to find space for him in their line-up, with Kimi Raikkonen having given scant indication of whether he wishes to continue into 2014, but how long their strong form will continue is uncertain.

Webber may therefore calculate that he is best off remaining at Red Bull - if nothing else, he can be fairly certain of having a competitive car. But, if the team cannot issue orders (at least with any optimism that they will be followed) while Vettel and Webber both remain on board, it follows that one - almost certainly the latter - will have to give way. If this is the case, it may well be that Webber feels the time is right to hang up his helmet.

As for Vettel, he may be seven crucial points further up on Alonso and the rest of his adversaries than he may have been, but at the expense of his honour. Just as the legacies of Ayrton Senna and Schumacher will always be tainted because of the choices they made in the relentless pursuit of victory, Vettel runs the risk of having the same asterisk placed by his name.

There's no denying Vettel is a stickler for statistics, but what he seemingly fails to realise is how you win is just as important as whether you do so. His obvious lack of respect for Webber, whom he dismissed as "too slow" during the race, is a far cry from the likes of Peter Collins and Stirling Moss, who sacrificed their chances of winning titles in the name of sportsmanship and are revered all the more for it.

Perhaps the hardest thing of all to swallow was the false 'apology' that followed. In many ways, it would have been better to see Vettel unapologetic for his actions, much like Schumacher was following some of his more controversial stunts. Instead, it appears the sport's youngest ever champion is more concerned about maintaining his easy-going, good-humoured façade than being honest to the public.

Vettel is unquestionably one of the most talented drivers the sport has seen in recent years, and perhaps it's his insatiable desire to win that makes him so. I can't help but feel however that, had Alonso or Lewis Hamilton been in a similar situation, they would have taken the honourable option - both appear to have considerable respect, even affection, for their respective teammates.

Vettel on the other hand has chosen, at least for now, just like Senna and Schumacher before him, the 'win at all costs' path. He may well enjoy more success because of it, but ironically at the expense of the likeable persona he seems so intent on preserving.

Malaysian Grand Prix 2013 - Report

Sebastian Vettel took his first win of the season at the Malaysian Grand Prix in highly controversial style. After Red Bull had all but secured a one-two finish after the final pit-stops, Vettel disobeyed the team's instruction to hold position and made his way past a furious Mark Webber in an incredible on-track dice. Completing the podium was Lewis Hamilton, who benefited from team orders to keep his ostensibly faster Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg at bay.

In a rain-affected qualifying session, Vettel secured pole position once again on Saturday ahead of the Ferraris of Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso, who was out-qualified by his teammate for the second time in as many races. Hamilton would line up fourth in another promising qualifying session for Mercedes, with Webber and Rosberg forming the third row of the grid.

A rain shower prior to the race ensured the entire field would start the race on intermediate tyres. As the race got underway, Vettel made a good start to lead the field into the first sequence of bends with Alonso making the better getaway of the Ferrari duo to slot into second place.

The Spaniard however lightly tapped the rear of the leading Red Bull under braking for turn 2, causing severe damage to his front wing which would see sparks fly for the remainder of the lap as the endplate dragged along the tarmac. Despite this, Ferrari advised Alonso to stay out, not wanting to pay further penalty for having to pit so soon again afterwards as the track dried.

The result of this decision was that the front wing became lodged under Alonso's car just as he entered the braking zone for the first corner of the second lap, resulting in the Ferrari sailing into the gravel trap and subsequently early retirement.

That left Vettel leading Webber, who made a good start from fifth, Hamilton, Jenson Button's McLaren (from seventh on the grid), the sole remaining Prancing Horse of Massa and Rosberg. By the end of the third lap, the German had made his way ahead of Massa and Button to move into fourth behind teammate Hamilton.

The track quickly began to dry out, causing a flurry of pit-stops as the remaining 21 drivers ditched their intermediate tyres largely in favour of the softer medium compound slicks. The one notable exception however was Webber, who assumed the lead of the race after his stop for hard tyres on lap 6. Vettel, along with Massa, had opted to come in one lap sooner, but lost ground to his teammate with a poor out-lap on a still slightly damp track.

