I heard it first on the television this afternoon. That whine; that staccato popping noise; the sheer sound of speed - yes, Murray Walker is back! It can only mean one thing - the 1997 Formula One season is nearly upon us. Whether you'll be watching the opening round after lunch, or (like us Brits) a long time before breakfast, the world, the world's dog, and the dog's mates will be glued to the television sets. And the great thing is, it promises to be one of the best seasons for a long time.

It's the new combinations of drivers, engines, chassis and, yes indeedy, tyres in the midfield that look set to make 1997 a thriller. We all know Bridgestone are entering the Grand Prix arena as tyre suppliers, but until the cars all hit the track at the same time, we don't know who's tyres are quicker. We have had a few tasty hints - the new Stewart Racing team and Prost Grand Prix have been stunningly, nay, terrifyingly quick, especially in the wet. Put a few wet qualifying sessions and races into the equation, and we could be having some very strange faces on the podium.

At the front of the grid it's likely to be a battle between Jacques Villeneuve, Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Michael Schumacher, but expect Jean Alesi, Gerhard Berger, Eddie Irvine, Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard to be sticking their (raised) noses into the battle at every occasion. It's unlikely to be a good year for defending champion Damon Hill, but expect his Arrows team to be on the pace come the end of the season.

And so I'll leave you to enjoy the race - whatever time you're watching it. Here's to a great season. Enjoy ...

Lap Guide

The Albert Park circuit in Melbourne is a great place to run a Grand Prix. Circling around the central lake, the road portions of the circuit are used year round - but make no mistake, this is a dedicated F1 track. With plenty of room for run-off space, this means that there are some particularly daunting 150mph sweeps around the back of the circuit. There are also several good overtaking opportunities - but only if you're brave. The winner her fully deserves to go on and be World Champion. Circuit length: 3.274miles / 5.271 km - Race length: 58 laps (189.892 miles / 305.718 km)

What happened last year?

Who can forget Martin Brundle's terrifying roll at the beginning of last year's race? Who can forget Jacques Villeneuve's stunning debut in qualifying, and his gutsy performance in the race?

It was wham-bang, grand slam way to start the season, and the man who came out as the winner would go on to win the championship - Damon Hill. If it hadn't been for Brundle's race-stopping roll, however, Hill would have had a much harder task. Slow off the grid, he was passed by the Ferraris into the first corner and was very grateful for the re-start. Villeneuve led the new race, and kept the lead through the pitstops with some stern defensive driving. An oil leak ruined his chances, though, and Hill drove past to take the win. Both guys deserved it, but there could only ever be one winner. Maybe Villeneuve will get his revenge this time...

1996 Race Results
1.	Damon Hill	Williams-Renault	1hr32m50.491s
2.	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams-Renault	+ 38.020s
3.	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	+ 1m02.571s
4.	Gerhard Berger	Benetton-Renault	+ 1m17.037s
5.	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren-Mercedes	+ 1m35.071s
6.	Mika Salo	Tyrrell-Yamaha	+ one lap
Pole position:	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams-Renault	1m32.371s
Fastest lap:	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams-Renault	1m33.421s

The Field

Arrows-Yamaha (Bridgestone)

1. Damon Hill, 2. Pedro Diniz

Essentially a new team after Tom Walkinshaw's purchase of the Arrows outfit last year. The 1996 form guide is no indicator, as TWR concentrated on the design, funding and staff for 1997. Although the Yamaha engine is slow it is becoming more reliable - by San Marino it should have the benefit of expert advice from TWR's engine department. Calling Frank Dernie a competent designer is liking saying The Beatles were a bit good at writing a hit single, so the chassis should be good. With Damon Hill's undoubted skills behind the wheel, the team should be well placed to score podiums and possibly wins by the end of the season. You never know, Pedro Diniz might even outqualify Hill a few times - he's not as bad as a lot of people think.

Williams-Renault (Goodyear)

3. Jacques Villeneuve, 4. Heinz-Harald Frentzen

Can anyone honestly not see Williams taking the drivers' and constructors' crowns in 1997? Well think again. With the spectre of the Ayrton Senna trial hanging over their heads and the ongoing dispute with ex-designer Adrian Newey keeping the lawyers busy here in England, the team have got a lot happening off the track. Sure, they've come through worse before, but the competition was never this close. With McLaren, Benetton and Ferrari snapping at their gearboxes, Jacques Villeneuve and Heinz-Harald Frentzen will have to use every ounce of speed they have. Both drivers have been pretty impressive in testing, but with the gap to the opposition closing, could this be the year that the pressure gets too much for Team Willy?

Ferrari (Goodyear)

5. Michael Schumacher, 6. Eddie Irvine

"Between 1997 and 1998 we are poised to win the World Championship - that is our goal." Luca di Montezemelo being as confident as ever. The team may be struggling in winter testing and John Barnard may have departed, but with Ross Brawn and Rory Berne at the drawing board and Michael Schumacher behind the wheel, the team should expect nothing less than four or five wins in 1997 - and with the competition being closer, that may be enough to get a championship. Eddie Irvine seems confident, but the team, like most, have suffered from a number of embarrassing reliability problems. Potentially title contenders.

