Lewis Hamilton
Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton poses during the official drivers' photo shoot at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia Getty

The 2015 F1 season gets underway at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne with new drivers and new car designs. Will it be Mercedes dominating yet again? Or will the chasing pack from the 2014 season, Williams, Red Bull Racing and Ferrari manage to catch the Brackley-based team?

Click here for the full list of teams, drivers and regulation changes for the 2015 F1 season.

Where to watch live

The first practice session of the Australian Grand Prix starts at 1.30am GMT, with Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports F1 HD providing live coverage in the UK.

Real-time internet updates are available on the Live Timing section of the sport's official website. Live coverage of the second practice session starts at 5.30am GMT.

Overview

If we go by the results in the winter testing that took place in Jerez and Barcelona it looks like Mercedes are favourites yet again to top the podium in Australia, with Williams, Ferrari and Red Bull battling for the title of "best of the rest".

There are debutants at this race with Toro Rosso completely changing their drivers lineup to include two drivers from the Red Bull Junior programme. Max Verstappen, the son of former F1 driver Jos Verstappen will occupy one of the seats with Carlos Sainz Jr, also the son of fomer World Rally championship driver Carlos Sainz occupying the second seat.

Another debutant comes in the form of Brazilian Filipe Nasr, who will lineup on the grid for team Sauber.

Track Facts

  • Circuit Name: Albert Park Circuit
  • First F1 Race: 1996
  • Circuit Length: 5.303km
  • Number of Laps: N/A
  • Race Distance: N/A
  • Lap Record: 1:24.125 M Schumacher (2004)
  • Most Wins: Michael Schumacher (4)
  • 2014 Winner: Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)
  • 2013 Pole: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)