Once everyone had made the switch to slicks, the order was Webber from Vettel, Hamilton, Rosberg, Button, an impressive Nico Hulkenberg in his first proper outing for his new Sauber team, and Massa. Running on the option tyre allowed Vettel to close in on Webber somewhat during the second stint, although at this stage of the race the Mercedes cars had the pace to match the Red Bulls and a four-way lead battle seemed in prospect.

With around six seconds separating the leading quartet, race leader Webber was the first to pit for a second time, doing so on lap 19 for a set of options. This allowed him to maintain the lead over Vettel, who pitted three laps later for primes, and the Mercedes pair with the order of the top four unchanged. Further behind, Button held onto fifth position, with Hulkenberg dropping behind Massa as well as Lotus driver Romain Grosjean.

Most teams seemed powerless to eke out their stint lengths to anything more than ten to twelve laps, meaning  that by lap 32 the Red Bulls and Mercedes men would be back into the pits, all four going for primes for their fourth stints. Button briefly took the lead owing to his slightly later stop, being passed by Webber at the start of lap 35. Stopping two laps sooner than Vettel allowed Hamilton to claw his way up to second place once Button made his stop.

This was short-lived however, as Vettel re-took the position with relative ease at the start of lap 39. Hamilton came in for his fourth and final stop on lap 41, with Vettel and Rosberg following suit a lap later, with the order among the trio unchanged. The fact that Webber's final stop came one lap later however brought the reigning champion right with his teammate.

Though team orders had been administered to ensure a one-two finish with the Mercedes cars no longer a threat, Vettel was in no mood to obey them. A furious scrap for the lead ensued, with the Red Bull pair coming perilously close to colliding on more than one occasion. The battle was finally settled in Vettel's favour with an audacious move around the outside of turn 4 on lap 46, and Webber was powerless to keep pace with his teammate thereafter.

The net result was a 27th career victory for Vettel - drawing him level with the legendary Sir Jackie Stewart - and an irate Webber whose frustration was clearly visible on the podium; he thought he had been guaranteed the win by the team following his final pit-stop and had turned down his engine accordingly. Vettel later issued an apology to his teammate, but the damage had undoubtedly been done.

Mercedes also employed team orders to safeguard third and fourth positions, with the fuel-saving Hamilton gallantly acknowledging on the podium that Rosberg was the faster and thus deserving of the final podium position in his place. Still, it was an excellent day for a team that hadn't enjoyed a podium finish since last year's European Grand Prix.

Fifth position went the way of Massa, benefiting from a botched pit-stop for Button that saw the 2009 champion depart his pit-box without his front-right wheel properly attached. With any chance of a points finish up in smoke, McLaren opted to retire the car a couple of laps from home.

Sixth place went to Grosjean, recovering from a lacklustre qualifying that saw him line up in 11th place; the Lotus driver had been running fifth on a three-stop strategy until lap 53, at which point he was overhauled by the four-stopping Massa.

It was a frustrating weekend for Australian GP winner Kimi Raikkonen in the second Lotus, who was dropped from seventh to tenth on the grid for impeding Rosberg during qualifying. The Finn made a poor start, and despite making some early progress lost time behind the slower cars of Sergio Perez and Hulkenberg. Seventh wasn't a bad return considering, with the 'Hulk' taking eighth for Sauber and Perez ninth in another difficult day for McLaren.

The final point went to Jean-Eric Vergne for Toro Rosso, who recovered from a pit-lane collision with countryman Charles Pic to finish tenth ahead of rookie drivers Valtteri Bottas (Williams) and Esteban Gutierrez (Sauber). Jules Bianchi once again led home the tail-end pack for Marussia from a recovering Pic, the second Caterham of Giedo van der Garde and Max Chilton.

It was a disastrous day for Force India - Paul di Resta and Adrian Sutil were both forced to retire as wheel-nut problems during excruciatingly long pit-stops caused fatal overheating for both cars. Pastor Maldonado had another dismal race, retiring from an uncompetitive position due to a KERS issue after earlier losing his front wing in an off-track excursion, while Daniel Ricciardo retired due to exhaust problems for a second race in succession.

