Sergio Perez claims the often "unpredictable" race at the Australian GP may distort the real competitive order at Formula 1's season-opener.

The street circuit around Albert Park doesn't share too many characteristics with most venues on the calendar and is known to throw up unexpected results through high attrition whether that be from accidents or poor reliability.

Add to that, Perez's Force India team had a somewhat muted pre-season with many wondering just where the fourth-placed squad of the past two years will feature and that is resulting in the Mexican's caution.

“You always arrive in Melbourne full of hope," he stated. "There are lots of unanswered questions and it’s when you really start to understand your competitiveness.

"At the same time, it’s not a typical race because it’s usually quite unpredictable. Often, just finishing the race is the key to getting a good result."

After dominating the midfield last year, expected improvements by McLaren and Renault, as well as a strong pre-season for Toro Rosso and Haas, means the Silverstone-based team is facing a much stiffer challenge to hold on to their position as 'best of the rest'.

“I feel in good shape and ready for the season to start," Perez continued. "I want this to be my best year in F1 and I want to be back on the podium.

"During testing, we saw that all the midfield teams are quite close together in terms of performance. I also think the gap to the front of the grid is smaller. Let’s see what happens."

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One story to follow will be the fight between the 27-year-old and his young teammate Esteban Ocon after their confrontations last year.

Offering his assessment ahead of the trip Down Under, the Frenchman was a little more upbeat.

“I’d like to think we can fight for points in Melbourne," he said. "We had a really solid second week of testing in Barcelona, I feel comfortable in the car and it’s very consistent.

"We have new parts coming for the race so hopefully, that’s another performance step.”

Williams technical director Paddy Lowe admits he will be "intrigued" to see how Lance Stroll develops and performs during the 2018 season.

The young Canadian hasn't had the furore which surrounded him before his rookie year, partly due to a very low-key testing compared to the incidents which blighted him 12 months ago.

But with the jury still out on whether his talent matches the very large financial support he brings the British team, the pressure is on to produce stronger, more consistent results the second time around.

“We should still remember he is still 19, which is still very young although he is a very mature young man for that age,” Lowe stated. “But he is on a completely different level to how he was 12 months ago and I think we will see that in the way he approaches races."

The main reason for the former Mercedes boss' close interest in his driver, however, is how he will respond against a teammate with the same goal: to prove himself worthy of a seat in Formula 1.

“It’s a different context for him with Sergey [Sirotkin] alongside him rather than Felipe [Massa] that puts a different focus for him," the Briton claimed.

“Sergey is not a known reference like Felipe and that gives Lance a different context. It’s an interesting change and I will be intrigued to see how it plays out."

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As for the former European F3 champion himself, Stroll is confident his greater experience will be a major boost this year.

"It’s too easy to look back and say ‘I could have, should have, would have done that assuming everything worked out’," he told Reuters. "But definitely I just have better clarity on things, having a year under my belt, than I did last year seeing every race as it came for the first time.

"I had speed at times last year, and it was good, but generally I can expect what’s coming now compared to where I was this time last year."

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff has struck a cautious tone on the team's expectations ahead of the Formula 1 season opener in Australia.

Though it was Ferrari who topped the timesheets in testing two weeks ago, many still anticipate the world champions to be the team to beat in Melbourne after some very strong long-run pace and having yet to really push the new W09.

It is that final point which the Austrian alluded to when considering the German manufacturer's chances, dismissing the what the analysis from testing might suggest.

“Both our drivers seem reasonably happy with our new car, but it remains yet to be seen how well it performs when driven in anger,” Wolff said.

“This year promises to bring an exciting three-way fight between us, Ferrari and Red Bull. Everyone in Brackley and Brixworth has worked extremely hard over the past months to make sure we enter that fight with the best machine possible.”

A battle between Mercedes and Ferrari has been the story of the last two races at Albert Park, with the Silver Arrows overhauling the Prancing Horses to take victory in 2016 but last year it was reversed as Sebastian Vettel used better strategy to beat Lewis Hamilton.

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Reliability at the first race is also often more of an issue due to the potential for teething problems that either didn't emerge in testing or haven't been properly fixed, but this year Wolff sees that as a more long-term problem.

“Our reliability in testing looked good but we need to be careful to draw any conclusions from that – despite getting some good mileage with the new car in Barcelona, many of its components have not even come close to the life they need to complete during the season,” he admitted.

But with the prospect of a fifth consecutive championship to fight for, Mercedes know that recent success is not guaranteed to continue.

“We will tackle this new season with the same dedication, team spirit and energy that has made us strong in the past," Toto declared. "Each of us has the mindset that last year’s championships belong in the past; yesterday’s trophies don’t win today’s games.

"Right now, we start this long season on zero points like every one of our rivals and we have to give it everything to be successful again this year.”

