Formula 1 2018 preview: everything you need to know before the Australian GP

So far, Honda looks like it’s faring better; Toro Rosso set the most laps of any team in testing, while McLaren suffered reliability woes.

“Toro Rosso was the surprise of the pre-season,” says Palmer. “It’s been incredibly reliable so far.” That said, he warns against writing off McLaren: “They had a lot of reliability problems in testing, but Fernando Alonso did set some good times. They should develop a lot as well. When you change to another engine supplier, it’s like starting a new relationship.”

The Liberty effect

This will be Liberty Media’s second full season in charge of F1 and the first in which it can really make its impact felt. That has meant a lot of fiddling round the edges: grid girls are gone (sparking a big public debate); grid kids are in; start times have moved; social media and online streaming are being developed; and F1 is even getting its own global theme tune (and, no, it’s not The Chain).

“Generally, I like what Liberty are doing,” says Palmer. “I raced for a year under Bernie [Ecclestone] and a year under Liberty, and they’re going in the right way with good intentions. They’re modernising F1 a bit, taking on the views of drivers and other stakeholders.”

The biggest switch that might affect fans is the change in start times; races will start at 10 minutes past the hour, with European races shuffled back a full hour to try to boost ratings.

Calendar congestion

Although the Malaysian Grand Prix has been axed, the return of the German and French GPs – the latter, held at Paul Ricard, back for the first time since 2007 – means the calendar spans 21 races. That ties with the all-time high set in 2016.

“Doing 21 races in 2016 was tough. By the end of the season, you’re pretty much shattered,” says Palmer. “But it was manageable. Liberty are pushing to have more races, maybe up to 25. It’s a fine line to diluting it too much.”

The French, Austrian and British GPs will take place on three consecutive weekends in June and July. Although Palmer says that run will be eased by the close proximity between the events, he admits it will be tough for drivers. “The challenge will just be keeping your concentration up for three weeks,” Palmer says. 

Who’s driving where in 2018

Mercedes-AMG - 44 Lewis Hamilton (GBR), 77 Valtteri Bottas (FIN)

Ferrari - 5 Sebastian Vettel (GER), 7 Kimi Räikkönen (FIN)

Red Bull-Tag Heuer [Renault] - 3 Daniel Ricciardo (AUS), 33 Max Verstappen (NED)