2013 Australian Grand Prix - Report

Kimi Raikkonen got his 2013 season to the best possible start with a convincing victory at Melbourne's Albert Park circuit. Executing a two-stop strategy to perfection, the Finn resisted the pressure of a chasing Fernando Alonso, who made three pit stops, and pole-sitter Sebastian Vettel to take the win.

Heavy rain showers on Saturday afternoon delayed the majority of qualifying until Sunday morning, but Red Bull were the undoubted pacesetters in the cool, dry conditions. Vettel and Mark Webber secured the front row between them, with Lewis Hamilton showing impressive pace for Mercedes with third on the grid.

Felipe Massa and Alonso qualified fourth and fifth for Ferrari, with the second Mercedes of Nico Rosberg rounding out the top half-dozen and the Lotus drivers Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean occupying the fourth row. Jenson Button could do no better than tenth as McLaren struggled for pace, Sergio Perez qualifying a lowly 15^th in his debut for the Woking team.

As the lights went out to mark the start of the season, Vettel made a clean getaway from pole whilst Webber made his customary poor start. This allowed a fast-starting Massa to sweep into second, with Alonso moving ahead of Hamilton to take third at turn three. Raikkonen soon demoted Hamilton to fifth place in a bold overtaking move towards the end of the second lap.

Vettel was unable to get away at the head of the pack, with the reigning champion at the head of a leading quartet with the Ferrari duo and Raikkonen snapping at his heels. It became clear however that the super-soft tyres with which the majority of the field had started the race were graining rapidly; the first flurry of pit-stops arrived before the lap counter had hit double figures.

Webber, who was down to seventh after his bad start, was the first to pit on lap five for the medium compound tyre, with race leader Vettel following suit two laps later. This handed the lead to Massa, who duly pitted at the end of the lap, with Alonso doing likewise on lap nine. The Mercedes drivers opted to stay out a few laps longer, allowing Hamilton to lead the race until his stop at the end of lap 13.

Nico Rosberg made his first stop a lap later having led a lap, handing the lead to Force India returnee Adrian Sutil, who was one of a handful of drivers to begin the race on medium tyres. The German ably led the race until his stop at the end of lap 21, keeping Vettel, Massa and Alonso at bay until the Spaniard dived into the pits on lap 20 in order to try and jump his rivals.

The tactic worked, and Alonso had moved ahead of Vettel after the latter made his stop at the same time as Sutil. Massa meanwhile re-gained the lead, but Ferrari’s decision to keep him out a further two laps cost him any chance of leapfrogging Vettel, who wasted little time in dispatching Sutil after the pit-stops.

Raikkonen was now in the lead of the race, and the Lotus was clearly able to better preserve the medium tyres than the Red Bull or Ferrari. The Finn made his second stop on lap 34, raising the possibility that he would be able to pull off a two-stop strategy where his rivals would have to make three.

Alonso seized the advantage after Raikkonen’s stop, having made his way past Hamilton on lap 31 in a fantastic wheel-to-wheel battle. The Ferrari driver made his final stop of the race on lap 39, allowing Sutil to re-take the lead. Raikkonen overtook the Force India driver on lap 43, and once Alonso had done likewise it was a straight battle to the finish.

The gap stood at just over five seconds, but despite the advantage of fresher tyres Alonso was unable to close his rival down, not helped by an incident that saw him nearly run into the lapped Caterham of Charles Pic. That meant Alonso was forced to settle for second as Raikkonen took the chequered flag for the 20^th time in his career, drawing level with compatriot Mika Hakkinen in the all-time winners list.

Vettel could do no more than third, with the Red Bull’s race pace clearly lacking in comparison to its eye-catching one lap speed. Massa meanwhile lost time to the podium finishers stuck behind Sutil, and by the time of his final stop the Brazilian was too far behind to challenge Vettel and had to be content with fourth.

Sutil was on course for a fifth place finish after his last stop, but he was forced to use the fragile super-soft tyre for his final stint. This allowed Hamilton to pass his former F3 teammate at turn eight on lap 51, the Mercedes driver going on to complete the top five in a solid maiden race for the Brackley team.

Excessive tyre wear forced the Brit to change from a two-stop to a three-stop strategy, effectively costing Hamilton any chance of improving upon fifth. Rosberg may well have taken sixth behind his teammate if not for an electrical failure that ended his race at half-distance.

