Mercedes And Ferrari's Brand New F1 Engines Sound Meaty

There's not long to go until the latest generation of F1 cars are launched and the two top teams of last season have already fired up their 2018 contenders

The opening grand prix in Melbourne may not take place until 25 March, but the 2018 F1 season really starts to kick off in earnest over the next couple of weeks. Williams will become the first team to launch its new car on 15 February, with the other teams launching theirs over the days leading up to the first pre-season test, which gets underway in Barcelona on 26 February.

The two teams that fought it out for glory last year, Mercedes and Ferrari, are both launching their cars on the 22nd, and have already fired up the engines to make sure everything is in order.

Mercedes will be hoping the W09 can give the team its fifth consecutive season of championship success. On the other hand, Ferrari has gone almost a decade without a title - can its new car end the drought, or perhaps another team entirely will end up claiming glory come the end of the year? Either way, the hype is building!