Twelve months ago, the biggest storyline ahead of the Formula One season-opener in Melbourne was the absence of
Michael Schumacher. This time around, the sport is again entering a new campaign having lost the Schumacher name but, given that it is only Ralf, there are bigger subjects set to dominate the headlines.
The 2007 season managed to produce enough story-lines to more than compensate for the loss of a seven-time world champion and, remarkably, many of them continue to rumble on and overshadow the low-key departure of his younger brother a year on down the line.
Spygate, the inter-necine
McLaren feud,
Renault's demise and talk about a brave new world for
F1 all remain as talking points heading down under for the first round of 2008 but, hopefully, will have some on-track action as a rival for the headlines.
The new season ushers the first step towards Max Mosley’s vision of a low-cost
Formula One, with a raft of rule changes designed to combat spending and make the sport a little greener.
Of course, the headline changes centre around the loss of traction control and engine braking, with a standard ECU now fitted to all cars in an effort to make sure no-one circumvents the regulations.
The McLaren/Microsoft-designed ECU will control the engine, gearbox and clutch, gathering data from more than 100 sensors on each car in order to allow the governing body to ban the use of the much-maligned 'driver aids'.
Renault estimates that the removal of such systems could cost up to 0.4secs per lap, although the leading teams are expected to claw that back during the season, while drivers have voiced their concerns about safety implications, especially in the wet.
Perhaps most controversially, however, is that claim from certain teams that the unit could give McLaren an early advantage...
