Formula 1 Friday – Meet the teams for the 2017 season

The 2017 Formula 1 season kicks off next weekend in Australia, with practice getting underway on Friday, March 24.

This year’s season will be contested by ten teams after Manor dropped out.

Are you ready for the new season?

Get hyped with our team guide below.

MERCEDES:

Defending champions, Mercedes will be looking to continue to assert their dominance over the sport. However, they are without defending World Champion, Nico Rosberg, who quit the sport. With new regulations and rule changes, will the be able to hold on to top spot?

DRIVERS:
Lewis Hamilton
Valtteri Bottas

RED BULL:

Red Bull replaced Ferrari as the closest challengers to Mercedes and will be looking to go one better this season. With two hungry drivers behind the wheel, can they do just that?

DRIVERS:
Daniel Ricciardo
Max Verstappen

FERRARI:

The kings or Formula 1 have not sat on the throne in a very long time but this year could be very different. Pre- season testing has shown that Ferrari have the pace to match the Mercedes, but will it last through the whole season?

DRIVERS:
Sebastian Vettel
Kimi Raikkonen

FORCE INDIA:

The most notable thing about the new Force India car is the colour. The car is now a shade of pink. The colour isn’t the only thing that has change. With Nico Hulkenberg moving to Renault, there’s a new driver behind the wheel. But will that help them to climb higher than their fourth place last year?

DRIVERS:
Sergio Perez
Esteban Ocon

WILLIAMS:

Williams once dominated the F1 scene but were forced to battle Force India last year for fourth place. With Valteri Bottas leaving for Mercedes, Williams have turned to a returning legend and a rookie. Will the mix of youth and experience be enough?

DRIVERS:
Felipe Massa
Lance Stroll

MCLAREN:

McLaren has a new look and a new desire to improve during the 2017 season. With a new boss at the helm and a new driver, can they move away from the backmarkers and have a decent showing?

DRIVERS:
Fernando Alonso
Stoffel Vandoorne

TORRO ROSSO:

Torro Rosso will also be debuting a new look this season. The redesigned car now boasts the colours of parent company, Red Bull, setting it apart from their sister team. They have also moved away from the Renault powered engine in favour of Ferrai. Will this help them escape the chasing pack of backmarkers?

DRIVERS:
Carlos Sainz Jr
Daniil Kvyat

HAAS F1:

Haas had an impressive season last year and will be hoping to continue that upward trend. They beat three of the more experienced teams to finished in eight place. With the new regulations in place, can they continue to impress?

DRIVERS:
Romain Grosean
Kevin Magnussen

RENAULT:

Renault had a disappointing season last year and will be eager to improve. With an experienced driver joining the ranks, they may just be able to spring a few surprises. Or will they crash and burn again?

DRIVERS:
Jolyon Palmer
Nico Hulkenberg

SAUBER:

Last but not least is the Sauber team. With Manor dropping out, Sauber will have a fight on their hands to not finish at the back of the pack. Pascal Wehrlein joins from the now defunct Manor and will be hoping to change the fortunes of the Sauber team. Are they doomed to finish last though?

DRIVERS:
Marcus Ericsson
Pascal Wehrlein

Which team, driver or race are you most forward to watching?
Let us know.

All pictures courtesy of Top Gear.

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