It’s time for the talking to stop and the racing to start.
Lights out at Albert Park on Sunday is within touching distance, so here are our top tips to prepare for the high-octane, rollercoaster ride that promises to be the 2019 Formula 1 season.
1. On any given Sunday
Secure your spot on the sofa. For 21 out of the next 37 weekends you’ll need it as F1 returns for 2019. Get ready for some early starts, delayed Sunday lunches and afternoon strolls postponed as race times vary.
Set your alarm for the Australian Grand Prix as you’ll need to be up at 05.10 UK time, 06.10am for Japan and 07.10am for China. Familiarise yourself with the entire season and visit our 2019 race calendar.
2. Netflix and chill
If you haven’t seen it already, Netflix’s TV mini-series 'Formula 1: Drive to Survive' is a must-watch. Get behind the scenes like never before, and immerse yourself in the story of the 2018 season through the eyes of the sport's drivers, managers and team owners.
Watch all 10 episodes and we promise you will be pumped for another year of scintillating action… off the track, as well as on it.
3. Every little helps
For the first time since 1959 an extra point will be awarded for the fastest lap of the race if the driver who posts the time finishes in the top 10. Now one point may not sound like a lot, but with the season shaping up to be one of the closest in recent memory it could make all the difference.
It did in 1958, when Mike Hawthorn beat Stirling Moss to the title by a single point courtesy of recording two fastest laps more than Moss during the season. If the championship is decided by a last-ditch flyer, don’t say we didn’t warn you.
4. Game on
Get to grips with all the circuits before the season starts with the aid of your console, PC or mobile device. The F1 2019 game isn’t out yet, but all this year’s tracks are featured in F1 2018 and F1 mobile racing.
Speaking of which, if you’re a fan of iRacing, Real Racing 3, rFactor 2 or Forza Motorsport 7 then start following McLaren Shadow Project, our esports programme. Who knows, you could be the next Rudy van Buren or Igor Fraga!
5. Forever young
Set aside all the feverish excitement and take a moment to reflect… Aged 19-years-old, Lando Norris will be the youngest Briton to race in Formula 1 as he jostles his way through the stampede down to Albert Park’s infamous Turn 1. The race start is symbolic of a new season finally getting underway, but also the beginning of the latest chapter in the trailblazing career of a racer who has rapidly risen through the echelons of the sport to its pinnacle.
He picked up a host of single-seater titles along the way for good measure – five to be exact – and it comes as no surprise that there hasn’t been this much fervour around a British rookie since a certain Lewis Hamilton rocked up on the scene. An incredible achievement for a young man born just before the turn of the millennium, and not long after the release of The Matrix. Makes you think though, just what were you doing aged 19-years-old?