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner believes winning the development battle could be the key to challenging for the Formula 1 championship in 2018.

The Milton Keynes outfit is traditionally one of the strongest at finding pace gains over the course of a season, as was highlighted by their recovery from a slow start with the new rules last year.

For this season, their approach changed slightly by starting work on the new RB14 earlier with the hope of being more competitive at the start, however, after testing Horner still sees some work to do.

"Mercedes look very strong on their long runs, it looks closer between ourselves and Ferrari," he said, assessing the state of play ahead of the season opener in Australia.

"It’s all about who can develop their car the fastest over the next 21 races and nine months. Every car will be different over each race and it’s about getting those updates and those parts on the car as quickly as you can to make a difference to the performance."

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Red Bull and Mercedes are believed to have underplayed their hand during the pre-season while Ferrari set the pace, but an upgrade set for round one has world champion Lewis Hamilton watching the Anglo-Austrian team closely.

Local hero Daniel Ricciardo is also pumped up for his home race and is keen to get payback for recent disappointments at Albert Park.

"2018 is definitely time to get what we deserve in Melbourne or get what we came for, that sounds better!" he said. "I can’t wait to get the season started. I’m hanging out to get back on the track and these new cars are very fast.

"The RB14 compared to the RB13 at this stage last year is a lot different," the man from Perth added. There is a fair bit of aerodynamic change this year."

McLaren has left "no stone unturned" to ensure the reliability problems at testing are resolved ahead of the Australian GP, racing director Eric Boullier has stated.

Following the British team's switch to Renault engines for 2018, particularly the second week of running in Barcelona didn't go to plan as issues with cooling led to hydraulic, electrical and turbo problems.

That caused concern among some that the significant step forward expected from McLaren may not happen but, ahead of Melbourne, Boullier is confident progress has been made.

“We didn’t have the reliability we had hoped for in winter testing, but all the issues we faced have since been addressed back at the factory,” the Frenchman claimed.

“There’s a huge amount of work going on behind the scenes to ensure we leave no stone unturned in our quest to extract the maximum pace we can from our new package from the first race.”

Also Read:

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• McLaren chief admits team not "100% ready" after testing problems

Exactly where the Woking-based outfit will sit in the pecking order is somewhat unknown with the mechanical problems blighting the occasional burst of pace.

Boullier conceded as such referring to this season as a "new chapter" for McLaren and kept a lid on lifting expectations too high.

“There’s that palpable ‘back-to-school’ feeling of anticipation, where nobody really knows the form book until the lights go out on Sunday," he said.

“We’re not expecting miracles to be worked overnight – far from it – but what we do know is that we’ll give it our all this weekend.”

Haas F1 team boss Guenther Steiner believes challenging at the head of the midfield is a realistic target for the opening race of the season in Australia next weekend.

After doubts over whether they could be left behind this season, the American outfit surprised many in testing with repeatedly strong lap-times along with good reliability, indicating that perhaps they have made a solid leap forward.

Their performance has grabbed the attention of many, with Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff stating they looked "pretty quick", and Steiner is pleased by the hype without getting too ahead of himself.

"After the test, we can say we’re in the midfield - and hopefully in the top half of the midfield," he commented. "The guys did a very good job on aero and design to get a car that is better balanced than the 2017 car.

"We’ll only see in Australia how it stacks up against the other cars," he noted. "But I think we are cautiously optimistic."

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Those watching the action in Barcelona did acknowledge how good the Haas - which many have compared to last year's Ferrari - looked when it was lapping the Spanish circuit with improvements under braking, the nemesis of their first two seasons, partly responsible.

"It looks like most of that problem is sorted, if not all," Steiner claimed, with the team switching supplier constantly last year. "Again, we haven’t done a race with it, so I’m still a little bit cautious."

As for the ambitions heading to Melbourne though, the Italian was setting the bar pretty high.

"Double points is always the best finish," he said. "Getting into Q3 with both cars, that is our aim this year because then, anything can happen."

Daniel Ricciardo would "love" to land a drive at the "perfect team" for the next phase of his Formula 1 career in 2019, Mark Webber has claimed.

The Australian is out of contract at the Anglo-Austrian team at the end of the year and his future is likely to be a topic of debate based on how he and Red Bull perform at his home race in Melbourne next weekend.

Serious considerations over whether to renew or look elsewhere are likely to start next month, however, with Ricciardo eyeing up Valtteri Bottas' Mercedes seat or Kimi Raikkonen's place at Ferrari.

"The first part of the year is very important for [Daniel]," Webber told The Age newspaper. "He knows he is on a tightrope.

"The team sees that and they are measuring everything now. There is nowhere to hide, which is good for him because it sorts out the wheat from the chaff."

