AUTOSPORT predicts F1 2015

Mercedes might be well placed at the front of the Formula 1 field heading to the Australian Grand Prix, but it's anybody's guess who will be the Silver Arrows' main rival this season.

Never shy of a challenge, the AUTOSPORT writers' panel has put forward its best theories and calculated the scores using the F1 points system to generate what we think will be this year's final order.

Here is the outcome, including a few selected thoughts on the hot topics.

10th: ROMAIN GROSJEAN

Top prediction: eighth (Marcus Simmons)

Edd Straw: Lotus will take a step forward this year, although even with Mercedes motivation it will not be possible to recapture the glory of 2012 and '13. But Grosjean is a classy driver and will score regularly.

Matt Beer: Renault power didn't help Lotus last year, but the chassis was pretty evil too and money was in short supply, so a Mercedes V6 alone won't be a miracle cure. Although the mega-talented Grosjean will surely be better off in 2015 than 2014, a 2013-style trophy haul seems unlikely.

Mitchell Adam: The Mercedes power unit will mask some of the chassis' deficiencies and make it a regular points contender, especially while McLaren gets its act together and Force India develops its new car.

Glenn Freeman: It's easy to forget how spectacular Grosjean was in the latter part of 2013 when he and Lotus were in full flow. He deserves some payback for the nightmare of last year.

Marcus Simmons: Clearly the best driver at Lotus, and the team should step forward this year with Mercedes power.

9th: FERNANDO ALONSO

Top prediction: sixth (Matt Beer, Scott Mitchell)

Matt Beer: Fair to say 2015 has started much worse than Alonso, McLaren or Honda would have feared, but that doesn't mean it won't end well. Leading the revival of a team that seemingly despised him eight years ago must appeal to Alonso's mischievous streak.

Dieter Rencken: The double world champion, the most committed driver of his generation, can never be discounted even after taking another seeming career wrong turn. Wins will prove elusive given the current McLaren-Honda combo - but give the Spaniard a sniff at a podium and it is delivered.

Anthony Rowlinson: The MP4-30 will confound and castrate all season long. But by season's end, with Honda firing, expect a last-gasp dramatic, heroic victory or two. All his points from wins?

Lawrence Barretto: Alonso is likely to have a tough time at the start of the year but once the McLaren-Honda partnership starts to sing, expect the Spaniard to come on strong and fight for podiums and maybe, just maybe, a win.

Scott Mitchell: McLaren-Honda could be the opposite of Williams this season: not a threat to the front early on but a podium challenger in the second half. At least, that's the hope in Woking. And Alonso's the most determined driver on the grid.

8th: DANIIL KVYAT

Top prediction: sixth (Ben Anderson, Marcus Simmons, Stuart Codling)

Edd Straw: Kvyat's only in his second season so it will be hard to 'do a Ricciardo', but while there will be a few errors, he's a fast driver with huge potential and will have some very eyecatching results.

Glenn Freeman: To suggest that Kvyat won't make a Ricciardo-style impact at Red Bull is more of a reflection on how stunning the Aussie was last year, rather than a swipe at the Russian's ability to live up to his promotion.

Mitchell Adam: Won't quite repeat Ricciardo's stellar 2014 against Vettel, but will star on occasion and get closer to the Australian during the year.

Ben Anderson: Still a few rough edges to iron out, but the Toro Rosso graduate will benefit from being in a sharper team with greater resources and a better car.

Anthony Rowlinson: From the fringes to the centre stage. Dani must at the very least tail Dan to retain his seat and credibility. Verstappen is watching from the wings...

7th: KIMI RAIKKONEN

Top prediction: third (Anthony Rowlinson)

Dieter Rencken: On a good day the Finn is dynamite - but these are becoming scarce. Still, a strong Ferrari, quick team-mate and looming contract talks will ignite the spark.

Anthony Rowlinson: A James Allison-conceived Kimi-front-end-friendly Ferrari with (at last) a decent power unit is the reason why Raikkonen's been smiling, winter long. Don't expect a title; do expect grand prix wins.

Mitchell Adam: Will be keen to forget 2014 and make the most of a better power unit and friendlier front end. Won't quite get as much out of the package over the season as Vettel, though.

Glenn Freeman: It seems Raikkonen is going to have a better car than he had for his Ferrari return, so improving on last year's P12 shouldn't be difficult. Keeping up with Vettel might be a different story.

