Formula 1 is returning in 2018 with new cars, new liveries and the new halo device. But, which of the 10 challengers do you think looks best?
Let's take a look at them all.
Mercedes F1 W09 EQ Power+
Mercedes survived the major regulations change to still take both titles in 2017, but were beaten by Ferrari and Red Bull on merit for a lot of the season. Will this car bring them back to the 14-16 dominance? Defending Champion Lewis Hamilton is joined by Valtteri Bottas again this year.
Ferrari SF17H
Ferrari had a car that was on par with Mercedes in 2017, but reliability issues hampered Vettel's charge to the drivers title. Kimi Raikkonen will pair Vettel again, but surely he has to step up his game, as Vettel has scored all of Ferrari's wins since 2014. Lots of teams are copying Ferrari's 2017 Sidepods, will they find a new design to keep them ahead of the competition?
Red Bull - Renault RB14
Red Bull were expected to thrive in 2017, with Adrian Newey allowed to go bonkers with more aerodynamics. However, the car started the season underdeveloped, and the poor reliability of the Renault power unit held them back. They still managed 3 wins, but how can Verstappen win any more races if Kvyat can't be demoted? Ricciardo also stays for another year, but will he stay in 2019?
Force India - Mercedes VJM11
Force India have punched above their financial weight for the past few years and were clearly best-of-the-rest in 2017, with a striking pink livery making the car unmistakable. Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon have been retained, and probably also restrained, as on-track tensions robbed the team of lots of points, potential podiums and victories.
Williams - Mercedes FW41
Williams have been slowly slipping further back into the midfield after a stellar 2014 season. However, in 2017, they were the only team other than the big three to score a podium, and this season is the first car built under the full direction of Paddy Lowe. Lance Stroll has shown he deserves to be in F1, he just needs to prove he deserves to stay, while new recruit Sergey Sirotkin needs to impress to get the Robert Kubica brigade off his back.
Renault R.S.18
Renault have been loaned Carlos Sainz by the Red Bull programme, and with Nico Hulkenberg, could be the best driver pairing in the midfield. It is their third year back in Formula 1 as a works team, and this could be the year they reach the front of the field. With both drivers having come close to the podium, but never making it, they will be desperate to snatch any opportunity.
Toro Rosso - Honda STR13
Toro Rosso have joined up with Honda this season to become the big unknown for 2018. With Honda criticising McLaren's "Size Zero" approach, they made sure this year that Honda are dictating the engine compartment. Have Honda got it right this season? Will we see Toro Rosso's drafting easily past McLarens? WEC champion Brendon Hartley and GP2 champion Pierre Gasly are both getting their first full seasons on F1 to answer that question.
Haas - Ferrari VF-18
Haas may only be entering their third year in F1, but with the familiar faces of Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen, plus reasonable results, it seems like they've been around for longer. Their new car for 2018 has drawn many comparisons to the 2017 Ferrari, but will it be up there in performance terms?
McLaren - Renault MCL33
McLaren finally ended the disastrous second McLaren-Honda partnership for Renault engines in 2018. This change was enough to convince the Double Renault world champion Fernando Alonso to stay - albeit with a full WEC campaign on the side - along with Stoffel Vandoorne. Put it this way, things can only get better for McLaren.
Alfa Romeo Sauber - Ferrari C37
Talking of things getting better, Sauber finally have contemporary engines again, as a tie-up with Alfa Romeo not only brings back the legendary name to Formula 1, but also a lot of performance enhancing money to the team. Highly rated and unstoppable F2 champion Charles Leclerc joins Marcus Ericsson in the drivers seat for the year.
Which car looks the best? Vote in the poll and discuss below!
Let's also try to get through a whole discussion without commenting negatively about the Halo. We all know it's there. We all know it looks bad, but the sooner we accept it, the sooner it won't matter and we can focus on what is could potentially be one of the best seasons in recent memory.
Let's take a look at them all.
Mercedes F1 W09 EQ Power+
Mercedes survived the major regulations change to still take both titles in 2017, but were beaten by Ferrari and Red Bull on merit for a lot of the season. Will this car bring them back to the 14-16 dominance? Defending Champion Lewis Hamilton is joined by Valtteri Bottas again this year.
Ferrari SF17H
Ferrari had a car that was on par with Mercedes in 2017, but reliability issues hampered Vettel's charge to the drivers title. Kimi Raikkonen will pair Vettel again, but surely he has to step up his game, as Vettel has scored all of Ferrari's wins since 2014. Lots of teams are copying Ferrari's 2017 Sidepods, will they find a new design to keep them ahead of the competition?
Red Bull - Renault RB14
Red Bull were expected to thrive in 2017, with Adrian Newey allowed to go bonkers with more aerodynamics. However, the car started the season underdeveloped, and the poor reliability of the Renault power unit held them back. They still managed 3 wins, but how can Verstappen win any more races if Kvyat can't be demoted? Ricciardo also stays for another year, but will he stay in 2019?
Force India - Mercedes VJM11
Force India have punched above their financial weight for the past few years and were clearly best-of-the-rest in 2017, with a striking pink livery making the car unmistakable. Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon have been retained, and probably also restrained, as on-track tensions robbed the team of lots of points, potential podiums and victories.
Williams - Mercedes FW41
Williams have been slowly slipping further back into the midfield after a stellar 2014 season. However, in 2017, they were the only team other than the big three to score a podium, and this season is the first car built under the full direction of Paddy Lowe. Lance Stroll has shown he deserves to be in F1, he just needs to prove he deserves to stay, while new recruit Sergey Sirotkin needs to impress to get the Robert Kubica brigade off his back.
Renault R.S.18
Renault have been loaned Carlos Sainz by the Red Bull programme, and with Nico Hulkenberg, could be the best driver pairing in the midfield. It is their third year back in Formula 1 as a works team, and this could be the year they reach the front of the field. With both drivers having come close to the podium, but never making it, they will be desperate to snatch any opportunity.
Toro Rosso - Honda STR13
Toro Rosso have joined up with Honda this season to become the big unknown for 2018. With Honda criticising McLaren's "Size Zero" approach, they made sure this year that Honda are dictating the engine compartment. Have Honda got it right this season? Will we see Toro Rosso's drafting easily past McLarens? WEC champion Brendon Hartley and GP2 champion Pierre Gasly are both getting their first full seasons on F1 to answer that question.
Haas - Ferrari VF-18
Haas may only be entering their third year in F1, but with the familiar faces of Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen, plus reasonable results, it seems like they've been around for longer. Their new car for 2018 has drawn many comparisons to the 2017 Ferrari, but will it be up there in performance terms?
McLaren - Renault MCL33
McLaren finally ended the disastrous second McLaren-Honda partnership for Renault engines in 2018. This change was enough to convince the Double Renault world champion Fernando Alonso to stay - albeit with a full WEC campaign on the side - along with Stoffel Vandoorne. Put it this way, things can only get better for McLaren.
Alfa Romeo Sauber - Ferrari C37
Talking of things getting better, Sauber finally have contemporary engines again, as a tie-up with Alfa Romeo not only brings back the legendary name to Formula 1, but also a lot of performance enhancing money to the team. Highly rated and unstoppable F2 champion Charles Leclerc joins Marcus Ericsson in the drivers seat for the year.
Which car looks the best? Vote in the poll and discuss below!
Let's also try to get through a whole discussion without commenting negatively about the Halo. We all know it's there. We all know it looks bad, but the sooner we accept it, the sooner it won't matter and we can focus on what is could potentially be one of the best seasons in recent memory.
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