F1 Season Almost at Hand: 3 Questions that Need Answers for 2018 Season

(Photo from Getty Images)

With the season opening in Melbourne this month, there are questions that are going to be answered soon

Rejoice, Formula 1 fans! The 2018 Formula 1 World Championship is set to happen this coming March 25, 2018, at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit in Melbourne, Australia. With all teams already done with the respective launches of their 2018 cars and pre-season testings are already in the books, the fans and drivers alike are now looking forward to the season-opener in Melbourne to kick off a 21-race season.

Given the fact that there have been notable changes that F1 has been undertaking aside from the change of the F1 logo- a move that had many fans question, there are now questions that are making the rounds now that Melbourne is just a few weeks away and below are just 3 of them:

Will Halo work to protect drivers from serious injuries?

Frankly, this is one of the questions that have been frequently asked as this will determine the safety of the drivers especially when they are involved in high-speed accidents. One of the many safety measures that F1 and the FIA have been working is the use of the Halo- a protection that would be put around the cockpit which has been said to be able to withstand the weight of a double-decker bus. While there's no question that it can save drivers from being hit by any flying objects especially rubber tires, the visibility of the drivers will be lessened.

According to reigning World Champion, Lewis Hamilton, the effect of having the Halo installed will definitely have an effect on the visibility that a driver will have- stating that drivers will immediately notice it. However, some drivers, including Hamilton's teammate Valtteri Bottas and, Fernando Alonso of the McLaren Renault, have echoed the statements of Hamilton but also indicated that they have gotten used to the Halo- stating the fact that they will be more focused on driving than actually staring at the Halo. So for most drivers, having the Halo isn't much of an issue but they have to participate in an actual race so we'll just have to wait and see if the Halo will indeed decrease life-threatening accidents.

Will McLaren-Renault marriage work out?

Ever since McLaren has announced that it will carry a Renault engine this season, reliability questions have started popping out anew owing to the fact that McLaren never tasted a notable amount of success in the past 3 seasons that their engine provider was mostly Honda. No podium finishes. No wins. Not even a single pole position for either Fernando Alonso or Stoffel Vandoorne. 

To make things worse, the pre-season testing started out poorly for McLaren as Alonso crashed out in the first few moments of the testing sessions- raising the question of whether or not this will be the normal scenario for McLaren this season. 

Will the dominance of Hamilton and Mercedes continue?

Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes AMG F1 have been ruling over Formula 1 during the course of the last 3 years- something that Sebastian Vettel with Red Bull Racing and Michael Schumacher with the Scuderia Ferrari used to do so easily. 

Last season, Vettel couldn't sustain his championship run against Hamilton as his Ferrari was continuously hit by reliability issues throughout the 2017 season. And, no other teams could constantly keep with Mercedes' sheer speed and if we are to look at the pre-season testing results, Mercedes still has what it takes to dominate the 2018 season. 

Conclusion

Basically, there are a lot of things that fans are already looking forward to. The excitement. The pure passion. Simply Formula 1. Will Hamilton and Mercedes win it all again? It's a big possibility but, can the likes of Ferrari and Red Bull challenge the champions? That's a big question indeed. For now, we'll just have to wait for a little more before Melbourne opens its gates.