This time around, Formula 1 has not quite undergone the same shake-up as 2014 when the V8 engines were replaced by the new turbocharged V6 hybrids.

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– F1 2015: Team-by-team guide to the new Formula One season

But as is the way in Formula One, there have been technical and sporting changes since the grid last packed up at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. 

Once again, the major change affects engines. Drivers must now see out the season using just four engines as opposed to five and the engine freeze has, in part, been scrapped allowing teams to make changes over the course of the season.

In effect, Mercedes, Renault and Ferrari have 32 performance tokens that can be deployed over the course of the 2015 season.

Honda, as a new supplier in 2015, can only partially join in with the use of tokens depending on how many tokens the remaining engine trio have used.

Stick with this but, in effect, if prior to Melbourne the big engine three leave, say on average, 15 tokens unused, then Honda have that number of tokens to use this season. As is F1’s custom, it seems a more complex approach than required to the situation but one that has just about enabled peace to be maintained.

Of the other new-for-2015 alterations, one stand-out is the new look on all the cars’ noses.

To the viewer, the noses look significantly better than the pointed-finger-style approach of last year, reverting more broadly to the typical nose of old with a broader tip.

In terms of sporting regulations, there has been the usual cavalcade of tweaks, including a finalisation on the ban on sharing technical data between team and driver over the race radio. The double points system for the season-ending race has been scrapped.

The FIA have also reacted to the Jules Bianchi crash by ensuring that no races start less than four hours before dusk plus the introduction of a virtual safety car to ensure that drivers are told via their steering wheels what speed they must drop down to.

And perhaps the most farcical and, indeed, pointless change has been the ruling that drivers cannot change the design of their helmet during the course of the season. As is always the case, expect more in-season changes to follow…