The new Formula One season kicks off in Australia, with the sport preparing to enter a new era.
Here we run through the key changes, driver lineups, dates for your diary and the best Opta facts ahead of lights out at Albert Park.
F1 key changes
The most visible change will be the addition of the Halo head protection system to every car on the grid — a contraption that has split opinion, with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff jokingly threatening to remove his with a chainsaw. All of the tires supplied by Pirelli in 2018 will be softer, with two new compounds added to the lineup – hypersoft and superhard. The number of power units available to teams has been reduced from four complete units to three each of a number of components. The French Grand Prix and German Grand Prix are back on the calendar, while Malaysia drops off. McLaren's woeful spell using Honda power is over and they will be supplied by Renault in 2018, with Toro Rosso now utilising Honda engines. The final big change is races will begin at 10 past the hour, rather than on the hour as in previous years.
MORE: Hamilton prepares to defend his title
F1 drivers and teams
| Team | Drivers |
|---|---|
| Ferrari | Sebastian Vettel (GER), Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) |
| Force India | Sergio Perez (MEX), Esteban Ocon (FRA) |
| Haas | Romain Grosjean (FRA), Kevin Magnussen (DEN) |
| McLaren | Fernando Alonso (ESP), Stoffel Vandoorne (BEL) |
| Mercedes | Lewis Hamilton (GBR), Valtteri Bottas (FIN) |
| Red Bull | Daniel Ricciardo (AUS), Max Verstappen (NED) |
| Renault | Nico Hulkenberg (GER), Carlos Sainz (ESP) |
| Sauber | Marcus Ericsson (SWE), Charles Leclerc (MON) |
| Toro Rosso | Pierre Gasly (FRA), Brendon Hartley (NZL) |
| Williams | Lance Stroll (CAN), Sergey Sirotkin (RUS) |
More of this in 2018 please
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 18, 2018
Battle commences in just ONE WEEK! Are you ready? #F1 #Unleash2018 pic.twitter.com/XSgrE5tMcy
MORE: Check out every F1 car going into the season
F1 schedule
| March 25 | Australia |
| April 8 | Bahrain |
| April 15 | China |
| April 29 | Azerbaijan |
| May 13 | Spain |
| May 27 | Monaco |
| June 10 | Canada |
| June 24 | France |
| July 1 | Austria |
| July 8 | Great Britain |
| July 22 | Germany |
| July 29 | Hungary |
| Aug. 26 | Belgium |
| Sept. 2 | Italy |
| Sept. 16 | Singapore |
| Sept. 30 | Russia |
| Oct. 7 | Japan |
| Oct. 21 | USA |
| Oct. 28 | Mexico |
| Nov. 11 | Brazil |
| Nov. 25 | UAE |
How to watch F1
ESPN is working in partnership with Sky Sports to simulcast all F1 races in 2018. Most events will be aired on ESPN2, ESPN 3 or ESPNEWS but some of the more popular races will be on ESPN or ABC. You can check out the full broadcast schedule here.