Webber, who lost time with an early KERS problem as well as being stuck behind an uncompetitive Button following his early first stop, cleared Sutil for sixth place several corners after Hamilton, but the 30-year-old had enough of a cushion over teammate Paul Di Resta to claim seventh place – the Scot’s eighth position rounded out an encouraging afternoon for Force India.

Button had to settle for a subdued ninth place finish in light of McLaren’s teething problems, two places ahead of new teammate Perez. Splitting the silver-and-red cars was Romain Grosjean in the second Lotus, who lacked the pace and tyre preservation of teammate Raikkonen as a result of only acquiring the latest updates to the car once the rain had arrived on Saturday morning.

Jean-Eric Vergne took twelfth place in an unspectacular day for Toro Rosso, with teammate Daniel Ricciardo retiring due to exhaust problems at his home event. Next up were Esteban Gutierrez and Valtteri Bottas, both of whom had fairly uneventful debut races for Sauber and Williams respectively, with their teammates Nico Hulkenberg and Pastor Maldonado both early casualties – the former failed to start due to fuel system issues, while the latter ended up in the gravel trap due to driver error.

Jules Bianchi had a terrific debut race, comfortably qualifying and finishing the best of the ‘bottom four’ with a 15^th place finish, ahead of compatriot Pic for Caterham and his Marussia teammate Max Chilton. The second Caterham of Giedo van der Garde rounded out the finishers, meaning that all five rookie drivers saw the chequered flag.

2013 Season Preview

Greetings! Welcome back to my blog, back for a fourth year of previews, reviews, reports, comment and opinion on all things Formula One. Check back regularly for new posts and ensure you keep up to date with all the F1 and motorsport-related news that matters by following @KleinonF1 on Twitter.

Since last year, a new 'Driver Stats' tab has been added to the site, allowing you to compare all the vital facts and figures about every driver on this year's grid at a glance. In addition, the 'Roll of Honour' has been updated to include numerous new historical statistics for your viewing pleasure.

While 2012 was one of the closest and most exciting seasons in recent memory, 2013 - the final year of the current 2.4 litre V8 engine formula - has the potential to be even closer. As ever, winter testing has thrown up a litany of questions that will remain unanswered until the cars hit the track at Melbourne in a week's time - can anybody stop the formidable Vettel-Newey axis from claiming a fourth straight title? Can Ferrari make amends for last year and produce a car worthy of Alonso's talent? Can Button seize the opportunity of being the undisputed McLaren number one? Can Lotus sustain the form needed to make Raikkonen a genuine championship contender? And how will Hamilton fare in the first year of his Mercedes adventure?

Despite the relative technical rule stability that promises to make this season a very closely-fought affair, there are one or two minor changes. Firstly, the ugly stepped noses that blighted the vast majority of last year's cars have been largely eradicated thanks to the introduction of an optional 'vanity panel', which allows teams to smooth out the step without affecting the aerodynamics significantly. Uptake has not been unanimous however, with the Lotus and Caterham machines retaining the distinctive 'platypus' look.

DRS is another area in which there have been changes. Active double DRS, that is to say additional wing-stalling triggered by the use of DRS, which was used to tremendous effect by Red Bull late last year, is now banned. Passive systems, which are triggered automatically when drivers reach a certain speed, have been trialed by Lotus and Mercedes during testing but it is unknown when, or indeed if, these will be seen in races. Additionally, DRS can no longer be used freely during practice and qualifying, and must be used only in the allocated zones as per the races. On the flipside, almost every track will now feature two DRS zones, with Monaco and Suzuka the only tracks to have just one.

With HRT now a mere footnote in F1 history after their predictable collapse during the winter, six cars instead of seven will be eliminated in Q1 - meaning that at least two, rather than one, midfield runner will be joining the Caterhams and Marussias in making up the back three rows of the grid - with a further six eliminated in Q2 to leave ten runners as ever to dispute the leading positions in Q3. With the Pirelli tyres softer this year than in 2012, saving fresh rubber for the race will be even more crucial, with a real possibility of some top runners deliberately failing to make Q3 in order to widen their race strategy options as a result.