Scott Mitchell: Better Ferrari, happier Kimi. The 2007 world champion will be shaded by Vettel for most of the year, but the spark could - and should - return often enough for Raikkonen's results to better reflect his incredible talent.

Edd Straw: Pre-season suggests Raikkonen will be back on consistent and heavy points-scoring form. But that has to be tempered with the memories of 2014. If he's happy with the car, could do better; if not, could do worse.

6th: FELIPE MASSA

Top prediction: fifth (Stuart Codling)

Stuart Codling: Still fast but occasionally too furious - as he proved when he let an opportunity to shine in Canada slip by last year when he tangled with Sergio Perez.

Dieter Rencken: The veteran Brazilian still commands solid speed, but age (and the good life) counts against him. Still able to mix it at the sharp end on a good day, but will play second-fiddle to team-mate Bottas.

Lawrence Barretto: Massa will be in the hunt for podiums early in the season, but may find himself dropping back as the likes of big-spending Red Bull and Ferrari catch up.

Ben Anderson: Massa looks a driver reborn at Williams, but the Grove team is likely to struggle as the arms race ramps up at the front.

Glenn Freeman: There will be more podiums as the clouds from his time at Ferrari become a distant memory, but Bottas will be the one achieving Williams's higher peaks.

5th: SEBASTIAN VETTEL

Top prediction: third (Glenn Freeman, Mitchell Adam, Scott Mitchell, Marcus Simmons)

Matt Beer: The reinvigorating effect of a change of scenery coinciding with Ferrari changing its atmosphere for the better should combine to kickstart a Vettel resurgence this year. There might not be too much short-term success, but he's going to be a great storyline.

Lawrence Barretto: Ferrari will be stronger out of the box this season and though it might take Vettel some time to get his feet under the table, expect him to be challenging for podiums.

Scott Mitchell: The Ferrari looks to be a world apart from last year's monstrosity (by Maranello terms). Can Seb win a race? Possibly not. But he could be the man hoovering up the crumbs dropped by Mercedes.

Marcus Simmons: Ferrari looks to have made progress and hard-working Vettel will have the team on his side.

Ben Anderson: Ferrari will be much better this year. Expect the Scuderia and its new star to get stronger as the season goes on - if the car develops well.

4th: DANIEL RICCIARDO

Top prediction: second (Matt Beer)

Edd Straw: Ricciardo is a class act, last year showed that. But is the Renault power unit up to the job? Upgrades could improve prospects, but right now it looks like Red Bull has some work to do.

Matt Beer: Ricciardo (massively) exceeded expectations so relentlessly in 2014 that more magic has to be on the cards this year. He's proved he's a man who can make things happen in adversity, and someone you can't count out even if a weekend or race starts badly.

Anthony Rowlinson: Last year's wonderkid has a new kind of pressure this year: that of expectation. Red Bull are unlikely to be faster relative to Mercedes than they were in 2014, while the non-Merc opposition has improved. A win or two at most.

Glenn Freeman: Ricciardo worked miracles at times in his first year with Red Bull, and there's no reason to believe that he won't drag even more from his equipment this year. The big question is how much is there to be dragged from the RB11 and its Renault engine.

Mitchell Adam: Won three races last year despite the team barely testing. In a significantly better place 12 months on, and Renault is improving, but will face a sterner challenge from Ferrari and Williams.

3rd: VALTTERI BOTTAS

Top prediction: third (Edd Straw, Dieter Rencken, Stuart Codling)

Edd Straw: Had Williams hit the ground running last year, Bottas might well have finished third. The car looks strong, the team is much sharper than at the start of last year and Valtteri himself is ready to deliver consistently.

Stuart Codling: Going out on a bit of a limb here, but if Williams can go to the next level technically and operationally, the Mercedes engine will give the edge over Red Bull and Bottas needs to make his mark.

Scott Mitchell: It all comes down to the arms race that will develop, which I fear will hurt Williams late on. If he repeats his excellent 2014 form though, expect him to strike while the iron is hot early doors.

Ben Anderson: Williams is not a works team, so it will face a tough fight to stay ahead of Ferrari and Red Bull this year, but expect a few podiums (and maybe a win) from Bottas.

