Philadelphia, PA (My Sportsbook) - As the 2009 Formula One season kicks off this weekend with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, Australia, a lot of questions remain as to how extensive rules changes implemented during the offseason will impact teams throughout the year. The new rules, put in place during the winter months, marked an effort to increase competition and reduce costs for teams during the global economic slowdown. Meanwhile, preseason testing has produced a number of surprises so far, most notably with the resurrection of the former Honda team to Brawn GP, as the new team impressed the competition with its performance in testing earlier this month in Spain.

THE NEW RULES

The most significant rules changes relate to aerodynamics, with smaller rear wings and wider front wings which may be adjusted by the driver twice per lap. This should allow for more passing opportunities.

The new Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS), a mechanical system that collects energy during braking and converts it to give the car a slight power boost, will not be mandatory during the 2009 season. KERS will provide drivers with additional horsepower and therefore speed up their lap times. Ferrari, McLaren, Renault and BMW Sauber are the teams who have confirmed they are ready to run KERS in '09. Williams, Brawn and Force India have said they won't.

Slick tires will also return to F1 this year.

Rules that limit engine performance, ban testing during the season and reduce the number of personnel at the track will help F1 teams cut costs significantly.

Last week, F1's governing body, the International Automobile Federation (FIA), announced drastic changes in determining the driver's championship, with the winner of the most grand prix, not points, deciding the title. If two or more drivers finished the season with the same number of wins, the title would be awarded to the one with the most points, based on the current system.

However, the FIA reversed its decision Friday by agreeing to delay its new points system until 2010. F1 teams did not agree with the revised system, saying the change came too soon prior to the start of the season without their unanimous agreement.

HAMILTON'S TITLE DEFENSE ALREADY IN JEOPARDY?

Lewis Hamilton began his 2008 F1 championship campaign by winning the season- opening Australian GP. A year later, Hamilton and his McLaren team are faced with early-season concerns as their new MP4-24 car was not fast enough in testing. Hamilton and teammate Heikki Kovalainen were far down the timesheets in the recent Barcelona tests. There was some progress for McLaren in final offseason testing at Jerez, Spain, but some doubt lingers that the team will solve their engineering and technical issues in time for Melbourne.

McLaren's new team principal, Martin Whitmarsh, admitted the MP4-24's performance has been disappointing, and the team has worked feverishly to correct the problem.

"We go into the start of the 2009 season fully aware that we do not yet have the technical package that will allow our drivers to fight at the front," Whitmarsh said. "We begin our season with huge determination to re-assert ourselves at the front, and we will not rest for a moment until we have done that. Most importantly, we haven't forgotten how to win."

In light of recent modifications made to the car, Hamilton felt more optimistic about the Australian GP after the team's test last week at Jerez.

"Despite weeks of winter testing, it's still difficult to know exactly who has the best package, and finding out over the weekend in Albert Park is always fascinating," Hamilton said. "Perhaps we don't come to Melbourne with the same prospects to challenge at the front that we experienced in both 2007 and '08, but the whole team will be working tirelessly to help us move back to the front."

Hamilton scored five victories and made 10 podium appearances during his championship season last year. He became the youngest F1 champion at age 23. He's also the first black driver to capture the title.

THE RISE OF BRAWN GP

While McLaren and Ferrari were at the top of the class last year, the impressive tests from newcomer Brawn GP earlier this month at Barcelona and Jerez have raised eyebrows among other teams. In fact, Felipe Massa, who finished one point behind Hamilton last year, said he expects Brawn GP to be Ferrari's biggest challenger this year, after the team posted times one second faster than everyone else at Barcelona.

Team Principal Ross Brawn acquired the former Honda team and debuted the Brawn BGP 001 car at Barcelona, with drivers Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button turning in the fastest times during the four-day session there.

"From our short but crucial testing program over the past two weeks, we have reinforced our view that the BGP 001 is a good car and an excellent platform from which to develop performance over the course of the season," Brawn said. "We are very satisfied with the work achieved and the initial pace seen from the car; however, we are fully aware that our work has only just begun. The practice running in Melbourne will be crucial, and we have to get as much mileage as possible under our belts to allow Jenson and Rubens to refine the setup of the car to their liking."

Honda announced in December it was pulling out of F1 competition and selling its team due to world-wide economic conditions. The team was hopeful new ownership could be found before the '09 season began in Melbourne. Barrichello and Button are likely dark horses in F1 this year, but with Mercedes-Benz engines powering their cars, it might be a surprise year for the two Brawn GP drivers, beginning with the Australian GP.

