F1 expert on the 2018 title fight between Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull. Ferrari will begin the 2018 Formula One season and the title challenge at the Australian Grand Prix next March.

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton will not have it all his own way next year, according to Formula One expert James Allen, who has been tipping Scuderia Ferrari and Red Bull to fight the Mercedes man for the title. Lewis Hamilton wrapped up the fourth World Drivers’ Championship of his career in October after a season-long battle with pit-lane rival Sebastian Vettel.

And he did so after harnessing the power of an unpredictable Mercedes, which he has admitted was a tough task. James Allen expects Hamilton to be there or thereabouts once again come the end of the 2018 F1 campaign, but he reckons the likes of Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Raikkonen, Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo will provide a stern test though: “Hamilton is in a good place, especially having worked to overcome difficulties with the setup of the Mercedes in the first half of the season,” James Allen wrote on Motorsport.com – “And with a team-mate [Valtteri Bottas] whose inconsistency will always undermine a title campaign, he has another exciting year ahead of fighting against Ferrari and Red Bull. I think he may find the 2018 title harder to win.” – Formula One expert James Allen concluded.

Scuderia Ferrari will begin the 2018 Formula One season and the title challenge at the Australian Grand Prix next March. Next season will have 21 races in total, with the French and German Grands Prix returning to the lineup. Besides the additions of Hockenheim and Paul Ricard Circuit to the schedule, some races have moved around to accommodate an additional race. The Russian Grand Prix moves from April to September, while the Azerbaijani Grand Prix jumps from June back to April.