Benetton-Renault (Goodyear)

7. Jean Alesi , 8. Gerhard Berger

After an abysmal 1996, Benetton look as if they're finally back. Gerhard Berger, in particular, looks in fine form, and Jean Alesi looks relaxed and confident for a new season. The pair have been trading fastest times with the Williams duo all winter, and reckon they're only half a second off the pace. Although the team have lost the talents of Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne, they're happy to have Nick Wirth at the design helm. The engine supply for 1998 is the only uncertainty, but, knowing Flavio Briatore, they won't have to worry about that much. Now they are fully united, could Benetton snatch the championship from under their rivals' noses?

McLaren-Mercedes (Goodyear)

9. Mika Hakkinen , 10. David Coulthard

With easily the most glamorous launch of the year, McLaren unveiled the nicest looking car of the Grand Prix pack - the Silver Arrows will be aiming for the front of the field, and nothing less. This really is a make or break year for McLaren. Without a win since 1993, the team have a huge 'must do better' stamped over their polished image. However, 1997 could be the year. David Coulthard is looking as confident as ever, and now Mika Hakkinen has smashed the lap record at Barcelona - an incredible 3s quicker than Damon Hill's 1996 pole time. As a massive fan of McLaren, I look forward to seeing the silver cars taking the silverware.

Jordan-Peugeot (Goodyear)

11. Ralf Schumacher , 12. Giancarlo Fischella

Unfortunately, Jordan will spend 1997 as the pretender to the throne, the perpetual 'wannabe'. But although the team will still be the fifth best outfit, they might have the speed to get a win or two. Despite a distinct lack of experience in the driver side, the plucky team have now got six years of valuable wisdom which they can use. Last year, added money from Benson and Hedges helped the team expand and diversify their efforts throughout the winter. This has already shown in testing times. At Estoril last week, the pair were consistently close to Benetton and Williams. They've got to go quick to keep Peugeot engines in '98, and the team may just be able to pull it off.

Prost-Mugen Honda (Bridgestone)

14. Olivier Panis , 15. Shinji Nakano

In what was probably the worst kept secret ever, Alain Prost has taken control of Ligier - and its probably the shrewdest move the Frenchman has ever made. With pace setting laps at Jerez and Magny-Cours under their belt, the Prost team should be wending their way to the winners circle before too long. Olivier Panis matures more and more with every season - with last year's Monaco win under his belt, he's passed that particular hurdle already. Shinji Nakano, on the other hand, is less well known, but he's proving to be fairly quick in an F1 car. With the Mugen-Honda engine behind and a nimble chassis beneath them, Panis and Nakano look good for podiums and, if Patrick Head is to be believed, possibly race wins.

Sauber-Petronas (Goodyear)

16. Johnny Herbert , 17. Nicola Laini

With the familiar red bull on the side and a prancing horse under the bonnet, Sauber look well placed to move up into the big time. Test times are good, and the team look set to benefit from a few extra horsepower. Johnny Herbert is as fast as ever, and now more confident with a team that trust him and give him time in the car. Nicola Larini will probably struggle to get back to grips with Formula One, but expect him to be on the pace by the fifth race. The car may struggle from a lack of design work, as the Ferrari engine deal was signed rather late in the day, but with a bit of work, the team should be real points and podium contenders.

Tyrrell-Ford (Goodyear)

18. Jos Verstappen , 19. Mika Salo

Much as I'd like to say Tyrrell will be up there withthe best of them, I can't. Although the Ford customer unit will be slightly less prone to failure than last year's Yamaha, it is well down on power. Yet again the car has an absence of sponsors stickers, and paying for the engines can't have gone down too well with the accountant. Jos Verstappen and Mika Salo provide a talented pair of throttle-jockeys, but without the horsepower and the car, I can't see them winning the race - the podium is about as high as these guys are going to get.

Minardi-Hart (Bridgestone)

20. Ukyo Katayama , 21. Jarno Trulli

What can we say about Minardi? If they had horsepower for passion, they'd leave the Williams-Renaults trailing in their tyre smoke. Sadly, this isn't the case and Minardi look set to be the tail enders of 1997. The Hart deal is wonderful for both parties, and could give Minardi a much needed boost of power. Points is about as good as Minardi can expect.

Stewart-Ford (Bridgestone)

22. Rubens Barrichello, 23. Jan Magnussen

My personal dark horse for race wins. Jan Magnussen is fast, scarily so, and Rubens Barrichello brings four years of racing experience in F1. The team are going to have a lot of problems in their debut year, but with Ford's backing, Bridgestone tyres and Stewart Racing's championship successes in Formula Three and Formula Vauxhall, they should be charging up the grid before too long.

Lola-Ford (Bridgestone)

24. Riccardo Rosset, 25. Vincenzo Sospiri

I'm sorry to say this, but we won't be seeing a lot of Lola in the first few races. Despite their claims that they build cars in three months all the time, I personally don't think even Williams could have done a good enough job. Despite high profile backing from Mastercard, the team will struggle to make a real, lasting impression on the big fish of F1. It's worth noting that the Newman-Haas team in CART racing have changed from Lola to Swift chassis. A case of too many eggs, perhaps?