Formula 1 has spoiled its fans in recent years.
From Fernando Alonso narrowly denying Michael Schumacher a farewell title, through the three-way denouement and ‘spy’ drama of 2007 and Lewis Hamilton’s last corner heart-stopper of 2008, to the astounding fairytale of Jenson Button and Brawn’s triumph last season, in a year so topsy-turvy that nine of the ten teams appeared on the podium and the tenth had some good chances to do likewise.
It’s sometimes felt too exciting to be true, but if anything F1 2010 is likely to raise the bar for action, drama and unpredictability still further.
There will be three big sources of intrigue the new season kicks off amid the sand dunes of Bahrain this weekend: the potentially breathtaking closeness of the competition up front; the fascination of a host of newcomers creating the biggest grid in 15 years, and the challenge of drivers coping with massive fuel loads as mid-race refuelling is axed.
The new pit stop rules – and more on those in a moment – made winter testing a deceptive jumble of high and low fuel times amid ever-changing weather… at least until the final day at Catalunya, when the front-runners all went for qualifying simulations within a few hours of each other and showed their true hand at last.
When that happened twelve months ago, Brawn’s pace left its rivals reeling.
This time it’s how incredibly evenly matched the leaders are that is prompting the slack jaws.
Last year’s title rivals Brawn (now Mercedes) and Red Bull are still head to head at the front of the field, but have been rejoined by revitalised grandees Ferrari and McLaren.
That illustrious quartet might not have it all their own way either – on the final test day Force India, Williams and Sauber also got within half a second of the top time, while Toro Rosso and Renault had moments of great promise earlier in the winter too.
Just as in 2009, it looks like it will only take a tiny slip to go from fighting for pole to midfield ignominy.
Throw in the personality dynamics and it becomes still more fascinating.
It’s the return of Schumacher that’s prompted the most excitement, although he settled in so quickly in testing that his presence now feels routine again.
Think back six months and the idea of Schumacher racing full-time again seemed inconceivable – and picturing him in anything other than a Ferrari wasn’t worth considering.
Now he’ll be up against the man who deposed him as F1’s top dog and beat him in his final years: Alonso.
And to make the rematch even more tantalising, the Spaniard is driving for the Ferrari team Schumacher made his own.
Then consider the presence of the man Germany had anointed as the ‘new Schumacher’ – Sebastian Vettel – in a very rapid Red Bull.
And all those who regretted the fact that Schumacher departed just before Hamilton arrived can now see the two face off on-track after all – with the added ingredient of Alonso and Hamilton renewing their rivalry in opposite teams too.
Amid all those storylines, it’s almost easy to forget the man with the number one on his car.
Jenson Button has taken the bold option and chosen to defend his title alongside Hamilton at McLaren.
Most of the world seems to have decided that Button is just very, very good – whereas the likes of Hamilton are true greats.
This is Button’s chance to prove that he too belongs to the latter camp, and that it’s not impossible to outshine Lewis from within the team that has nurtured him for years.
With all of that unfolding at the front, it’s going to be tough to find time to look further back, but there will be a fascinating story to follow at the tail of the field too.
The FIA’s efforts open up the field to new entrants provoked controversy, but the end result that after a year that has seen three major manufacturers withdraw, the total grid is rising by four cars rather than shrinking.
Although US F1’s absence is a disappointment, Lotus, Virgin and Hispania (née Campos) have made it.
As expected, all are some way behind the established teams at present, and while Virgin looks like the quickest newcomer, its car’s reliability woes cost it endless laps in testing – whereas the slightly slower Lotus racked up mile after mile.
Hispania's pace, meanwhile, remains a total mystery, for Bahrain will be not just its first race, but also its first test…
With three totally new teams, three more under different ownership, and only two with the same driver line-up that they had at the end of 2009, F1 is going to have a very different look this weekend.
And the shape of the races will change too with the end of refuelling.
Unlike the previous no-refuelling era, drivers will definitely have to make tyre stops still as the rule compelling them to use both Bridgestone compounds in each race remains.
But rather than running long and maximising time on light tanks being the goal, it’s now going to be diving in early and grabbing fresh rubber that pays dividends.
Watch for some epic work from the pit crews too – with no need to dally while the fuel goes in anymore, ultra-rapid tyre changes have become an art once again, with pit stops just 2-3s long being recorded in testing.
One other significant change for the start of the season is Bahrain’s return to the opening slot.
Habitual championship-opener Melbourne is an anomalous circuit that tends to see unusual results, sometimes extreme dominance, and often total mayhem.
Bahrain’s wide expanses are much more in tune with the rest of the calendar, even though the circuit layout is being tweaked a little to create a few new challenges and give the expanded field a longer lap.
So whatever happens this weekend is likely to be more representative of how the championship story will unfold – and after a winter of changes and testing tension, all we can be sure of is that it’s going to be a wide-open thriller.