This year's calendar sees a drop from 20 to 19 races, as a result of the unloved Valencia circuit having been axed temporarily before it makes its return in 2014 as part of a race-sharing deal with the Catalunya circuit. Following the failure of the New Jersey street circuit to be ready in time, which has now been postponed until next season, an extra space for a European round was added to the calendar, with France, Portugal, Austria and Turkey all mooted at various points during the off-season. With none seemingly willing to stump up the necessary cash to host a round of motorsport's most prestigious championship however, F1 fans will have to be content with a mere 19 races this year. Finally, the German Grand Prix will revert to the Nurburgring this year, as part of the track's deal to share hosting duties with Hockenheim.

With all of that out of the way, it's time to take a closer look at this year's runners and riders:

Infiniti Red Bull Racing
Drivers: Sebastian Vettel (D), Mark Webber (AU)
Reserve Driver: Sebastien Buemi (CH)

If this year's breed of F1 cars are largely evolutions of last year's designs, Red Bull has to be considered favourite for both championships once more in 2013. Despite the banning of the active double-DRS which was largely responsible for transforming last year's RB8 from merely being one of the best to the best car on the grid, the technical genius that is Adrian Newey will surely find a way around the new regulations sooner or later. A lack of headline lap times during winter testing has provoked accusations of 'sandbagging', with the team opting to focus almost exclusively on high fuel load running. It would therefore come as little surprise to see the Red Bull slightly ahead of the chasing pack at Melbourne, but it's possible that the team are already close to the car's maximum potential and thus may be caught by their rivals relatively quickly.

Sebastian Vettel confirmed his status as an F1 legend in the making last season with a third successive title victory, and it will be a herculean task for anybody to deny the German a fourth crown in 2013. The 25-year-old German is as focused and determined as ever, and will be eager to prove wrong those who still think the meteoric success he has enjoyed so far has been down to the car. Mark Webber proved on occasions last year that he can be a match for his teammate, but his poor second half of the year must beg the question of how secure the 36-year-old's Red Bull seat is. After all, he is now the oldest driver in the field following the departure of Michael Schumacher and Pedro de la Rosa, and Helmut Marko is known to be keen on promoting one of the Toro Rosso youngsters to drive alongside Vettel in 2014. Webber must show he can still be a thorn in his teammate's side if his F1 career is to last beyond November.

Scuderia Ferrari
Drivers: Fernando Alonso (E), Felipe Massa (BR)
Reserve Drivers: Pedro de la Rosa (E), Marc Gene (E)

Things could scarcely be more different for Ferrari heading into the 2013 season compared with a year ago. Whereas wind-tunnel correlations problems resulted in an off-the-pace car heading into the 2012 curtain-raiser, the F138 is looking a far more competitive, not to mention better looking, proposition than its predecessor, thanks in part to the team making use of Toyota's former F1 wind-tunnel in Cologne. Though pre-season testing suggested the new Ferrari possesses some impressive race pace, the team must show that it can keep up with Red Bull and McLaren in the development stakes - and not rely solely on superior reliability and making fewer mistakes - if the Scuderia is to take their first drivers title since 2007.

Fernando Alonso was, in the eyes of most, the best driver of 2012 given the quality of the machinery at his disposal. That he was able to come so close to the title in a car that was clearly inferior to its rivals is a real testament to his ability; the Spaniard has every chance of a third title if he can repeat that sort of form given that this year's Ferrari looks firmly in the hunt. Felipe Massa may have restored his reputation somewhat with some storming drives in the latter part of last season, but it goes without saying that he has to provide more effective back-up to Alonso's title ambitions if he is to hang on to his seat. A repeat of last year's sluggish start is unlikely to be tolerated, particularly if Alonso is narrowly pipped to the title once more.

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
Drivers: Jenson Button (GB), Sergio Perez (MEX)
Reserve Drivers: Gary Paffett (GB), Oliver Turvey (GB)

While the majority of the top teams have taken a relatively conservative approach towards designing their 2013 machines, McLaren has made more wholesale changes with regards to their new MP4-28 - most notably the switch to pullrod suspension and an increase of the height of the chassis. This has meant that, while the new McLaren has turned in some eye-catching times during testing, it's long-run pace has been somewhat erratic. The team has admitted to be struggling to fully understand their creation, and the loss of technical director Paddy Lowe is hardly likely to help the situation. The Woking outfit is already downplaying expectations for Melbourne, and will have to get on top of its problems soon to keep up with the competition. That said, their more radical approach could pay dividends later in the season as other teams reach the limit of their cars' potential sooner.