FERRARI'S DOMINANCE IN '09?

Ferrari's new car for 2009, the F60, which commemorates the Italian auto manufacturers' 60th season in F1 competition, had positive results in winter testing, and team officials seemed pleased with the development work they have done on the car. Both Massa and Kimi Raikkonen have said they are happy with the car's speed and overall performance.

Massa and Raikkonen figure to be among the top contenders for the title in 2009. Massa led all drivers with six victories last year.

"We will work even harder to try to finish most of the races in the points because we saw that maybe one point is enough to lose the championship at the end of the year," Massa said. "I think the approach now has to be the same in terms of driving, in terms of working with the team but trying to be a little bit more consistent."

Raikkonen, the 2007 World Champion, is ready for a new season after a dismal end to last year. He closed out the 2008 season with several disappointing finishes and some wondered whether he had lost his competitive edge.

Ferrari won the 2008 F1 Constructors' title by 21 points over McLaren. Massa's victory in the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix assured Ferrari its eighth championship in the last 10 years, and 16th overall in F1 competition.

THE REMAINING COMPETITION

BMW Sauber had a relatively successful offseason in preparations and tests, with the new F1.09 showing plenty of speed and reliability. The Swiss-German team, led by drivers Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld, could be perennial threats for not only the World Championship but the Constructors' title as well.

"We are heading in the right direction with the BMW Sauber F1.09," BMW Sauber team principal Mario Theissen said. "Both the drivers and the engineers came back with positive feedback during testing. Plus, Nick and Robert carried out full race simulations without suffering any technical problems."

The team also tested the KERS a great deal last year.

The Renault team, with drivers Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet, face a lot of uncertainty with their R29 this year. When Renault unveiled their new car, Alonso seemed pleased, but after initial tests, the Spaniard was not as optimistic. However, Alonso has regained confidence in the car after recent testing in his home country.

"The first test in Portimao (Portugal) was tough as we had some bad luck with the weather, but when we introduced updates at the later tests we quickly improved the car," Alonso said. "We've learned how to optimize the set-up and we now have a car that is easy to drive and consistent. What is important now is that we keep improving and developing it throughout the year."

Piquet posted some impressive lap times in testing, but how well the Brazilian will do in his second year of F1 competition is anyone's guess.

Red Bull Racing, Toro Rosso, Toyota, Williams and Force India have high hopes for the new season, but all are considered underdogs to the potent teams of Ferrari, McLaren, BMW Sauber, Renault and possibly Brawn GP.

Sebastian Vettel drove for Toro Rosso in 2008 when he became the youngest race winner and pole sitter in F1 history at age 21. Vettel is now with Red Bull Racing as he takes over for David Coulthard, who retired at the end of last season after a 15-year career.

Rookie Sebastien Buemi replaced Vettel at Toro Rosso. Buemi's teammate, Sebastien Bourdais, retained his driving duties

Toyota will face a critical year after setting high expectations in the offseason. The team insists they must capture their first F1 victory or perhaps cease operations at the end of the season. Toyota came close to pulling out of the sport after Honda announced it was withdrawing from the circuit and selling off its team. However, sponsorship from Panasonic prevented Toyota from flat-lining this year.

So the scene is now set for another exciting F1 season which begins in Melbourne and ends November 1 at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

With a new rules package now in place, in the interests of making the sport more competitive, don't be surprised if this year's championship once again comes down to the last lap of the season-ending race.

The full 2009 F1 entry list of constructors and drivers is as follows:

McLaren Mercedes

1 Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain) 2 Heikki Kovalainen (Finland)

Ferrari

3 Felipe Massa (Brazil) 4 Kimi Raikkonen (Finland)

BMW Sauber

5 Robert Kubica (Poland) 6 Nick Heidfeld (Germany)

Renault

7 Fernando Alonso (Spain) 8 Nelson Piquet (Brazil)

Toyota

9 Jarno Trulli (Italy) 10 Timo Glock (Germany)

STR Ferrari

11 Sebastien Bourdais (France) 12 Sebastien Buemi (Switzerland)

Red Bull Renault

14 Mark Webber (Australia) 15 Sebastian Vettel (Germany)

Williams Toyota

16 Nico Rosberg (Germany) 17 Kazuki Nakajima (Japan)

Force India Mercedes

18 Adrian Sutil (Germany) 19 Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy)

Brawn Mercedes

20 Jenson Button (Great Britain) 21 Rubens Barrichello (Brazil)