Dum..dum-dum-duum dum-dum dum-dum-dum duuum F1 and The Chain are back!

So where do you start? I guess the rule changes would be a good place.

The FIA - the international governing body of motosport - have put in place a string of changes which have, in effect, levelled the playing field, and look set to end the reign of the multi-million pound industries which are Ferrari, McLaren and BMW Sauber.

Perhaps most significant is the reduction of downforce, a change which came about following consultation with the Overtaking Working Group which recommended that in order for a car to pass another, it would need a 2.2sec advantage. This has now been reduced to just one second

The result is smaller rear wings and wider fronts - and cars which look (at least in my humble opinion) much more like their A1GP 'catfish' counterparts.

In a return to the famous 1960s style machines, cars now have driver-adjustable wings which means they can add extra downforce at the front, as part of a drive to cut turbulance - the thing which gives a following car understeer.

Then there are those good old slick tyres. Since the FIA moved to treaded rubber in the late 90s, F1 cars just haven't been the same.

Slicks make the cars faster in slow corners because they give a wider contact area, improving grip. Teams have had to work hard on getting up to speed with the changes they have brought - understeer is reduced, but oversteer increased.

But the most controversial of all the new regulations is the diffuser system. This is at the rear of the machines, and is basically an area of sculpted bodywork which organises airflow - the result being a massive impact on straight-line speed and downforce.

The problem isn't with the rule itself, it's more about the different teams' designs - namely those of Williams and Toyota and Brawn GP which have all been passed as legal.

Today, Red Bull announced it will lodge a protest if these pass scrutineering in Australia, because they are far bigger than the others, and it is believed Ferarri and McLaren have also registered their disdain.

The offending teams however claim they've done nothing wrong, and that their interpretation of the rules was just different. Currently it remains to be seen what will happen.

And then there is the KERS system, or to give it its full title, Kinetic Energy Recovery System, introduced with the environment in mind. This is a system which stores energy that would have normally been wasted during braking, and gives cars an extra 80bhp boost.

But not all teams are using it yet. Williams say their's is ready, and McLaren, Renault, Ferrari and BMW Sauber will all run their's this weekend, with others following once the circus lands in Europe. Currently however, it looks unlikely that Sauber will run it this year.

BMW Sauber, Renault, McLaren and Ferrari will run their systems in Australia, but Brawn are unlikely to consider Kers at all this year.

Other rule changes include windtunnel restrictions, teams restricted to just eight engines per car per season and a complete testing ban between race weekends.

Thankfully there are no major changes in drivers anywhere across the board this year.

Reigning champ Lewis Hamilton will be out to reclaim his crown, but the McLaren has not been a strong car in testing. In fact it has been so bad, that even McLaren have admitted they are way off pace. Whether or not this is just crafty sandbagging tactics remains to be seen.

In stark contrast, Brawn GP, which bought out the ailing Honda team just three weeks ago, have emerged as frontrunners from the start.

Not only did Jenson Button dominate the top of the timesheets in pre-season testing, he is currently bookies favourite for the win this weekend. But with a mind as great as Brawn's behind the outfit, it's hardly surprising that this could be a team to be reckoned with.

Regardless of what happens when the lights turn to green on Sunday, the biggest excitement for me is the return of The Chain as the theme tune, now that the series has gone back to the BBC.

Sounds daft, but come on, Formula One will just be so much better when we sit down to watch it and hear that famous tune coming out from our TV speakers!

Roll on Sunday morning!