The FIA Formula One World Championship, known more commonly as 'Formula 1' or even 'F1', is easily one of the most popular motorsports events that the world has to offer.

This year's season is set to be one of the biggest and best, and with the top schedule dates, locations, entry list and even the betting odds flowing out to the public, it feels like the races are already underway! For those bouncing in their seats, eager for that first starting flag, we've decided to give you a much-deserved preview into the new season, and everything you can hope to see this year.

The Race Schedule

The race schedule for this year is one to watch, with some of the biggest and best race tracks playing host to the 2018 season. Kicking off on March 25th, the race calendar takes us through Australia, Bahrain, China, Azerbaijan, Spain, Monaco, Canada, France, Austria, Britain, Germany, Hungary, Belgium, Italy, Singapore, Russia, Japan, the US, Mexico, Brazil, and finally Abu Dhabi. Each country offers its best tracks and cities as host, and you can find the full schedule with dates and cities below:

Date	Race	Circuit
25-Mar	Australia	Melbourne
08-Apr	Bahrain	Sakhir
15-Apr	China	Shanghai
29-Apr	Azerbaijan	Baku
13-May	Spain	Barcelona
27-May	Monaco	Monaco
10-Jun	Canada	Montreal
24-Jun	France	Le Castellet
01-Jul	Austria	Spielberg
08-Jul	Great Britain	Silverstone
22-Jul	Germany	Hockenheim
29-Jul	Hungary	Budapest
26-Aug	Belgium	Spa Francorchamps
02-Sep	Italy	Monza
16-Sep	Singapore	Singapore
30-Sep	Russia	Sochi
07-Oct	Japan	Suzuka
21-Oct	USA	Austin*
28-Oct	Mexico	Mexico City
11-Nov	Brazil	Sao Paulo
25-Nov	Abu Dhabi	Yas Marina

The Entry List

As with every season, F1 certainly haven't disappointed this year as far as their driver line-up is concerned. Those that have entered are the best among the best, and simply by glancing at these famous names, it's perfectly clear this year is going to be as much of an adrenaline rush as any year previously. The odds are already out, and as any seasoned F1 fan will tell you, diligent research is the best way to successfully predict who will take the title. To keep you up to date with every racer on offer this year, we have the full entry list here:

No.	Driver	Team	Car
44	Hamilton	Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport	Mercedes
77	Bottas	Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport	Mercedes
5	Vettel	Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari
7	Raikkonen	Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari
3	Ricciardo	Aston Martin Red Bull Racing	Red Bull-Tag Heuer
33	Verstappen	Aston Martin Red Bull Racing	Red Bull-Tag Heuer
11	Perez	Sahara Force India F1 Team	Force India-Mercedes
31	Ocon	Sahara Force India F1 Team	Force India-Mercedes
18	Stroll	Williams Martini Racing	Williams-Mercedes
35	Sirotkin	Williams Martini Racing	Williams-Mercedes
27	Hulkenberg	Renault Sport Formula One Team	Renault
55	Sainz	Renault Sport Formula One Team	Renault
10	Gasly	Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda	Toro Rosso-Honda
28	Hartley	Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda	Toro Rosso-Honda
8	Grosjean	Haas F1 Team	Haas-Ferrari
20	Magnussen	Haas F1 Team	Haas-Ferrari
14	Alonso	McLaren F1 Team	McLaren-Renault
2	Vandoorne	McLaren F1 Team	McLaren-Renault
9	Ericsson	Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team	Sauber-Ferrari
16	Leclerc	Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team	Sauber-Ferrari

The Testing Dates

With each Formula One year comes not only a racing schedule, but a testing one too, and for those wanting in on the action before the racing truly starts, these testing dates aren't to be missed. Hungaroring and Barcelona are home to the testing schedules this year, with Barcelona playing host to three of the four different periods of testing. Below, we've pulled together the dates you need:

Dates	Circuit
February 26 - March 1	Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona
March 6 - March 9	Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona
May 15 - May 16	Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona
July 31 - August 1	Hungaroring, Budapest

Liberty Media - Could They Change F1 As We Know It?

The big question playing on the minds of avid racing fans is whether or not Liberty Media's new ownership of Formula One's commercial rights will truly change the coverage of the event as we know it. When their acquisition of the event was completed in January 2017, this launched countless debates as to just what this could mean for the fan-favourite racing event. There were talks of the coverage becoming far more personality driven rather than focusing on the racing as before, with celebrity and athletic personalities starting to show, and even promises of a more 'festival like environment' throughout each and every Grand Prix.

The Not-So-Good

However, things don't appear to have been going very smoothly for Liberty Media so far. This year's Formula One is the first year in which the company has the entire season to show what they can do and what they have done, but whether this goes quite as smoothly as they hope has yet to be seen. There is no doubt that Liberty have a lot of ideas, but there has been plenty of controversy claiming that their haphazard application of these ideas is harming the season more than helping it. With talks of crowd-favourites Ferrari threatening to leave and 'race elsewhere' after issues with funding, cost-cuts and a general wariness around what the future could hold for the sporting event, it isn't looking good.

The Could-Be-Good

Like all changes, however, there are good and bad things that we need to focus on. While the lack of certainty and unrest amongst teams certainly isn't working in Liberty Media's favour, as the audience we could have a whole new experience around our favourite racing event. We could see an improvement in driving as this new ownership is giving drivers and companies a chance to review aspects of the cars, and we could even see the familiar Pirelli tyre being replaced by a returning Michelin at the end of 2019.

The biggest thing to note, however, is undoubtedly the new level of 'showbiz' that we're likely to see. In other words, the secrecy and restricted nature of the F1 that we have seen for years now could be set to disappear, as Liberty Media revamp the motorsports event into something far more modern and relevant. We are already seeing more content on social media surrounding the event from drivers and F1 alike, and so its presence truly is felt for longer by its avid fans.

Speaking of fans, this year's season could see a continuation of the increase in 'fan villages' that are popping up at GP events all over the world, not to mention the huge opening and closing events that could rival even the Super Bowl - or so they are aiming for.

So there you have it - our insight into this year's Formula One Championship. With schedules set, drivers ready and raring to go, bets being placed and a whole new season to enjoy nearly at our fingertips, it's time to start getting excited. This year could prove to be bigger and better than ever with new owners Liberty Media, but only time - and a lot of patience! - will tell.