As the 28-year-old weighs up what he admits is the most important decision of his career, the main factors influencing it are whether Red Bull with Renault or Honda can compete with Mercedes and Ferrari for the title and whether he is guaranteed equal status alongside the ever-growing talent of Max Verstappen.

"Red Bull, do they know how to put a championship together? Absolutely," he said.  

"It's just a question if he wants the absolute perfect team in 2019 and tries to get the number one status somewhere in those teams [Mercedes or Ferrari]. That's what he would love to achieve."

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The former WEC world champion knows all too well the dilemma Ricciardo faces having been the man alongside Sebastian Vettel during his four consecutive world championships and having his future at Red Bull questioned.

"At the end of the day, when the helmet is on, it can't affect you. Whether you have a five-year contract or a five-minute contract, you have to deliver," he stated.

And Webber has no doubts about Ricciardo, adding: "He has had a long career and continues to have a long career because he deserves to be there," he said. "He is safe in F1."

WEC world champion and Toro Rosso driver Brendon Hartley believes the path he took back to Formula 1 via the endurance series would benefit Daniil Kvyat.

Last year the New Zealander surprised many by getting a second chance with the Red Bull program, replacing Carlos Sainz for the final four races after Kvyat had previously been dropped in favour of current teammate Pierre Gasly.

The young Russian has now found refuge at Ferrari where he is a development driver but Hartley thinks the different approach of competing in the WEC would help him grow as a driver.

"Endurance racing taught me a lot because against two top teammates you're in the same car, there's no hiding, and then you start learning off each other," he explained to ESPN.

"You really have this open environment where, if one guy is quicker, you have to accept that very quickly.

"There's a bit of respect in there as well because you do your best to deliver your best performance every single day," he added.

"But actually accepting that on a given day your teammate can do a better job than you, endurance racing teaches you that. It can definitely help you out being a more rounded driver."

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Hartley is well placed to advise Kvyat as he too was kicked out of the Red Bull stable in 2010 and he sees some of the naivety in the 23-year-old that he and other young drivers suffered with and from.

"I think young drivers are sometimes very guilty of immediately blaming the equipment or the team, rather than looking inward a little bit," he stated.

A chance to compete in the Le Mans 24 Hours could be on the cards for Kvyat too with Russian-backed SMP Racing keen to enter him and Williams driver Sergey Sirotkin in an LMP2 car.

"I do not know how busy he will be at Ferrari, but I would be glad to see him in our team," founder Boris Rotenberg told Sport FM in January.

Romain Grosjean hopes the introduction of Halo in Formula 1 this season is part of a longer "transition" in the design of cockpit safety.

Though the Frenchman is one of the directors of the GPDA (Grand Prix Drivers Association), he has regularly voiced his opposition to the Halo, which continues to be a divisive topic ahead of the first race with it in use next weekend in Australia.

Therefore, with its development and the assessment of other devices, such as the windshield in IndyCar, continuing, the Haas driver is keen that the current design doesn't remain a long-term solution.

"I hope the Halo is a transition phase and we are going to find something better," he told Crash.net. "I think something different would be better.

"Safety has to come and it is good enough to put on the car, [but] this is stage one."

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During pre-season testing, many drivers played down the impact of Halo on driving, with only Grosjean's teammate Kevin Magnussen voicing worries.

Explaining his dislike for the cockpit device, Romain also admits it is only the impact it has on the fans visual which disappoints him.

"You can get used to driving with the Halo, that is fine," he said. "But I find it sad that we don’t see the drivers anymore.

"We’ve got one helmet livery per year allowed and we don’t even see the livery of the helmet!"

McLaren driver Stoffel Vandoorne claims preparing for his second season in Formula 1 was a more "natural" feeling than it was 12 months ago.

The Belgian arrived with the British team in 2017 as a highly-rated rookie after winning GP2 and Super Formula but it was only in the second half of last year that he started to show that potential having been hampered by Honda's engine problems.

Now the 25-year-old heads into the new season looking to reaffirm himself as a driver worthy of the plaudits he scored in junior series and, despite McLaren's occasional problems, Vandoorne feels better placed.

"It’s definitely very different, the feeling this year compared to last year," he was quoted by F1i.com.

"Obviously last year I was a rookie, I had to learn a lot of things, [this year] I turned up and the moment I stepped into the car everything feels so natural, normal, straightaway, where you are, you have a good feeling about everything."

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• Vandoorne has potential to be better than Alonso, says Prost
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The British team's switch from Honda to Renault power for 2018 has also brought hopes of much greater competitiveness with enigmatic teammate Fernando Alonso talking of podiums and even wins.

Vandoorne is much more measured in his approach, however.

“It’s too early to tell," he said. "The feeling is positive, I don’t want to make any predictions now, I think it’s better for us to keep working hard and deliver a strong package.

"Then it’s up to us to go racing and deliver some good results, we’ll have to wait and see."