Drivers, cars and teams of Formula One in 2013

Germany’s Sebastian Vettel has won the last three F1 drivers' championships. Will he get his fourth this year? His Red Bull team is now truly tried and tested. The team’s second driver, Australia’s Mark Webber, and the brilliant constructor of the team’s RB9 car, Adrian Newey, are both back, too.

Wide side boxes, a shorter nose, and a vertical slit in the back - there are a lot of new features on the Ferrari F138, which is meant to end the team’s five-year championship drought. The ‘red goddess’ is to be driven by the Spaniard Fernando Alonso (left) and his Brazilian teammate, Felipe Massa.

The newest development for Mercedes in 2013 can be found in the cockpit: Former drivers' champion Lewis Hamilton has taken the place of Michael Schumacher, with the aim of making Mercedes a contender once again. His teammate, Nico Rosberg, proved last year that the Mercedes is capable of winning races.

According to Jenson Button (left), last year’s McLaren car was the worst he’d ever driven. This year’s McLaren looks identical to last year’s, but is said to be much better under the hood. Sergio Perez (right) makes his debut for McLaren, taking the place of Lewis Hamilton.

While other teams have opted to do without a bend in the nose of the cars, the new Lotus has kept the crooked front end. Former world champion Kimi “Iceman” Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean will be behind the wheels. Lotus will likely hope to keep a few more cars intact this year, as Grosjean led all Formula One drivers in crashes last year.

Force India is on the attack this season and is hoping to crack the top five teams. The word around the pit is that the VJM06 is more consistent and easier to drive this year. Next to the team’s number one driver, Paul di Resta (pictured), Germany’s Adrian Sutil returns to Formula One with Force India after a one-year break from the sport.

Sauber’s new car is looking slim and trim thanks to its especially narrow side boxes. The Swiss team - led by Formula One’s only female team boss, Monisha Kaltenborn - will look to German driver Nico Hülkenberg and Mexico’s Esteban Gutierrez to pilot the svelte speedster.

Williams’ new FW35 was unveiled just 25 minutes before the first test runs and instantly was a source of wild speculation. The car’s exhaust opening, which is divided by a horizontal partition, was especially intriguing. Pastor Maldonado and Valtteri Bottas are the two men in the cockpit for Williams this year.

Compared to its predecessor, Toro Rosso’s STR8 is completely new when it comes to the mechanics. The suspension, brakes, and the the radiator have been completely redone. The team hopes these changes, along with the skills of drivers Daniele Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne, will bump them from ninth to sixth in the constructors’ standings.

The England-based Malaysian-owned team doesn’t want to be the best in Forumla One, but rather the most efficient. The new drivers Charles Pic (pictured) and Giedo van der Garde are being tasked with squeezing the most out of a small budget. They will be pleased if and whenever they finish high enough to earn points.

The narrow side boxes of Marussia’s new MR02 should be helpful to the team’s relatively inexperienced drivers, Jules Bianchi and Max Chilton. Biachi was a late addition to the team after Luiz Razia's contract fell through due to a sponsoring issue.