A new era in Formula One

After a winter rife with speculation over teams' futures, the 2009 season has finally begun. New leaders have emerged in Brawn GP, while for others - namely last year's championship contenders Ferrari and McLaren - there remains a lot of work to do to catch up.

Of course it is by no means certain that Brawn GP can retain the upper hand over the course of the next 16 races. The 1-2 result in Australia appeared emphatic enough, but it could hardly be said that Button and Barrichello dominated the Grand Prix.

Button did not disappear into the distance as many expected, but was matched in pace by Vettel and Kubica. Meanwhile Barrichello was fortunate to inherit second when the same two collided three laps from the finish.

Williams also showed that they could be serious contenders this year. Rosberg was quick throughout the weekend, setting the fastest lap in all three practice sessions and - by some margin - during the race itself. Williams have not won a race since Brazil 2004 - could this year mark a change in their fortunes?

It will also be worth watching out for Toyota as the season develops. Were it not for the 25-second penalty the stewards issued to Trulli after the race, Toyota would have enjoyed a double points finish in third and fifth. As it is, Glock's fourth place still represents their best-ever start to a Formula One season.

Admittedly these are still early stages in the championship, but already it seems that these three teams are likely to be the ones to beat. Snapping at their heels, however, will be the two Red Bull teams, both of which demonstrated the potential of their Adrian Newey-designed car. The two Toro Rossos finished in the points while Vettel enjoyed a strong race, at least before his tangle with Kubica.

Ferrari and McLaren - the two great powerhouses of recent years - had relatively lacklustre weekends in comparison, and Hamilton was lucky to manage third place, benefiting both from the safety car periods and from dramas ahead of him on the racetrack. Neither team seems to be currently in a position to compete for the championship.

Sixteen races remain in this season, however, and plenty can change in that time. But already it seems there could be a new pecking order emerging in Formula One in 2009.

Photo reproduced under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 license from an image uploaded to Flickr.com by monkey2funky.