We give you the rundown on all the runners and riders who will be taking to the Formula 1 starting grid in 2009 - and what to expect when the lights go out in the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne this coming weekend... McLAREN-MERCEDES
McLaren-Mercedes and Renault threatened to organise a boycott of the Australian Grand Prix, Bernie Ecclestone has revealed - but the Formula 1 supremo warned the teams that 'if they come in here with a gun and hold it to my head, they had better be sure they can f***ing pull the trigger'.
"You could flip a coin between [Heikki] Kovalainen and [Lewis] Hamilton; they both could win races on a given day" - that is the expert view of Gary Anderson, who reckons that regardless of McLaren-Mercedes' struggles, the team's assumed 'number two' could be set to give the reigning Formula 1 Wo
Felipe Massa has gone on record as saying that Brawn GP will be Ferrari's 'main opponent' in Formula 1 in 2009 - as Fernando Alonso predicted that it will be too close to call between all the teams in the curtain-raising Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne this coming weekend.
Bernie Ecclestone has hinted that in his opinion McLaren-Mercedes are not quite as far off the pace heading into the 2009 curtain-raising Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne this coming weekend as they would have their rivals believe.
The driver with the most race wins to his name will be crowned 2009 Formula 1 World Champion, it has been announced, after the FIA revealed its definitive list of cost-cutting and interest-enhancing measures to be implemented during the forthcoming campaign.
Norbert Haug has confirmed what many paddock observers have suspected since pre-season Formula 1 testing got underway ahead of the forthcoming 2009 campaign - expected title challengers McLaren-Mercedes are simply 'far too slow'.
Fernando Alonso has rubbished suggestions that he is set for another tough season in Formula 1 with Renault in 2009 following the poor initial testing pace of the new R29, urging that 'the cars in Jerez are not going to be the ones in Australia'.
Nigel Stepney and Mike Coughlan - the two men who came close to bringing Formula 1 to its knees with the well-publicised espionage row of 2007 - have been pronounced free to return to the top flight by FIA President Max Mosley.
Mike Gascoyne has revealed that after parting company with Force India F1 back in November, he will likely work abroad in future - as the Silverstone based-squad declined to comment on reports that its former chief technical officer has initiated legal proceedings against the team.
Following doubt cast by rival teams upon the legality of the design of Ferrari's F60, the Scuderia has modified the rear exhaust outlets on its new car.
A third day of torrential rain welcomed the Formula 1 teams on the fourth and final day of pre-season testing at the Algarve Motor Park in Portugal - only this time the downpour was heavy enough to wipe out the running altogether.
Whilst re-iterating that it would not be 'financially viable' for Prodrive to enter Formula 1 in 2009 by taking over the defunct Honda operation, David Richards is adamant that 'one day' he will be back in the top flight - when the conditions are right.
It will be back to business as usual for Kimi Raikkonen in 2009, his employers Ferrari insist - as the Finn bids to re-establish both his battered reputation and Formula 1 World Championship credentials on the back of a desultory 2008 campaign in the top flight.
It has been reported that as many as seven Formula 1 teams could begin and even complete the 2009 campaign without the new KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems) technology.
Timo Glock has admitted that the aftermath of last year's Brazilian Grand Prix was 'very tough and difficult to understand', as he found himself accused in some quarters of having helped Lewis Hamilton to win the Formula 1 World Championship title.
Despite having run Lewis Hamilton to within a point of the 2008 Formula 1 Drivers' World Championship, Felipe Massa still comes in for a good deal of unjustified criticism amongst paddock observers - that is the view of former grand prix star Johnny Herbert.
Vodafone has revealed that it has withdrawn its long-standing, $6.1m-per-year sponsorship of the England cricket team in response to the current worldwide economic slump - but insists that its support of McLaren-Mercedes' Formula 1 outfit remains secure.
After you voted in your thousands for who you thought to be the best Formula 1 driver of 2008, now's the time for Crash.net to reveal its own top ten, with below positions one to five. 5. Sebastian Vettel
After you voted in your thousands for who you thought to be the best Formula 1 driver of 2008, now's the time for Crash.net to reveal its own top ten, beginning today with positions six to ten. 10. Heikki Kovalainen
After you voted in your thousands for who you thought to be the best Formula 1 driver of 2008, now's the time for Crash.net to reveal its own top ten, beginning today with positions six to ten. 10. Heikki Kovalainen
Gary Paffett has revealed that he is bullish about his chances of finally grabbing a spot on the grand prix grid in 2009, insisting that there is 'a door to be opened' at Force India - and that he is determined to be the man to open it.
Murray Walker has revealed who he believes to have been the most impressive drivers in Formula 1 in 2008 - and has picked out former double world champion Fernando Alonso as 'the best of the lot'.
Max Mosley let down the FIA and the FIA let down Formula 1 with some of its stewarding decisions in 2008 - that is the outspoken view of the sport's much-loved veteran commentator Murray Walker.