If McLaren can get on top of the new car early on, Jenson Button cannot be discounted from the title hunt. With Lewis Hamilton out of the picture, the car should theoretically be suited to the 2009 champion's driving style better than last year - and we know how untouchable Button can be when he's totally in sync with the car. Certain races last season however, particularly Monaco and Canada, serve as a timely reminder of what can happen when the opposite is true. Sergio Perez meanwhile arrives at the team with pressure on his shoulders. With a similar driving style to Button, and perhaps slightly more in the way of raw speed, he should prove a match for his teammate as becomes more integrated within the team. The Mexican still needs to work on his consistency however, especially in qualifying, and avoid the kind of on-track incidents that blighted the end of his season last year.

Lotus F1 Team
Drivers: Kimi Raikkonen (FIN), Romain Grosjean (F)
Reserve Drivers: Davide Valsecchi (I), Jerome D'Ambrosio (B), Nicolas Prost (F)

It's easy to forget that Lotus, which is effectively the same team which took both Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso to the title on two occasions apiece, knows how to win championships. Kimi Raikkonen's  win for the team at Abu Dhabi was the Enstone outfit's first in four years, continuing a more-or-less upward trend since the 'crash-gate' scandal that shook the team to its core in 2009. So far, the all-new E21 has looked like a highly competitive package even if there have been some reliability issues during testing. Bearing that in mind, more race wins seem on the cards, while a title bid cannot be ruled out. The only question is whether Lotus can keep up with the Joneses as far as development is concerned later in the season, especially with fewer resources at their disposal than their main rivals.

So consistent and quick was Raikkonen last year that it almost seemed as if he'd never been away. The Finn clearly settled into life at Enstone very well indeed, the team understanding that allowing the 'Iceman' to be himself is the best way to ensure he delivers the results. Though he may still lack that final tenth of raw pace, there's little doubt Raikkonen can challenge for a second title if the car is up to task. As for Romain Grosjean, the speed he demonstrated last year, particularly during qualifying, was sufficient to make up for the numerous accidents in which the Franco-Swiss managed to get himself caught up. He still has the confidence of team boss Eric Boullier, but he needs to exercise slightly more caution when in battle for position on the track. If Grosjean can do that, it could well be that we hear La Marseillaise on the podium this year. If not, it could be a case of another promising talent regrettably being consigned to the F1 scrapheap.

Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team
Drivers: Nico Rosberg (D), Lewis Hamilton (GB)
Reserve Driver: TBA

The coup that was the signing of Lewis Hamilton in the autumn underlines how serious Mercedes are about succeeding in F1. The German manufacturer are clearly intent on ensuring their house is in order to take maximum advantage of next year's new engine regulations, with Niki Lauda and Toto Wolff joining the senior management and Paddy Lowe on the way from McLaren. Despite 2013 therefore appearing to be a year of transition at Brackley, the new W04 was quickest of all in the final test, meaning that Mercedes could prove to be in the mix for a podium finish at Melbourne if that level of performance can be replicated. Perhaps the biggest challenge for the team will be to avoid a performance drop-off similar to the one they experienced last year after a highly promising start to the campaign, particularly as the temptation to focus on 2014 increases.

Nico Rosberg's win for the team at China was undoubtedly the highlight in 2012, but the German's performances were lacklustre in the second half of the year compared to Michael Schumacher. How he responds to the challenge of having somebody as quick as Hamilton in the opposite side of the garage will be fascinating, as it could have a significant bearing on the remainder of his F1 career. Conversely, Hamilton will be able to enjoy having relatively little pressure on his shoulders. Wins certainly shouldn't be ruled out, particularly following the team's strong testing showing, as the Briton can surely be relied upon to squeeze every last tenth out of the car at his disposal. We can be fairly safe in the knowledge that if Lewis does suffer his first ever barren season, he won't be the person to blame.

