A Dummies Guide To The 2014 Formula 1 Season

Image source: Getty Images

Drivers

The 2014 driver market has been a hive of activity over the last six months, but finally we have the full grid. Overall, there will be three rookies, one series returnee, seven drivers who have moved teams and 11 racers who stayed put.

Image source: McLaren Mercedes

Kevin Magnussen, Daniil Kvyat and Marcus Ericsson will all make their F1 debuts in Australia. Kamui Kobayashi returns to the sport with Caterham, and will no doubt stir up some excitement, while Daniel Ricciardo has moved from Toro Rosso to Red Bull Racing. The 'Iceman' Kimi Raikkonen has made the switch to Ferrari and will be replaced at Lotus by Pastor Maldonado – who brings plenty of money to the team.

Calendar

Image source: Getty Images

The 2014 season kicks off in Australia on March 16th and ends on November 23rd in Abu Dhabi. The Austrian Grand Prix returns in June, while the inaugural Russian Grand Prix will take place in November.

The F1 circus no longer heads to Korea, but we doubt the paddock is too bothered to see it ditched from the 19-race season.

Regulations

Image source: Renault Sport F1

2014 will see one of the biggest rule shake-ups the sport has ever seen. First and foremost, F1 moves from 2.4-litre V8 engines to 1.6-litre V6 turbo units. They will be rev-limited to 15,000rpm and will produce around 600bhp, with the new energy recovery system (ERS) giving an additional power boost of about 160bhp. Renault gave us the lowdown on its new engine, which is an incredibly fascinating read.

The exhaust-blown diffuser era is now officially over, with the two side-exiting exhaust pipes replaced by one singular exhaust that exits under the rear wing. What's more, the rear wing flap will be shallower, taking away even more downforce. Cars now need a lower nose height and narrower front wing, which has led to some interesting designs.

Fuel conservation will become a major factor in 2014, as each driver will have just 100kg of fuel to use during a race.

Away from the cars, double points will now be awarded at the final round of the season, which has proven to be controversial with fans.

In-season testing will return in 2014, with four two-day tests taking place after race weekends at the same circuit. Meanwhile naughty drivers will now be handed points on their racing license. If a driver picks up 12 points in 12 months, they will be given a one-race ban. Watch out Maldonado.

Numbers

Drivers will now race with a permanent number for the remainder of their time in the sport. 2013 champion Sebastian Vettel will run with #1 in 2014, but when he is - eventually - knocked off the top spot, he will use #5.

Kimi Raikkonen will wear #7, which he ran in 2013 and doesn't see the point in changing it. Elsewhere, his Lotus replacement Pastor Maldonado will use #13 - of all the drivers that shouldn't tempt fate with an unlucky number, surely it's this guy?

Here's a list of all the drivers and their chosen number:

1 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) 3 Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) 4 Max Chilton (Marussia) 6 Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) 7 Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 8 Romain Grosjean (Lotus) 9 Marcus Ericsson (Caterham) 10 Kamui Kobayashi (Caterham) 11 Sergio Perez (Force India) 13 Pastor Maldonado (Lotus) 14 Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) 17 Jules Bianchi (Marussia) 19 Felipe Massa (Williams) 20 Kevin Magnussen (McLaren) 21 Esteban Gutierrez (Sauber) 22 Jenson Button (McLaren) 25 Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso) 26 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso) 27 Nico Hulkenberg (Force India) 44 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 77 Valtteri Bottas (Williams) 99 Adrian Sutil (Sauber)

Are you looking forward to the 2014 season? Will the new regulations will prove exciting, or will Vettel run away with it again? Hit the comments to let us know.