Formula One 2015 season preview

The 2015 Formula One season kicks off in Australia on March 15th.

It seems like only yesterday Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton was spraying the champagne around the Abu Dhabi pit lane to celebrate his second driver's world championship win.

Hamilton's victory brought an end to a pulsating 2014 championship during which intense rivalries, thrilling races and tragic crashes played a huge part in the nine-month competition. It starts all over again on Sunday (March 15th) at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit in Australia and the anticipation is starting to build once again.

So with the cars already revving their engines, here is our preview to the 2015 Formula One season.

2014 review

The 2014 Formula One season was all about one thing: Lewis Hamilton vs Nico Rosberg. The Mercedes pair were far ahead of the pack but had a number of clashes throughout the season as they competed for the driver's championship. Only Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo was able to break the Mercedes dominance throughout the season, and that was just on three occasions.

Rosberg opened the campaign strongly winning in Melbourne, but four consecutive race victories gave Hamilton the initiative. The lead to-ed and fro-ed throughout the campaign but tensions between the two drivers came to a head in Belgium where Rosberg was forced to apologise to the Brit following a crash.

Hamilton accused the German of crashing into him on purpose and allowing Ricciardo to win. The result kept Rosberg 29 points clear at the top of the championship, but it came with a warning from Mercedes about future conduct.

The spat seemed to galvanise Hamilton who went on a relentless run winning six of the last seven races. Despite Rosberg's win in the penultimate race in Brazil, a victory in Abu Dhabi gave Hamilton the championship and the third of his career. Needless to say, Mercedes also romped home with the constructor's championship title.

Team changes

There has been a fair bit of manoeuvring in preparation for the new season. Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel has ended his relationship with Red Bull Racing after 15 years with the team and has moved over to Ferrari. It could be a defining season for both driver and team as they look to bounce back from hugely disappointing 2014 campaigns.

Vettel's departure has meant Daniil Kvyat has been promoted to Red Bull from Toro Rosso to fill his place. The German's arrival has come after Fernando Alonso left the Italian team to return to McLaren after seven years away. However, the move hit a major setback when Alonso was involved in a crash during winter testing in Barcelona in early March.

While the Spaniard managed to escape with minimal injuries he will miss the opening Australian Grand Prix. Kevin Magnussen will deputise until Alonso returns.

Over at Toro Rosso the team has signed Formula Renault 3.5 Series champion Carlos Sainz Jr and 17-year-old Max Verstappen who will become the youngest driver to ever make his Formula One debut.

Elsewhere, Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr replace Esteban Gutierrez and Adrian Sutil at Sauber. Will Stevens and Roberto Merhi will line up for Marussia.

What's new on the Formula One tour?

Mexico will once again host a race on the Formula One calendar. The Mexican Grand Prix will take place at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit in Mexico City on November 1st, a potentially pivotal time in the season. It is the first time Formula One has returned to the country since 1992 and is the third race in North America, behind the US and Canada.

The country used to be a mainstay in the racing calendar with regular events between 1962 and 1992. Nigel Mansell was the last driver to win in Mexico on his way to claiming the 1992 driver's championship for William-Renault. Since then the track has undergone significant renovation and will be ready to welcome racing's very best once again.

The venue of the German Grand Prix is still up in the air as there continues to be an event sharing agreement stalemate between Nurburgring and Hockenheimring. The former was meant to host the race this year but was left off the provisional calendar.

There was a number of failed bids for the 2015 season. The Grand Prix of America was due to be relocated to the Port Imperial Street Circuit in New Jersey but has been delayed once again. India and Korea both withdrew plans to hold the race for differing reasons.