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The Formula One 2019 season will drop the green flag on Sunday, March 17th. The motorsport’s season will begin at the Melbourne Grand Prix as drivers race to the F1 title. Ten teams and 20 drivers will take their places on grids around the world. Motorsports fans will wonder if Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton can win the championship once more. The new resorts casino bonus code allows petrolheads to wager on each race’s outcome along with the overall F1 champion.
Mercedes have won the last five F1 titles with Hamilton claiming four of those trophies. He is in the midst of a dynasty and 2019 could see the Englishman win a third straight.
With the F1 season starting its engines on March 17th in Melbourne, here is what you should know for 2019.
Drivers and Teams
The F1 offseason saw quite a few drivers move teams. Several high-profile drivers have changed places and will hope they can challenge Hamilton with their new teammates. In fact, only two of the 10 teams did not change at least one driver.
Ferrari has replaced Kimi Raikkonen with Charles Leclerc. Leclerc had a brilliant rookie season driving for Sauber and now partners Sebastian Vettel. According to Ferrari, both drivers can “go for” the title.
Red Bull have also added a second-year driver to its roster. Pierre Gasly has joined from Toro Rosso and will drive alongside friend Max Verstappen. Gasly takes over for Daniel Ricciardo, who moved to Renault.
Ricciardo’s move to Renault shows ambition. He was relatively comfortable with Red Bull, but goes into the unknown at Renault. He will partner Nico Hulkenburg. The Renault team had its best season in 2018 since returning to F1.
The always in crisis McLaren has signed Carlos Sainz and rookie Lando Norris for the 2019 season. Meanwhile, in one of the big moves of the offseason, ex-Ferrari driver Raikkonen joined Alfa Romeo (formerly Sauber) alongside former Ferrari Driver Academy grad Antonio Giovinazzi.
Grand Prix Races
The 2019 F1 season will feature 21 races around the globe. The first race will take place at the Melbourne Grand Prix on March 17th with the final race of the season happening in Abu Dhabi on December 1st.
The only change to this year’s race calendar comes on race day 18 and 19. The United States Grand Prix and the Mexican Grand Prix have swapped places. The 2019 season will see the Mexican Grand Prix take place on October 27th with the American race running the following weekend.
Who Will Win the F1 World Championship?
Hamilton’s brilliant form and Mercedes’ high-quality cars have powered the Englishman to four world championships in the last five seasons. Mercedes has not changed a thing. The car is the same and Hamilton is still partnered by Valtteri Bottas. It is difficult to believe another driver will knockoff Hamilton.
Ferrari do have a chance with Vettel and Leclerc. But Vettel is unlikely to play second fiddle to the second-year driver, so friction could cause Ferrari to flame out. Leading sportsbooks have thrown some weight behind Verstappen. The Dutchman had his strongest season yet in 2018. But Red Bull will use Honda engines this season. They were the power units that caused McLaren so much anguish during their partnership.
The 2019 F1 season is set to be another exciting year of motorsports. Can Hamilton win a third straight world championship? We will get some answers after the season’s first race at the Melbourne Grand Prix.
