F1: seven things to look forward to in 2016

Few people will argue that 2015 was a vintage year for Formula One. With Mercedes dominating at the front and Ferrari kept at arm’s length for most of the season, only Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg were really ever going to win the drivers title.

And did we get a thrilling battle that went all the way to the wire? Um, no. By the time Hamilton had sewn things up at the US Grand Prix Rosberg had won just three races, including one gimme in Monaco when the team messed up a pit stop.

Not the kind of story Ron Howard will make a film about any time soon.

But the lack of competition wasn’t the only reason fans grew increasingly frustrated with the sport. A myriad of other problems – with hybrid engines, tyres and governance to name but a few – have added weight to the argument that F1 has lost its way.

You could call it the perfect storm for an imperfect season.

Let’s not be too downbeat though. For all its fault 2015 did have its highlights, and despite the ongoing issues there remains plenty to look forward to this season.

With the first race not much more than a month away, click on for a round-up of silver linings and reasons to be cheerful...

Introducing new entrants Haas F1, who are backed by NASCAR stalwart Gene Haas.

The American-based team has a strong line-up having secured the services of Romain Grosjean for 2016, as well as former Sauber driver Esteban Gutierrez.

They won’t necessarily be pootling around at the back either. The team has bought as many parts as is legally permitted from Ferrari, which should give them a good starting block for the season ahead. Sauber especially had better watch out.

As a number of engine fire-up videos have proven in recent days, F1 is set to become a little bit noisier this year.

Rules dictating the make-up of cars’ exhaust pipes have been altered this season in order to address concerns that the sport isn’t loud enough to entertain spectators or viewers watching races on TV.

The changes should coax some more decibels out of the V6 hybrids, but while the paddock’s ear drums should get more of a blasting, there are many who aren’t convinced about the engine note itself.

Some tuning required? Maybe.

Twelve months ago, Max Verstappen had never raced a Formula One car. He didn’t even have a driving license.

But despite those hindrances he turned out to be one of the most exciting drivers on the grid, pulling off a number of sensational overtaking moves and registering two fourth place finishes over the course of the season.

This year he enters the fray with a year of F1 experience, and with Toro Rosso racing with a Ferrari engine, he has the tools to make his mark once again.

The podium beckons...

The sight of two world champions struggling at the back of field was one of the sorest of 2015, as Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso endured a torrid year in which they amassed just 27 points between them.

Thankfully, 2016 should be better. Alonso said that a lap-time gain of two-and-a-half seconds would be possible over the winter with improvements to Honda’s engine, and initial reports about their progress suggests that there’ll be no repeat of their ninth place finish in the constructors championship.

Next week’s pre-season test in Barcelona should give us a better idea of where they’re at. A word of caution though: even if Honda do drastically improve their performance, they still have reliability and longevity to conquer. That’s no easy feat.

Although most of the grid will remain the same this season, there are a couple of names to watch out for at the season opener in Australia next month.

Former McLaren driver Kevin Magnussen makes an F1 comeback having secured a deal with Renault, and the Dane is joined by 2014 GP2 champion Jolyon Palmer who will make his debut in the sport in Melbourne.

Pascal Wehrlein is another highly-rated rookie making his F1 bow, lining up for Manor after winning the DTM championship last year. His teammate is yet to be confirmed, although the latest reports are suggesting that he will be paired with Indonesian racer Rio Haryanto.

With their careers on the line, expect the newbies to be highly motivated.

It’d be nice to see some competition at the front, wouldn’t it?

Lewis Hamilton walked to the title last year, although after the championship was sealed he lost three successive races to teammate Nico Rosberg.

It’s possible that Hamilton took his foot off the gas (so to speak) after wrapping up championship number three, although there were also rumours that changes to the car in the latter part of the season suited Rosberg more than they suited him.

If the German can maintain that edge, then perhaps we’ll see a bit more of a contest at the front.

Oh, and don’t forget about Ferrari either. Their engine wasn’t far behind Mercedes’ power unit by the end of 2015, and it’s entirely possible that they were able to tip the balance of performance over the winter. Hamilton vs Vettel vs Rosberg vs Raikkonen, anyone?

Okay, we’re clutching at straws now.

Changes to the tyre rules mean that teams will be able to choose which compounds they race on, rather than merely receiving an allocation of sets from Pirelli.

Sort of, anyway. Pirelli will nominate three mandatory sets for each race weekend, with teams allowed to select the remaining ten of their 13-set allocation in any combination they like. We had neither the time nor the energy to decipher the other regulations, so you can read them in full here.

The hope is that it will create a bit of diversity in terms of race strategy, leading to more overtaking on track.

And new for 2016 is the purple-coloured ‘ultrasoft’ compound, which will probably only be used on street circuits like Monaco.

If that isn’t a reason to get excited, we don’t know what is.