F1 2019 season: 10 changes every Formula 1 fan should know about

The 70th season of the Formula One calendar got off to a flying start last week with Finn Valtteri Bottas scripting the most memorable win of his career and throwing the gauntlet down to his more famed rivals. The 2019 season F1 season comprises a long 21-race calendar culminating in Abu Dhabi on December 1st, marking the first time since 1963 that the season finale will be played out in the month of December. Sebastian Vettel will be looking to win his very first world title since joining Ferrari and will be looking to forget the opportunities that he vanquished last season. It remains to be seen if the Red Bulls and Ferraris can overturn the hegemony enjoyed by the Mercedes and especially Lewis Hamilton over the last few years.

Many notable changes have been implemented going into the 2019 season both on the team side as well as the driver side. We look at some of the changes that have been made this season:

#10 Revamped front and rear wing

A wider and taller design has been incorporated to aid the cars, that are behind, follow in on the cars at the front, more closely than in previous years. Design changes were thus made to ensure more overtaking and make the race more thrilling.

Similar changes have been imparted to the rear wing increasing its width and height. In addition to this, the DRS opening has been slightly widened to bolster the power output. At the end of the day, these changes to the front and rear wing were brought about to enable easier overtaking.

#9 Assortment of tyre colours employed in 2018 cut down drastically

In 2018, there were a total of 9 different colour combinations for tyres in F1. There were 7 color combinations for the dry tyre compounds - [1] Hypersoft (Pink) , [2] Ultrasoft (Purple), [3] Supersoft (Red), [4] Soft (Yellow) , [5] Medium (White), [6] Hard (Blue), [7] Super Hard (Orange); 1 intermediate compounds (Green) and Wet weather tyre compounds (Blue). The myriad of colours made things extremely complicated.

Keeping this in mind, the 2019 season will only have 3 combinations of tyres offered by Pirelli - [1] Soft tyres (Red), [2] Medium tyres compounds (Yellow) and [3] Hard tyres (White)

#8 Biometric gloves and stronger helmet

The new biometric gloves to be used for the 2019 F1 season

The newly incorporated biometric gloves have sensors which gauge and monitor the driver's pulse rate and blood oxygen levels. This facilitates rescue during crashes and is aimed at enhancing the safety aspect.

The new standardized helmets introduced this season have certain vital safety benefits including advanced ballistic protection and increased energy absorption. The front visor has been lowered to reduce the risk of injury from flying debris.

#7 Extra point for the fastest lap

Valtteri Bottas made history when he became the first F1 driver since the 1950's to grab an extra point for setting the fastest lap at the 2019 Grand Prix of Australia

One of the most significant changes in 2019 is the additional point up for grabs for the driver who records the fastest lap in the race. This means that a total of 21 extra points is up for grabs. This added incentive will make drivers more eager to try and set the fastest lap even if they don't have a chance to win the race. If this rule were in effect in 2008, Felipe Massa would have pipped Lewis Hamilton to the world title. This rule is not new to Formula One and it was in force back in the early days. It is after several decades that the rule has made a comeback. The surprise winner of the Australian Grand Prix - Valtteri Bottas made history by becoming the first F1 driver to grab 26 points when he also set the fastest lap of the race last week.

#6 Revamped grid penalty rules

From 2019, in case of multiples drivers handed a grid penalty, the starting order of the penalized driver would be decided by their qualifying order. In 2018, this was slightly different and more skewed towards the driver who would have left the pit-lane first on Friday's Free Practice 1. He would start ahead of the other drivers who were imposed a grid penalty. This made no sense as a grid penalty is a grid penalty and equating it with who left the pit-lane first was illogical.

#5 Increased fuel allowance

Drivers are now permitted to use up to 110 kilograms of fuel in 2019 - 5 kilograms more than what was permitted in 2018. This means that drivers can make use of full engine power at all times and fuel conserving strategies which were commonplace especially in the latter part of the races can now be a thing of the past as the drivers can go full throttle even in the closing laps.

#4 End of race signal will no longer be the chequered flag

The chequered flag waving error at the 2018 Canadian GP was a major embarrassment. It led to it being dropped in 2019.

To avoid embarrassing moments like the one we had in the 2018 Canadian Grand Prix where the chequered flag was waved mid-way through the race, the FIA has mandated that from this season onward, the official closing signal of the race will come by an electronic chequered light panel. The iconic chequered flag will still be waved though, albeit only for ceremonial purposes.

#3 Red Bull forges a bond with Honda

Team Principal Christian Horner will hope that his team's decision to opt for Honda engines will be a gamechanger for them

Red Bull Racing suspended its 12-year long partnership with French automaker Renault and have made the switch to Honda engines effective 2019. Red Bull thus joined its sister team - Scuderia Torro Roso who have been making use of Honda engines since 2018. Whether or not Christian Horner and his Team have made a tactically brilliant move or a disastrous one, only time will tell

#2 The dawn of the 4-figure mark in F1 history

14th April 2019 is going to be a red-letter day in the history of Motorsport racing and Formula One in particular, for it will mark the 1000th Grand Prix in the rich and illustrious history of F1. The 1950 British Grand Prix was the first ever F1 race and it is indeed fitting that the 1000th race is held in China, a place about 5,700 miles away from the iconic Silverstone Circuit where the first race was held. This very fact embodies the truly global appeal that F1 has attained over the course of the years more so especially since the 1990s.

#1 Driver and Team changes

Charles Leclerc will look to impress in his debut season for Scuderia Ferrari

Three drivers entered the F1 grid for the first time in Australia last week. They were British driver Lando Norris for McLaren, George Russell for Williams and Alexander Albon for Toro Rosso. Perennial fan favourite Kimi Raikkonen is now a member of Team Alfa Romeo having swapped his Ferrari seat with Monaco resident Charles LeClerc. Pole driver Robert Kubica makes his F1 return after 9 years. He will be a part of Team Williams. Daniil Kvyat returns to the team which gave him his F1 debut - Toro Rosso. Daniel Ricciardo took everyone by surprise by making a move to Renault. He took Carlos Sainz' place who moved to McLaren. Pierre Gasly moved up the ladder from Toro Rosso to Red Bull and Lance Stroll will be a part of his Racing Point F1 - a Team owned by his father - Lawrence Stroll.