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Can Mercedes be beaten? The talking points for the Australian GP

Can anybody stop Merc? Who's ahead, Ferrari or Red Bull? Have McLaren fixed their unreliability? And don't forget the time changes!

Can Mercedes be beaten?
Mercedes enter F1 2018 bidding to win a fifth consecutive world championship double and, ominously, may have extended their advantage over the rest of the field during the winter.

Toto Wolff famously dubbed last season's W08 "a diva", but the Silver Arrows are optimistic they have ironed out their deficiencies for this year's W09. Once again the Mercedes was the standout of testing, being the only car to complete over 1,000 laps while its long-run stints in Barcelona were faster than the Ferrari and Red Bull.

The W09 has undergone a hefty aerodynamic overhaul, notably around the engine cover, which Mercedes predict will shave several tenths off lap times. "Last year's car was the quickest one out there," said Mercedes technical director James Allison. "But last year's car would be utterly hopeless and would be blown away by this one."

Wolff: Merc pace still unproven
Rosberg back on Sky F1 in 2018

And Mercedes are yet to truly show their hand on outright pace. The world champions opted against doing low fuel runs during testing. Come Friday and Saturday we will have a clearer picture of what their upgraded power unit, reportedly boasting 1,000 horsepower, can deliver.

However, while Mercedes used their Australian GP-spec package in the final test, Ferrari and Red Bull are expected to bring fresh upgrades to Melbourne, with Lewis Hamilton predicting the latter's could be worth as much as four tenths of a second. With overtaking notoriously difficult around Albert Park, Mercedes could find themselves with a fight on their hands if they find themselves behind a rival.

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Have Red Bull overtaken Ferrari?
Ferrari were Mercedes' closest challengers in 2017 but head into the new season with big questions over whether they have regressed and, potentially, fallen behind Red Bull.

While the Scuderia posted comfortably the quickest times in testing, Sebastian Vettel's body language was remarkably downbeat following his best time of 1:17.182.

However, their long-run pace was well down on Mercedes', and journalist Michael Schmidt told the F1 Report in Barcelona that Ferrari were losing time in "every type of corner". This weekend will offer insight as to whether that was down to track-specific problems or a more ingrained issue.

Red Bull, meanwhile, are cautiously optimistic after their best pre-season testing of the hybrid era. The RB14's chassis appears to be on a similar level to the W09 while their fresh updates should bring them closer to Mercedes too.

But, ultimately, Red Bull are dependent on their Renault power unit. While the French manufacturer appear to have closed the gap on Mercedes and Ferrari, reliability issues remain which may prevent Red Bull from running at full power.

Will McLaren solve their reliability issues?
This was a question McLaren were hoping to avoid in F1 2018 after their switch from Honda to Renault power units.

But after another winter littered with on-track breakdowns, the former world champions once again arrive in Melbourne with limited mileage under their belts.

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The glimmer of hope is that, while 12 months ago they had a slow and unreliable car, the MCL33 does appear to possess pace. Fernando Alonso signed off testing by recording the third-fastest time, and his 1:17.784 was 3.564 seconds quicker than McLaren's best 2017 testing time - the greatest improvement from any team, by over a second.

Executive director Zak Brown insisted McLaren's issues in Barcelona were minor teething problems, while racing director Eric Boullier conceded they had "pushed the boundaries to the limit" in a bid to return to the front of the field but could "get back to normal very quickly".

'McLaren have addressed issues'

The two-week turnaround will have tested that to the limit, but if the MCL33 can keep running, expect Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne to be in contention for the 'best of the rest' tag.

Testing form to continue to Melbourne?
The signs from Barcelona were that the midfield fight behind the 'Big Three' is set to be the tightest in years. Haas were the surprise package of testing, posting the sixth-fastest time and, tyre corrected, running within a couple of tenths of Ferrari.

Renault, McLaren and Toro Rosso all appear to have made steps forward, while it was nigh-on impossible to judge where Force India lie.

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But Albert Park represents a very different sort of challenge to that of the Circuit de Catalunya.

"The Australian track is a bit unique. It is still a bit of a street circuit, there are very different kinds of corners, it's bumpy so you can get some surprises," said 2016 world champion and new Sky F1 pundit Nico Rosberg.

"And with the conditions, a car may work there in the cold when it usually doesn't and some cars which are usually quick won't work."

Rain is currently forecast for both Saturday and Sunday to add further spice to the action.

How will the rookies fare?
Sunday will see two drivers make their grand prix debut as Charles Leclerc and Sergey Sirotkin make their first starts in Formula 1.

Leclerc arrives at the top table with a burgeoning reputation having continually impressed on his rise through the junior formulas. The Ferrari protégé sealed a 2018 drive with Sauber after sweeping to the Formula 2 title last season, becoming the youngest-ever champion in that series.

But the 20-year-old is likely to face a testing introduction in Melbourne with Sauber expected to begin the season as back-markers. While the link-up with Alfa Romeo has raised optimism at the team, the C37 proved a handful during testing and Leclerc was responsible for three red flags, including a spin into the barriers on the final day.

Sirotkin looks set to face a similarly difficult task in the Williams with the FW41 producing arguably the most underwhelming performances through testing. The Russian joined the Grove-based team from Renault over the winter and will have the added scrutiny of sceptics who regard him as a 'pay driver' who denied Robert Kubica a fairy-tale return to full-time racing in F1.

But Sirotkin had a solid record in GP2, finishing third in the 2015 and 2016 championships, while he ended the winter with Williams' best time of testing. The 22-year-old says he is "really looking forward to the challenge" and if he can out-perform team-mate Lance Stroll this weekend it will be a promising early marker.

Don't forget the later race start time…
All races in F1 2018 will now start at 10 minutes past the hour after a radical rewriting of the schedule for this season.

And that means lights out on Sunday for the season opener will now be at 6.10am UK time.

However, the opening Qualifying session of the season remains at the 6am start time.

…and to change your clocks!
In case you didn't have it noted down already, a reminder that the clocks spring forward in the UK at 1am on Sunday.

So even with that extra 10 minutes in bed, the 6.10am start time will feel like 5.10am for your body clock.

But we're sure this will be worth getting up for. Get the coffee at the ready!

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