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THE big guns - Ferrari and McLaren - unveiled their mean machines this week and world champion Kimi Raikkonen reckons race fans in Bahrain can expect a fun season this year with more overtaking given Formula One's new rules outlawing traction control.
Other enforced changes include gearbox and driver protection innovations which mean Ferrari's F2008 car, unveiled at their base in northern Italy on Sunday, is heavier this year.
The weight distribution and wheelbase have also been altered after lessons learned from the performance of the Bridgestone tyres last year while there is an almost completely new aerodynamic design which will be developed further.
But the lack of traction control and the potential for more crashes is the biggest issue for the world champions ahead of the first race in Melbourne on March 16.
"Now traction control is not going to help you but for me it will be a lot more fun. I think there will be an easier chance to overtake as people will make more mistakes," Raikkonen told a news conference.
"The sport is dangerous anyway. It doesn't matter if you have traction control or not. If you think it is too dangerous you probably shouldn't be in the sport. It is more tricky for sure, you need to be awake more of the time."
The Finn's team mate Felipe Massa - who raced to victory at the Bahrain International Circuit last year - was less positive about the changes and said drivers had asked for safety assurances from the FIA, Formula One's governing body.
"We had an email exchange but we haven't tested the car yet. The GPDA (Grand Prix Drivers' Association) has for sure been trying to increase safety levels. This is a very important change. It will have to be a smoother driving style," said the Brazilian, who was still enamoured with the new Ferrari.
"My expectations are very high. When you first look at the car it is a special moment. It is like seeing a child being born. Now we have to let this child grow and grow as quickly as possible."
Both drivers said it was too early to tell who their main challengers would be this season given the new rules and Fernando Alonso moving from McLaren back to Renault, who struggled last year. But Raikkonen believes that his thrilling, last-gap Formula One triumph in 2007 can provide the platform for a title repeat this season.
The Finn says being world champion has given him a new sense of belief following his one-point victory over feuding McLaren pair Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.
"The fact that I won the drivers' world title last year gives me the confidence that I can do it again," said Raikkonen.
McLaren's 2008 challenger was formally launched in Germany on Monday afternoon. The team had previously stated they had no plans for an official unveiling, but the wraps came off the MP4-23 at the Mercedes-Benz museum in Germany.
The new car will be raced by Lewis Hamilton and recently-signed team mate Heikki Kovalainen. It was the first time in McLaren's 13-year partnership with Mercedes that the team has launched a Formula One car in Stuttgart.
Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding, a company wholly owned by the Kingdom of Bahrain, bought a 30 per cent stake in McLaren last year.
Phone lines have been red hot this week for tickets to 'OUR RACE' the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix which takes place at the Bahrain International Circuit on April 4, 5, and 6.
The man who brought Formula One motor racing to China has been sentenced to four years in jail for embezzling public funds.
Yu Zhifei, who was sacked as chief of Shanghai's Formula One track after being arrested last year, has been found guilty of siphoning off more than one million yuan in public funds to buy state-owned property on the cheap. His lawyers are considering an appeal.
