The Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix is the first chance for fans to see what the teams have cooked up during the three-month break between seasons.
Last year’s championship winners Ferrari are hoping their team of Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa will begin another winning season in Melbourne.
Young British sensation Lewis Hamilton will be driving for McLaren-Mercedes again in the hope of winning the drivers trophy for the second year in a row.
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But from the March 26-29 season opener in Melbourne, there’s another nine months and 17 races for the 20 drivers to show their skill. And in F1, anything can happen.
In a city of just under four million people, an influx of thousands of tourists dressed in racing team colours doesn’t go un-noticed in Melbourne.
The Victorian government says it has secured the event until 2015.
This year rock music veterans The Who are set to take up where 1970 glamrockers Kiss left off last year.
But it’s the cars, and their drivers, that draw in the fans.
Biting at the heels of Ferrari are McLaren-Mercedes, BMW Sauber and Renault.
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Renault’s Fernando Alonso (Spain), 2005 and 2006 driver’s champion, says he’s intent on reclaiming the title in 2009.
At the unveiling of the team’s car in January, he said he has “only one objective in 2009, to be champion of the world.
“The only thing I can say is that I’m better prepared than ever and very, very motivated.”
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