Lawrence Barretto: Bottas claims he's a better driver this year and is ready to take his first grand prix win. If Williams gets everything right on race day, that victory may not be too far away.

2nd: NICO ROSBERG

Top prediction: champion (Dieter Rencken, Scott Mitchell)

Marcus Simmons: The Mercedes looks to be the dominant car and Rosberg is the second-best racer in one.

Dieter Rencken: Losing last year's title in a showdown dealt the German a bitter blow. Having out-sped his team-mate over single laps - ditto pre-season testing - he fell at the final hurdle, and thus has every motivation to win a first title and become the first son of a living champion to do so - and first German in a (dominant) German car.

Anthony Rowlinson: Will run Lewis even closer this year. Expect a stronger Hamilton challenge in qualifying, but Nico to do better versus his career-long sparring partner in races. Should Lewis stumble, Rosberg will stoop to conquer.

Scott Mitchell: Best chance squandered? Very possibly. Bad luck might have to play a part, but Hamilton's spoken in the past of the importance of his personal bubble. His on-off relationship with Nicole Scherzinger won't help that, and Rosberg's fired up.

Lawrence Barretto: Rosberg's title challenge will hinge on him maintaining consistency over a season and actually being able to make a pass on his team-mate stick in the race. The jury is out as to whether he has it in him.

Mitchell Adam: Rosberg's stocks have risen with his performances in the last two seasons and while he'll push his team-mate again - likely even harder than in 2014 - it won't quite be enough.

1st: LEWIS HAMILTON

Top prediction: champion (Edd Straw, Glenn Freeman, Anthony Rowlinson, Matt Beer, Marcus Simmons, Ben Anderson, Lawrence Barretto, Stuart Codling, Mitchell Adam)

Marcus Simmons: The Mercedes looks to be the dominant car and Hamilton is the best racer in one.

Edd Straw: The Mercedes is, based on pre-season form, the strongest car and last season Hamilton emerged as the stronger of its two drivers. There's no reason to predict a different outcome in 2015.

Ben Anderson: Provided he keeps his head together, there is nothing to stop Hamilton collecting a third world title. In a straight fight, he can usually out-race Rosberg.

Matt Beer: There's nothing to suggest anyone's going to topple Mercedes this year, and there weren't enough times in 2014 when Rosberg was genuinely quicker than Hamilton to expect a change in the team power balance. This might be a relatively easy title defence.

Stuart Codling: I'm convinced he'll be mentally stronger this year; winning title number two will have dispelled any remnants of the fragility we've seen glimpses of in recent seasons.

Dieter Rencken: Going for back-to-back titles is notoriously difficult, and is likely to tax the Briton's mental fragility to the absolute max. But, given his package, Lewis will struggle to finish lower than second...

Scott Mitchell: Last year my head said Rosberg, but Hamilton knows how to win when it counts and showed he'd developed an edge in race trim. I'm not convinced his new mental steel will hold though. He could implode, a la 2011.

Glenn Freeman: Hamilton's 2015 mission is to find that special something he had in the closing stages of last year. It made him unstoppable and proved why he is one of the sport's elite.

OUR CONSTRUCTORS' CHAMPIONSHIP PREDICTION

1. Mercedes

2. Williams

3. Ferrari

4. Red Bull

5. McLaren-Honda

Max Verstappen © LAT

JUST MISSING THE CUT...

MAX VERSTAPPEN

Matt Beer: An incredible talent who can clearly handle himself in an F1 car, and who has composure in reserve - enough to deal with inevitable rookie setbacks. Age doesn't matter, preparation does - and Jos has developed his son's career in an extraordinary way.

Marcus Simmons: Forget about being 17. He'll amaze everyone with his racing nous this year, which will serve him well in the midfield.

JENSON BUTTON

Lawrence Barretto: He should score consistently once McLaren has got on top of its new car, but the Brit will struggle to assert himself against new team-mate Alonso.

NICO HULKENBERG

Anthony Rowlinson: The German will maximise opportunities offered by Merc power and a car reliable from day one. He'll wind up ninth.

You've read AUTOSPORT's predictions - now it's time to make your own.

Our Grand Prix Predictor returns for 2015, and remains free and easy to play.

All you have to do is predict the top 10 and more ahead of each grand prix. The highest scorer after Australia could win a PlayStation 4 Driveclub bundle.

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