Sauber F1 Team
Drivers: Nico Hulkenberg (D), Esteban Gutierrez (MEX)
Reserve Driver: Robin Frijns (NL)

With four podium finishes to their credit, last year was undoubtedly Sauber's finest as an independent constructor to date. The real challenge for the Swiss team will now be to maintain a similar performance level this year, particularly after the departure of technical director James Key. Both of the drivers of 2012, Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi, are also no longer with the team, so it will be interesting to see how the aggressive new Sauber machine, designed by Matt Morris, goes in the hands of Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Gutierrez. If this year's C32 is as competitive as its predecessor, it would come as little surprise to see Hulkenberg bag his maiden podium finish after some of his performances with Force India last year; the switch to Sauber makes the young German well positioned to take advantage of a potential vacancy at Ferrari for 2014. While Gutierrez's appointment ensures a healthy budget remains in place for the team, the Mexican shouldn't be underestimated. Matching Hulkenberg in year one is too large an ask, but Gutierrez needs to show flashes of potential whilst avoiding the mistakes that cost him a genuine shot at last year's GP2 title.

Sahara Force India F1 Team
Drivers: Paul Di Resta (GB), Adrian Sutil (D)
Reserve Driver: TBA

Vijay Mallya's team has a tough time ahead of it if they are to reclaim their 'best of the rest' status from 2011. Despite a strong showing towards the end of last season, particularly by Nico Hulkenberg, the team lacked the headline-grabbing results of their rivals at Sauber and Williams. The new VJM06 design also appears to be somewhat conservative compared to its rivals, as is their choice to re-instate former driver Adrian Sutil alongside Paul Di Resta this year. Whilst Sutil is a known quantity, and a very capable midfielder who can be relied upon to finish regularly, it's hard to see how his presence is going to drive the team forward. Di Resta meanwhile has to notch at least a couple of top-drawer results in order to regain the career momentum that he lost after being outclassed by Hulkenberg in the latter half of last year. The Scot seemed somewhat miffed about being overlooked for the McLaren drive, but he needs to re-capture the sparkle of his debut season if he is to put himself in the running for a move up the grid. Perhaps having Sutil back alongside him, who he was beginning to get on top off towards the end of '11, will give Di Resta the chance to do just that.

Williams F1 Team
Drivers: Pastor Maldonado (YV), Valtteri Bottas (FIN)
Reserve Driver: TBA

After the unmitigated disaster that was 2011, Williams proved last year that they can still be a force in modern day F1. Pastor Maldonado's superb victory at the Spanish Grand Prix was just the boost the team required, and the prospects of Sir Frank's squad challenging the big teams once more this year seem promising indeed. The new FW35 has proven at least as quick as, if not slightly more so in the long runs, its midfield rivals and its driver pairing has serious potential. For all of his on-track indiscretions last year, Maldonado's blistering speed should ensure further trips to the podium in 2013, which will be all the more crucial with the future of his Venezuelan state backing potentially in doubt after the death of Hugo Chavez. Valtteri Bottas meanwhile is one of the most exciting prospects to join the grid for some time, with his impressive showings in Friday practice last year enough to outweigh the solid but unspectacular Bruno Senna's cash in the eyes of the Williams team. While he hasn't raced since his title-winning GP3 campaign of 2011, the Finn isn't short of confidence and has the talent to establish himself as one to keep an eye on in the future.

Scuderia Toro Rosso
Drivers: Jean-Eric Vergne (F), Daniel Ricciardo (AU)
Reserve Driver: TBA

2012 was a year to forget for the team that took Sebastian Vettel to his maiden victory four years earlier, but the appointment of James Key as technical director last year promises to move Toro Rosso back into the thick of the midfield fight once more this year. The STR8 seems a more promising baseline than last year's car, which should allow Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo to showcase their talents and score points far more regularly. Though Vergne finished 2012 with the slightly higher points tally of the pair, he was out-qualified far too often by his teammate and needs to extract the most from the car more often than he was able to last year. Ricciardo meanwhile needs to demonstrate the necessary aggression in battle to go with his obvious single-lap pace that would make him as the more likely candidate for a Red Bull drive. Should either man falter in the ultra-high pressure environment that is Toro Rosso however, the highly-rated Red Bull junior Antonio Felix da Costa is ready to step in - just ask Sebastien Buemi or Jaime Alguersauri what's likely to happen if Helmut Marko doesn't think you're up to scratch.

