Can anybody challenge Merc in F1?

When early pre-season Formula One testing saw cars other than Mercedes topping the time sheets, it turned out to be a damp squib. Once Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg finally put on some grippier soft tyres they set the lap charts ablaze, indicating that the 2015 Formula One season will be another Mercedes benefit.

Watching an intra-team rivalry between two such closely-matched drivers can deliver a dramatic season, as last year’s down-to-the-wire championship battle proved on several occasions, but most watchers would prefer to see more teams in the hunt.

Realistically, it seems this won’t happen and Mercedes won’t be beaten by anything but reliability issues but Williams, Ferrari and Red Bull have been hard at work over the nearly four-month break and should be fighting for the minor podium placings.

Ferrari in particular seems to be staging a revival after failing to win a single race last year, and former four-time champion Sebastian Vettel seems to be settling in well as Kimi Raikkonen’s new team-mate, after moving over from Red Bull. Although Kimi’s the driver who last won a championship for Ferrari back in 2007, he was comprehensively outpaced by Fernando Alonso last year and it will be interesting to see how he copes against Vettel. The new Ferrari is said to have a much better engine and improved handling, while there’s new management in the form of Maurizio Arrivabene who is now team principal.

BEST OF THE REST

Daniel Ricciardo was a revelation last year, beating his more illustrious team-mate Vettel to become the best of the non-Mercedes drivers with three wins to his name. The smiling Australian is joined this season by talented Russian Daniil Kvyat who moves up from Toro Rosso and will be determined to stake his claim at the formerly dominant team. Kvyat last year became the youngest driver to score points in Formula One when he finished ninth in Australia.

With Mercedes power, Williams could be challenging for wins. They have a strong driver pairing in Finland’s Valtteri Bottas – who finished the title fourth last season but is looking for his first win – and a revitalised Felipe Massa who had a solid 2014 season including pole position in Austria.

McLaren’s prospects aren’t looking too well after switching to Honda power, and they’ve struggled with reliability in pre-season testing. Despite the signing of superstar Fernando Alonso (who misses the first race due to the concussion he suffered in his testing accident), it’s likely to be a difficult start to the season for a team that hasn’t won a race since 2012. Interest will focus on whether the Spaniard can wrest more performance out of the car than his veteran team-mate Jenson Button.

McLaren’s likely to be challenged in the midfield by the likes of Force India, with Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez at the wheel. Despite having the benefit of Mercedes power, the cash-strapped team managed very little pre-season testing and may struggle in the early part of the season.

STARS IN THE MAKING

A team with a good chance of fighting for fifth place is Scuderia Toro Rosso which continues to be a breeding ground for future Red Bull stars, and this year’s new line-up consists of two sons of famous fathers. Netherlands’ Max Verstappen, who at 17 is F1’s youngest-ever driver, is the son of Jos Verstappen who raced in F1 from 1994 to 2003 and also competed in A1 GP and the Le Mans Series. His team-mate, Carlos Sainz junior (20) is the son of rally and Dakar star Carlos Sainz.

Lotus is expected to have a much better year than its dismal 2014 campaign after switching from Renault to Mercedes power this year, and both Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado have proven podium experience.

Sauber failed to score a point last year in one of its worst seasons to date, but hopes for better fortunes in 2015 with a pair of new drivers in Sweden’s Marcus Ericsson and Brazil’s Felipe Nasr.

Manor Marussia has been revived from the ashes of Marussia which missed the last three races of 2014 due to financial troubles.

F1 debutants Spaniard Roberto Merhi and Britain’s Will Stevens will do their best to shine at the back of the field. -Star Motoring

2015 FORMULA ONE CALENDAR

15 March - Australia, Melbourne

29 March - Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur

12 April - China, Shanghai

19 April - Bahrain, Sakhir

10 May - Spain, Catalunya

24 May - Monaco, Monte Carlo

7 June - Canada, Montreal

21 June - Austria, Spielberg

5 July - Britain, Silverstone