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It's finally race week! The 2019 Formula One Season is upon us and after months of waiting, a few weeks of testing and a whole load of change, we are almost set to return to F1 at full racing speed.
After not much change at all between the 2017 & 2018 seasons, F1 in 2019 is set for a full reset as teams, drivers, manufacturers, liveries and a lot more have gone through some alterations.
It's a whole new Ferrari with 4-time World Champ Sebastian Vettel chasing Hamilton's 5 titles, all while he's got the upstart Charles Leclerc breathing down his neck in the partner Ferrari.
Lewis Hamilton & Mercedes look to defend their titles but it might be a harder job considering the additional challenge of dealing with the likes of the Honda-powered Red Bulls being driven by Max Verstappen & Pierre Gasly.
Whether the Japanese manufacturer can finally get Red Bull to a consistent race winning form is to be seen, but they will certainly be up for it. Going into Australia there's a whole lot to look out for, and we simply can't wait. What's going to happen? Who knows, but as always that won't stop us from guessing!
Here are our 5 early predictions for the 2019 Australian GP.
#5 Gasly on Pole
Going into the first race of the season it's always hard to predict which cars are the fastest, both in a straight line and through a series of turns. However, with the new Honda engine in the back of the Red Bull, we pick the Frenchman, Pierre Gasly to be the first one to nab pole position in Australia.
This isn't a wild guess either, the logic comes from the fact that the Toro Rossos last year found themselves with impressive speed trap numbers consistently throughout the year.
With all the change that's been marking the 2019 season, I see Gasly being the newcomer to a top team to put this change on show, as opposed to the old guard or even another top team rookie in Charles Leclerc.
While his seat was occupied by the Australian Daniel Ricciardo last year, we see Gasly putting his Red Bull through the ringer and grabbing pole on Saturday.
#4 Bottas out on Lap 1
One of the stories that threaded through all of last year was the horrendous luck and forgettable season that Mercedes driver, Valtteri Bottas had. With early success quickly crumbling and leaving him with an entirely undesirable role of being Hamilton's 'wingman,' we're sure that Bottas will be looking to turn that around this year.
However, with that being said, we believe that Bottas's bad luck will carry through to the first part of this year as well and that the Finn will have his run end on lap one on Sunday.
Being that it's the first race of the season, everyone will be itching to make a run for the top spot, and we see an incident popping up to take Bottas out. It may not even be his fault, as it is in F1 so many times, it might just be an errant midfield car trying to make an overtake in a pack and touching Bottas out of the race.
Either way, while we hope that Bottas can get rid of his bad luck from last year to put in some blistering performances, we don't see that coming together in Melbourne.
#3 Ricciardo sets the Fastest Lap
A last minute announcement ahead of the Australian GP has taken the F1 world by storm, after the FIA announced that for the first time since 1959 they will be awarding points for the Fastest Lap.
This point will only be available for drivers who finish in the top ten and acts as an extra incentive for drivers to push themselves to get the edge over their rivals. It's only a single point, therefore it may not seem like much, however the title has been won on fastest lap points before like in 1958 with Mike Hawthorne winning by 1 point.
The Formula E series has also seen points awarded for the fastest lap and it has certainly made a difference there.
For the first time in 60 years in Australia, we see the Honey Badger being the one to nab this bonus point. His Renault is far less likely to get on the podium than the Red Bull he used to drive, therefore don't hold your breath waiting for a hometown podium.
However, Ricciardo does indeed have a machine good enough to be in the top 10, and in his hometown an extra tenth or two due to support from the crowd may be enough to snap up the fastest lap and get on the board with one extra point.
#2 Raikkonen on the Podium
The only World Champion on the grid not racing for Ferrari or Mercedes, fan favorite Kimi Raikkonen will return to his first ever team of Sauber 18 years after his 1-year stint with them in 2001. With the Sauber team being re-branded as Alfa Romeo Racing this year, it's not exactly the same, but in spirit; The Iceman Cometh Home.
If this move was set up two years ago, we might be lamenting it as no one really wants to see Raikkonen struggling at the back of the pack. However, with the strides that Alfa have made in the past couple of years, the team looks like it could be well in the midfield battle for possibly even best of the rest this season.
Raikkonen has been setting some pretty amazing times in testing and the Alfa Romeo car has an interesting front wing design that might be the secret to their speed.
The point is, Raikkonen could be a real contender with Alfa, and we see this coming to fruition in Melbourne. Some first lap chaos and starting troubles for the top teams could see the Iceman making his way onto the podium if he keeps it clean and just sails past any troubled Ferraris or Mercedes.
Obviously this is a real outside pick, but it would be a serious delight to see the Iceman on the podium again, this time in an Alfa and not a Ferrari.
#1 Leclerc Wins on his Ferrari Debut
The former Formula 2 Champion, Charles Leclerc is about to get his first shot at contending for the Formula 1 World Championship as a Ferrari driver this year. The hype around him has been seemingly justified till now after he had an exciting and successful season with Sauber last year. The young Monegasque upstart will be partnering Sebastian Vettel this year and will be looking to make an impact.
One way to make an impact would be to follow in the footsteps of Fernando Alonso & Kimi Raikkonen before him and win on his Ferrari debut. Alonso did so in Bahrain in 2008, and Raikkonen did the feat in Australia in 2007.
Leclerc will undoubtedly have a car that is capable of winning the Australian GP and if he gets a good starting spot on the grid and just does what he has been doing all his life, he could be the next Ferrari driver to win on his team debut and to lead the Championship race.
This would throw a spanner in everybody's works, especially Mercedes and defending Champion Lewis Hamilton, and of course Leclerc's teammate, Sebastian Vettel. For the sake of F1 fans everywhere, we hope that Ferrari don't enact team orders at any point this season, and a good start to that would be for Charles Leclerc to come bounding out of the gates to take a victory in Melbourne.
