Teams
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes (GB)
Victory in 2008 was a just reward for much hard work and McLaren wants that to continue in 2009. The initial testing of the new car suggests that this is not fully competitive. The team says it knows the problem and will be charging back.
Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro (I)
Having been beaten by McLaren in 2008, Ferrari is out for revenge, but the new regulations mean a shake-up for everyone and so there may be other contenders. The big question in 2009 is whether Kimi Raikkonen can raise his game and challenge Felipe Massa for the role of team leader.
BMW Sauber F1 Team (CH)
The BMW team was a solid third in 2008 with Robert Kubica, scoring the team's first win in Canada, and Nick Heidfeld. The team hopes to edge closer to the fight this year and to win more races. Heidfeld in particular is long overdue a victory and needs success after a tough year.
ING Renault F1 Team (F)
Renault F1 had a pretty poor year in 2008 until Fernando Alonso pulled victories in Singapore and Japan out of nowhere. Nelson Piquet looked out of his depth most of the time but the team kept faith and hopes that he will do better this year.
Panasonic Toyota Racing (JPN)
Toyota did a better job in 2008 but was still not quite on the pace of the true frontrunners. This year the team is better prepared than ever and the pre-season testing suggests that the car is closer to the pace. It will be interesting to see how Jarno Trulli copes with coming under more pressure from Timo Glock.
Scuderia Toro Rosso (I)
Amazing though it may have been, the team won a race in 2008, thanks to Sebastian Vettel's impressive performance at Monza. The team will be playing catch-up once again, having been late getting the new car but the pace seems quite useful and while Sebastien Bourdais will get his chance to shine after a learning year, new boy Sebastien Buemi has to go through the education process.
Red Bull Racing (GB)
Having been humbled in 2008 by Scuderia Toro Rosso, Red Bull Racing is keen for success. The team has taken on Sebastian Vettel and that will make it stronger. Mark Webber will have fun coping with the speedy young German. But is the car good enough?
AT&T Williams (GB)
Williams has had a series of rather poor years and needs a major improvement in 2009. Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima remain and both have still to prove that they are topline F1 racers. If the car is up to the job then this is their chance.
Brawn GP (GB)
The old Honda team has stunned everyone with its times in pre-season testing. The questiion being asked is whether this was all just a publicity stunt or did the Honda engineers do their sums right. If they did and Brawn becomes a winner, Honda is going to look very silly indeed.
Force India Formula One Team (IN)
Force India improved a lot last year but not enough for the expectations of the team boss Vijay Mallya, who does not yet understand just how hard F1 is. The team now has Mercedes-Benz engines and new management. The drivers have not been particularly special thus far but Mallya seems to have faith in them. Hope he's right.
