F1 2016 preview: pundits' predictions for the new season

James Allen: “Renault’s team purchase deal came late, so there’s been little time to change from Mercedes to Renault engines, let alone innovate with design. And at a stroke, they’ve dropped 60bhp — around 0.8sec of lap time. They also need to hire 100 engineers. They’ll be thinking about 2017, and this year their cars could be around 15th.”

Can McLaren-Honda do a better job than in 2015?

Ben Anderson: “This team couldn’t have done much worse last year, so it certainly should do better. Honda has improved over the winter, but the engine still lacks power and the latest chassis hasn’t had an easy birth. Expect decent steps through the season and probably a top-eight finish, but no miracles.”

Ellie Bartley: “Any new development is hard for a team to adapt to but now McLaren has had a year to do so. Therefore, I hope that their adjustment to the change of engine supplier will be a lot more visible in 2016. To see Jenson Button or Fernando Alonso back on the podium would be a bonus.”

James Allen: “They need to. The chassis is definitely better but the engine still concedes horsepower. The good news is the regs have been freed up in areas Honda needs, so they shouldn’t have locked-in problems. They won’t win, but I expect them to score regular points.”

Can Nico Rosberg get on top of Lewis Hamilton?

Ben Anderson: “He can do it. He’s proved it several times already. The problem is that he hasn’t done it consistently enough to become champion. Rosberg was superb at the end of last season, but the championship was done by then. He needs to boss Hamilton when everything is on the line again.”

Ellie Bartley: “As qualifying master, Nico can be expected to continue to dominate Lewis in that respect. It will be interesting to see whether that changes when the new qualifying format is introduced. However, if Nico is to gain an advantage this season, he must focus on improving his race strategy, which is Hamilton’s strength.”

James Allen: “Well, he has the speed, but Hamilton is the stronger racer, and that won’t change. To succeed, Rosberg needs to qualify ahead of Hamilton and find ways to rattle him. Things could get complicated if Vettel is fast enough to force Mercedes to cover him, which I think will happen. This will be less of a two-horse race.”