Opinion2013 F1 gets under way, with an eye on 2014
The Formula One season is about to kick off in Melbourne, but the teams have one eye focused on the major changes looming on the horizon
So here we go again. There are just a few days before the Formula One season gets under way in Melbourne. With 19 races spanning the globe, the sport that puts on a show like no other is about to dazzle again.
And yet the sport seems oddly distracted heading into the 2013 season. Many in the paddock and many in the stands have half an eye on 2014, and much of the goings-on in the sport have reflected this.
Next year sees the introduction of a raft of rules, including a V6 engine. As much as the teams have been preparing for this season, they have also been looking ahead to the brave new world of F1.
Mercedes certainly have been among the teams planning ahead, poaching McLaren's technical director Paddy Lowe for 2014. Given he's still contracted to McLaren and isn't likely to be let anywhere near the team's secrets, he is going to have to spend a lot of time in the garden this summer.
The more financially straitened times the world lives in has been reflected even in the excess-strewn world of Formula One.
There is one less team on the grid after the demise of HRT over the summer. A record of 58 grands prix, a best finish of 13 and 19 back-row lock-outs came at a cost of £70 million (HK$808 million).