Caterham F1 Team
Drivers: Charles Pic (F), Giedo van der Garde (NL)
Reserve Drivers: Alexander Rossi (US), Ma Qing Hua (PRC)

Clinching tenth in last year's constructors' championship at the 59th minute of the 11th hour must have come as a relief for Tony Fernandes' team, but Caterham looks to have a fight on its hands if they are to evade the wooden spoon, let alone step up and challenge the established midfield pack. The CT03 has looked like a handful in testing, and it's hard to see how the new driver line-up of Charles Pic and Giedo van der Garde, who have just 20 starts between them, is going to be able to help develop it effectively. Pic turned heads in his rookie season last year, proving a match for his veteran Marussia teammate Timo Glock on occasion, but can be expected to do little more this season than consistently out-qualify newcomer van der Garde, who arrives largely on the virtue of funding, and finish as high up as the attrition rate allows. Points finishes seem as distant as ever unless there's a race this year as chaotic and unpredictable as last year's Brazil finale.

Marussia F1 Team
Drivers: Jules Bianchi (F), Max Chilton (GB)
Reserve Driver: TBA

Despite the somewhat controversial manner in which the team parted ways with Timo Glock in January, as well as the short-lived tenure of his initial replacement Luiz Razia, there is some cause for optimism in the Marussia garage this year. The new MR02, the first wind-tunnel assisted design produced by the team, seems to be a tidy package, and the arrival of KERS will undoubtedly put it in a better position to challenge their rivals at Caterham even if points remain out of reach. Jules Bianchi, who lost out on the Force India seat to Adrian Sutil and was only announced as a Marussia driver in place of the unfortunate Razia during the final pre-season test, brings valuable testing experience to the team and should thrive in having a low-pressure environment in which to build experience. Britain's Max Chilton meanwhile has benefited from having plenty of seat time in testing thanks to the uncertainty surrounding the identity of his teammate, but needs to prove he's not only in F1 only by way of his considerable financial backing and that he has the potential to move up the grid in the future.

Predictions
Whilst another Vettel-Alonso battle for supremacy is shaping up to be perhaps the most likely scenario as far as the title is concerned, predicting the precise order of the chasing pack with so many questions unanswered is something of a fool's errand. That said, my prediction for last year wasn't a million miles away from reality - only time will tell how accurate I'll be this time around. As there'll be no separate preview article for the Australian Grand Prix, I've also taken the liberty of including my predictions for the opening race below:

Drivers' Championship
1. Alonso, 2. Vettel, 3. Raikkonen, 4. Button, 5. Webber, 6. Perez, 7. Hamilton, 8. Massa, 9. Grosjean, 10. Rosberg, 11. Hulkenberg, 12. Maldonado, 13. Ricciardo, 14. Di Resta, 15. Sutil, 16. Bottas, 17. Vergne, 18. Sutil, 19. Bianchi, 20. Pic, 21. van der Garde, 22. Chilton

Constructors' Championship
1. Red Bull-Renault, 2. McLaren-Mercedes, 3. Ferrari, 4. Lotus-Renault, 5. Mercedes, 6. Sauber-Ferrari, 7. Williams-Renault, 8. Force India-Mercedes, 9. Toro Rosso-Ferrari, 10. Marussia-Cosworth, 11. Caterham-Renault

Australian Grand Prix - Qualifying
1. Vettel, 2. Grosjean, 3. Webber, 4. Button, 5. Hamilton, 6. Raikkonen, 7. Alonso, 8. Maldonado, 9. Perez, 10. Rosberg

Australian Grand Prix - Race
1. Vettel, 2. Raikkonen, 3. Alonso, 4. Grosjean, 5. Hamilton, 6. Perez, 7. Maldonado, 8. Rosberg, 9. Hulkenberg, 10. Ricciardo

That's all from me for now, but check back in a week's time for my comprehensive report on all the action from down under - it promises to be an utter corker.