F1 2018: Everything you need to know ahead of 2018 season

The new Formula One season kicks off in Australia on March 25, with the sport preparing to enter a new era.

Here we run through the key changes, driver line-ups, dates for your diary and the best Opta facts ahead of lights out at Albert Park.

Key changes

- The most visible change will be the addition of the Halo head protection system to every car on the grid - a contraption that has split opinion, with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff jokingly threatening to remove his with a chainsaw.

- All of the tyres supplied by Pirelli in 2018 will be softer, with two new compounds added to the line-up - hypersoft and superhard.

- The number of power units available to teams has been reduced from four complete units to three each of a number of different components.

- The French Grand Prix and German Grand Prix are back on the calendar, while Malaysia drops off.

- McLaren's woeful spell using Honda power is over and they will be supplied by Renault in 2018, with Toro Rosso now utilising Honda engines.

- Races will begin at 10 past the hour, rather than on the hour.

The drivers

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