The most noticeable change is of course the aerodynamics for 2009, with wider, lower, adjustable-on-track front wings to increase front downforce, and taller, narrower rear wings to reduce turbulence. Combined with a return to slick tyres for the first time since 1997, and the balance between mechanical grip and aero grip is shifting back towards the latter. This theoretically means that cars can now remain in closer proximity in the corners, leading to more opportunities for slipstreaming and overtaking on the straights.

One welcome by-product is that, after years in which the cars had increasingly looked like clones of each other, there is finally some diversity in design, with a range of different solutions especially at the front end. Red Bull and Toyota have gone for a narrow, high nose option, while Williams and the new Brawn have taken the wide, low nose path, and every other team fits somewhere in between - including Renault, which for some odd reason has a nosecone inspired by an anvil.

The rather unusual aesthetics will take some getting used to, but at least gone are the winglets which sprouted like weeds in recent years, although that hasn't stopped Williams putting half a skateboard on either side of the cockpit. Still on the aesthetic front, the option tyre will be marked by green sidewalls stripes (since grooves are no more), but more to the point, there will be two steps between compounds at each Grand Prix - meaning that the two-compounds-per-race rule might finally have an impact.

A restriction on the number of engines per year and longer-life gearboxes may simply continue the trend of super-reliability, but so long as the racing is good then the lack of DNFs may not matter as much. The other major change is the introduction of KERS, which is not mandatory in 2009, and some teams won't start the season with it or even run it at all, which suggests that it may not make that much difference. The weight of KERS offsetting the amount of ballast useable may negate any advantage it brings.

KERS may be a step towards the greening of F1, but it's also designed to be a strategic challenge in qualifying and an avenue for improved racing, being a virtual push-to-pass with an additional 80hp for 7 seconds per lap. Will the racing be significantly better in 2009? For the time being, we'd prefer to keep our expectations low so that we can be pleasantly surprised. After all, A1GP features slick tyres, aerodynamics meant to encourage passing, and a push-to-pass system, but it's not exactly an overtaking-a-thon.

In terms of the changes to the sporting regulations, no in-season testing could mean that teams that have a better package will stay on top throughout the year because there's less potential for outfits that are slightly being the eight-ball to hone their packages, but it could also mean that different teams may have the ascendancy at different circuits. What it does mean though is real meaningful action on Fridays of race weekends, even if there will be less news to talk about in between races.

The points system remains the same despite FOTA's recent proposal, Bernie Ecclestone's ridiculous medals suggestion hasn't come to pass, although the only-slightly-less-ridiculous announcement came through that the driver's title will be decided on wins. Then, as this preview was being written, it appears the FIA is backing away from that also. All we'll say is that we hope that the driver with the most points and the most wins is one and the same man. Thank goodness that something else that was ridiculous, i.e. the safety car rules, have been revamped for '09.

But, significantly, some things haven't changed much. The 2008-09 off-season has seen what will surely be the lowest driver turnover in F1 history. If you count Red Bull and Toro Rosso as virtually being the one entity, then Sebastian Vettel's shift between them hardly counts, and the only driver change in effect is the David Coulthard out, and Sebastien Buemi in as the only 2009 rookie. The other line-ups are exactly the same, largely removing the usual 'new driver-team combination' variable.

Force India has had a management reshuffle and gained Mercedes engines in a technical partnership with McLaren, as well as an Indian-related livery. Honda has survived and morphed into Brawn GP, and will also campaign Mercedes engines. But again the rest of the teams are virtually unchanged. This is not a bad thing, actually, in that the lack of driver changes and team personnel movements means that it will be possible to gauge the true impact of the new 2009 regulations.

Finally, it's goodbye Canada and France from the schedule, but a welcome to Abu Dhabi, with 17 races neatly packed into nine European events sandwiched by four fly-aways at either end. Tellingly, of the eight fly-aways, apart from Brazil the rest are all in the Asia Pacific and the Middle East, and that tells you all you need to know about the commercial trends in F1. But the commercial state of the sport (yes, S-P-O-R-T) is a story for another day - hopefully in 2009 the racing will dominate the headlines instead.