…until the first round of the 2009 FIA Formula 1 World Championship. At 6am GMT in Albert Park the five red lights will go out and “The World’s Greatest Car Chase” will begin .

By far the biggest change in terms of coverage (in the UK at least ) is the switch from ITV to the BBC. If you’ve been paying attention to the press pack released by the BBC you’ll realise that the coverage is far more comprehensive than ITV have ever offered, and is akin to the style that F1 Digital+ offered back in 2002. Unfortunately we aren’t going to get HD due to the fact that FOM seem insistent on not providing a HD “world feed”; Bernie is probably trying to work out how to monetise it .

Quite possibly the biggest shock during pre-season testing is the blistering form of the ex-Honda team, Brawn GP. For a team that only secured its position a few weeks ago they are putting in a great performance and are fighting in the top half of the timesheets. No wonder the team were raving about the quality of the 2009 car during 2008 before Honda pulled the plug. I’ve been fan of Brawn since the Ferrari “dream team” days and I think that team will do very well over the coming seasons.

Lewis will attempt to defend his title but with the car in its current form that may be easier said than done. McLaren-Mercedes will be competing additional testing in Jerez next week while most teams start preparing to fly out to Australia. However, it is my understanding that Brawn GP will also be in Jerez so it should be interesting to compare the two teams.

All in all, 2009 should be a very interesting season. If you are a F1 fan you must be looking forward to it; if you aren’t then you will be by the end of the season .

Photo by cotxe87 from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons license; Thanks!