As the new F1 season roars to life at Melbourne today, mid-day highlights five key points that will impact the sport
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Ham sets pace in practice
Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton set the pace on the first day of practice for the season-opening Australian GP. The Briton, who goes into the season as the championship favourite, lapped the circuit in one minute 23.931 seconds in his Mercedes. He set that time in the afternoon, edging Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who was placed second, with Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas ending the day third-quickest. Kimi Raikkonen was the quickest Ferrari, ending the day fourth ahead of Sebastian Vettel.
Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton drives during a testing session in Barcelona recently. pic/Getty Images
Lewis, the man to beat
A refreshed and hungry Lewis Hamilton has declared he is ready to take the new F1 season by the scruff of the neck — which is bad news for his long-suffering rivals. The Mercedes driver is the man they all have to beat again, and at 33, it seems that Hamilton, the four-time World Champion and now a veteran of the sport, wants to speed up rather than slow down. Hamilton may see Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel and the Red Bull pair of Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen as his main rivals, but he could also face a serious challenge from his own garage in teammate Valtteri Bottas.
Teams Say hello to the halo
It is the most controversial introduction in F1 since the 2016 qualifying eliminator, but unlike that change, the halo is here to stay. The new cockpit head protection system, to give it its full name, has seen teams split over whether or not it is the right safety solution. The halo - a carbon fibre structure above the cockpit - will protect drivers from flying debris following a crash.
No name change for Force India
Contrary to rumours, Force India announced that the F1 team will not change its name. Earlier, speculation was rife that an energy drink company, Rich Energy was going to buy the team, and it was reported that the team could drop the word India from its name. But any such change will have to wait till 2019 as a mid-year change has also been ruled out. Force India, driven by Mexican Sergio Perez and Frenchman Esteban Ocon, will look to better their fourth-place finish in both 2016 and 2017, but will face a serious challenge from other midfield teams on the grid.
Grid girls make way for kids
Liberty Media, F1's American owners, have done away with the practice of using scantily-clad grid girls before races amidst the recent women empowerment wave. Liberty, embarking on their second season in charge of the sport, said the practice of having women in the grid area before races was "clearly at odds with modern day societal norms". Instead, ahead of each race, organisers will choose grid kids, who will be accompanied by their parents on the track.
Ferrari threat
Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari are once again a major threat to the Lewis Hamilton-led Mercedes' bid for a fifth-straight constructors' title. The Italian giants, who last won the team title in 2008, were quickest in pre-season testing, with Vettel declaring that Ferrari was heading to Melbourne in as good a shape as their main rivals. "We're starting from a good base with our SF71H car," he said. "I have a lot of confidence in our team, and I can't wait to be in Australia, because once we get on track there, we will all be driving and racing under the same conditions."
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