The Formula One season is nearly upon us, and with the first pre-season test coming on February 1st, it seems a good time to look at the drivers who will be occupying the cockpits in the pinnacle of motorsport.
Mercedes - Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg
Last season's runaway champions keep an unchanged lineup for this season. Despite the huge public battle between Hamilton and Rosberg, team boss Toto Wolff saw no reason to alter the dream lineup. Hamilton eventually prevailed in last season's title battle, as it went down to the final race of the season at Abu Dhabi. However can they replicate the success of last season?
Red Bull - Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat
As four time world champion Sebastian Vettel departs for Ferrari, Red Bull looked no further than promoting young Russian Kvyat from junior team Toro Rosso. After being the only man to beat Mercedes last season, three time Grand Prix winner Ricciardo will be looking to build on his reputation as 'champion in the making' and take the battle to the Mercedes cars.
Williams - Felipe Massa and Valterri Bottas
Another unchanged lineup as the resurgent Williams looks to build on last season's recovery from backmarkers to podium regulars. Bottas is garnering a reputation as one of the best young drivers in the sport, and Williams will be hoping they can keep the Finn, another touted as a future champion. Massa will be looking for a better season after a few retirements took him out of the reckoning for podiums last season.
Ferrari - Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen
It's been a time of change for Ferrari. replacing the team principal, sacking two key engineers and losing their star driver. However the Scuderia have recruited well in four time world champion Vettel, who is evidently trying to emulate idol Michael Schumacher, who drove for Ferrari for 11 seasons. Raikkonen will be trying to enjoy what may be his last season in the sport as his contract expires this season.
McLaren - Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button
Easily the most experienced lineup on the grid, Button and Alonso bring a wealth of experience as Honda make their return to the sport. Button was finally announced as Alonso's team mate after a long decision between him and Kevin Magnussen took place. They'll be looking to improve after some poor seasons recently.
Force India - Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez
Another unchanged lineup, Hulkenberg and Perez are two strong drivers and they'll be looking to improve on an encouraging season last year. Hulkenberg is retained by a team for the first time in his career and Perez will want to build on a good debut year with Force India. They'll be looking to advance further up the grid this season, after nearly beating McLaren to fifth in the Constructors title standings.
Toro Rosso - Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz
Toro Rosso go for a completely new lineup as two sons of motorsport legends gear up for their first seasons in F1. Verstappen, son of former Benetton driver Jos, will be the youngest driver ever to compete in Formula One in Melbourne. Sainz however is a name synonymous with rallying, as Sainz is the son of two time world champion Carlos Sainz Sr.
Lotus - Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado
Lotus retain both drivers for 2015 as they're currently in financial trouble, and both drivers bring a lot of money from sponsorships as the cost of being an F1 team grows. Grosjean will want to try and find the form he showed in 2013 after a poor showing in 2014. Maldonado appears to have been retained due to sponsorship money, but he'll be looking to impress the Enstone team.
Sauber - Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr
2014 was the first season in Sauber's 21 year history that they didn't score a point in a season. They saw a completely new driver lineup as a way forward. Ericsson joins from the now defunct Caterham team, while Nasr is promoted to the top sport after an encouraging season in GP2, despite finishing behind the champion Jolyon Palmer by some 50 points.
So what became of the drivers who weren't retained? well Jean-Eric Vergne and Esteban Gutierrez joined Ferrari as test and reserve drivers. Kevin Magnussen was demoted by McLaren from driver to test and reserve driver despite a decent debut season. Adrian Sutil was dropped by Sauber and is now looking at other options.
Both Caterham and Marussia went into financial ruin at the end of 2014, although they're on the 2015 entry list, with Marussia now known as Manor F1, it's highly unlikely either will make the grid in Australia. This means drivers Kamui Kobayashi and Max Chilton will look for other motorsport options, while Jules Bianchi, still recovering from his horror crash at Suzuka last season, will continue his recovery with the whole motorsport world behind him.