The Biggest Car Chase in the world returns!!!

So with some spare time on my hands for once, not only have I managed to get out and about loads on my new Yamaha FZ-1 motorbike, all part of the Motorcycle Diaries I write for the Mail, but I have had a chance to cast my eye over the forthcoming season of Formula One that kicks off this weekend.

I used to love F1 as a kid, but recent years had left me cold, with the virtual non existence of overtaking and no real competition for the all conquering legend that was Team Schumacher, but since the arrival of Lewis Hamilton everything just seems to have picked up again. Is it because we have a home grown hero to cheer? Probably, but I would also like to point out how Hamilton has changed racing, he has made it exciting again, not afraid to risk it all in an overtaking manoeuvre, and he has ignited some classic rivalries within the sport, like his with Alonso (when they were on the same team!!) and Massa.

So what will the launch of the 2009 season have in store for us on Sunday morning when it all kicks off in Melbourne on Sunday morning at 7am??? One thing is for sure, a new team will be taking centre stage, and if you believe the pre season hype, they will be blowing away the rest of the field too. When Ross Brawn took over at Honda and started developing their car last year, having worked his way up from a machinist to team leader during his lengthy stint at Williams, and creating the all conquering Team Schumacher at Benneton and Ferrari (read a bio here) he always said that it would take him two years to get everything right, so after just one season he must have been going mad when Honda pulled out. Having put everything in place for this year, there was no way he was going to let his dream fail, and so he organised a management buyout so he could see the car he has been working on for so long come to fruition. Therefore to anyone in the know, it was no surprise to see Brawn GP leading the pre season practice charts, what did surprise people was by just how much they did dominate.

It has led to many people saying that Jensen Button is favourite to win the Championship this year, which I would absolutely love to see, as he has always had potential, he has just never really had a chance to fulfil it, although I wouldn't go celebrating just yet, as even as we speak Brawn GP might have to make last minute changes to their car having had a complaint lodged against their rear diffuser.............ohh err missus!!

So what about the usual suspects?? Well McLaren are well off the pace, and Hamilton has said they simply will not be able to compete this year. Is this one of the greatest bluffs of all time, or is our national hero and driving superstar just being frank and honest?? They have been well off the pace in testing, and without time on their side, having missed the earlier testing sessions, I doubt they will mount a challenge in the first few races, but you can bet they will be putting their considerable resources behind getting Hamilton competitive again, and it should only be a matter of time, and anyway, put Lewis in Sulo bin with a spoiler and I reckon he would still compete!!

Toyota, Renault and Ferrari have all had good pre seasons, and look to be on the pace, with Massa and Alonso already talking up their chances and Timo Glock looking to build on last year. Don't write off the BMW's either and I truly feel that Torro Rosso and Red Bull will be pushing the top teams this year, and of course there is always Williams.

There have also been a slew of new law changes this year, all designed to make the racing more fun to watch and competitive, ranging from the re-introduction of slick tyres, to the new aerodynamic rules meaning less down force and therefore less grip. But potentially the biggest change could be the new KERS system which I believe only BMW and Renault have declared as being ready. The idea behind it as cars brake, they get to store that kinetic energy generated by the friction that would have been wasted and use it as an 80bhp boost for 7 seconds each lap.

Now that sounds confusing, but what it means, is that teams employing the system will affectively have a boost button they can use, although the argument has been that the benefits, once the weight of fitting the system and its affects on aerodynamics have been taken into account, will be minimal, but surely the teams that use it at the start will have an advantage on development, and I can actually see this being a pretty useful tool, especially as viewers will get to see when the boost is being used.

So in other words, there are a lot of new factors to take into account for the first race of the season, some of which we have no idea if they will actually make a vast difference, it's sure to be an amazing start to the season when things get underway on Sunday morning.

Prediction wise, I would love to say that Lewis will be up there challenging from the word go, and you can have no doubt that he will give his all, but I think this first race has come too soon for McLaren, and I expect Brawn to dominate, with BMW and Toyota pushing them close, but then again, anything could happen!

Practice starts over the next couple of days, so we should get a clearer idea of what the season has in store when we see the teams out on the track, but it must be said it is looking like the most exciting season for a while yet.

Tonight I am DJ'ing at the mighty Gatecrasher once more, get there from 10pm for a crazy amount of Indie, Rock and the usual random tunes in the Fizzy Pop room, and apart from that, I mostly plan to ride my bike the rest of the week and enjoy my lie ins without having to get up to train for once!!

Oh we also had You Me at Six in at Kerrang today doing a live session, they were awesome, even if the hundred of screaming girls actually made me scared when I had to walk past them to get into work!!!

Here are the boys posing with some stuff for the Charity Special Effect a charity I am lucky enough to be involved in and their patron Matt Hampson, plus they liked the new bike!!!