The Formula One runners and riders in 2014

Four-time champion Sebastian Vettel will shoot for five-straight titles, but is now behind the wheel of the RB10 - a car whose early life has been fraught with difficulty. Red Bull suffered major reliability and overheating problems in pre-season testing and look set for a slow start. Australian Daniel Ricciardo joins Red Bull from sister stall Toro Rosso, replacing veteran countryman Mark Webber.

This year's Mercedes seems to harbor greater potential, and not just over a single qualifying lap. The Silver Arrows covered the most distance in testing, also consistently figuring at the classier end of the timesheets. Nico Rosberg and 2008 champion Lewis Hamilton are the only unchanged driving pairing on the entire grid. Will consistency prove key?

Kimi Raikkonen rejoins Ferrari to drive alongside Fernando Alonso, five seasons after he was elbowed out to make space for the Spaniard. For years, Ferrari seemed to favor a clear driver hierarchy; now they have hired top-dollar jockeys for both prancing horses. Such pairings can push drivers to new heights or tear a team in two.

Lotus overachieved on a slimline budget over the past two seasons - a situation that is unlikely to continue this year. Team boss Eric Boullier jumped ship for McLaren and Kimi Raikkonen has taken his salary needs to Ferrari. Replacement Pastor Maldonado brings Venezuelan PDVSA oil money to the team from Enstone, but neither he nor Romain Grosjean is exactly famed for avoiding accidents.

2009 champion Jenson Button is now the most experienced driver in F1; he will partner debutant Kevin Magnussen at McLaren. The 21-year-old Dane and Button have the strong Mercedes engine for the season, until Honda's return in 2015, and appear able to take their fight to the front. In the backroom, Ron Dennis returns to the McLaren pitlane, with Eric Boullier from Lotus a fresh face at his side.

Germany's Nico Hülkenberg was hoping for his big break on leaving Sauber. Instead, all he could secure was a return to Force India. Perhaps the number Hülkenberg has chosen, the Ferrari-associated 27, is an attempt to remind the Italians what they are missing. For 2014, Hülkenberg must try to impress again in the midfield and beat yet another team mate - this time Mexico's Sergio Perez.

Adrian Sutil has driven in 109 Grands Prix, all either for Force India or the Silverstone-based team's previous operators, Spyker. Sutil's 110th race will be with Sauber, alongside Mexican sophomore Esteban Gutierrez. The German cannot bring big sponsors with him to Hinwil in Switzerland. Sauber often offer value for money - testing suggests lower-mid-table pace and good reliability for the C33.

With Daniel Ricciardo's promotion to Red Bull, there is space at sister outfit Toro Rosso for 19-year-old GP3 champion Daniil Kvyat. He joins Jean-Eric Vergne, four years his senior and in his third season. If Kvyat has eyes on a career trajectory akin to ex-Toro Rosso talent Sebastian Vettel, the rookie's first order of business will be to handle his French teammate.

After eight years at Ferrari, often as understudy, Felipe Massa is out for redemption. His move to Williams might deliver. The team has a new title sponsor in Martini, and a new engine provider in Mercedes. Massa set the fastest single lap of anyone at Bahrain in testing. For Finnish teammate Valtteri Bottas, Massa is an ideal early-career benchmark - beating him would get the paddock's attention.

Caterham's efforts to escape the label "backmarkers" continue with an intriguing pair behind the wheel. Kamui Kobayashi returns after a year's absence, hopefully bringing more late-braking overtaking heroics with him. Alongside Kobayashi, Swedish rookie Marcus Ericsson is hoping to "finish as often as possible" - a goal likely shared by the whole 2014 grid amid so many technical changes.

Ferrari motors could be a boost for Marussia over the Renault-powered Caterhams in the likely battle at the back. Marussia has shown much more single-lap speed than Caterham, but covered considerably less distance in testing. Briton Max Chilton returns for a second season at the team and a French youngster from Ferrari's development program, Jules Bianchi, graduates to F1 at the age of 24.