Hamburg  - It has probably never been more difficult to predict the outcome of a Formula One season as this year.

A question mark hangs over world champion Lewis Hamilton and the McLaren-Mercedes team who have struggled in testing, while newcomers Brawn GP - successor to Honda - are suddenly seen as a serious threat.

The 2009 season looks like being a real pointer to where Formula One is heading from both a sporting and economic perspective.

Radical reforms have altered the look of the F1 cars as the sport comes to grips with drastic financially-enforced changes and technical innovations designed to make overtaking easier.

Just who is going to be doing the overtaking is difficult to say before the start in Melbourne on March 29. A clear hierarchy has not emerged in the pre-season tests limited to just 20 days, although McLaren have had trouble finding speed and the new Brawn GP team has surprised observers with its immediate impact on the track.

Meanwhile Ferrari with Brazil's Felipe Massa and Finland's Kimi Raikkonen have looked reliable as well as fast. The same goes for BMW-Sauber whose duo of Poland's Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld of Germany could be serious contenders.

Toyota, Red Bull, Williams-Toyota and Renault all also look capable of breaking the dominance of McLaren and Ferrari.

Williams driver Nico Rosberg of Germany summed up the general feeling in the paddock by saying, "We're all starting at zero."

The big surprise could well be Honda successor Brawn GP. Ross Brawn, former technical director behind record champion Michael Schumacher at both Benetton and Ferrari, has made sure the lights have not gone out at the team based in Brackley, England.

During testing in Barcelona, Briton's Jenson Button and Brazil's veteran Rubens Barrichello amazed the competition with their times in cars powered by Mercedes engines.

The German driving contingent is also confident of a good season. Apart from Heidfeld and Rosberg, much is expected of Sebastian Vettel with Red Bull while Timo Glock for Toyota cannot be underestimated. Even Adrian Sutil in the Mercedes-powered Force India will be hoping to get in the points.

It could prove to be a difficult season for the teams who have yet to really get going in testing. No test drives are allowed between the season's 17 races and use of the wind tunnel has now been restricted to 40 hours a week.

With the exception of Sebastian Buemi of Switzerland, who replaces Vettel at Toro Rosso, there are no new faces among the drivers. From the 2008 line-up only Red Bull's David Coulthard, now retired, is missing.

One of the big unknown quantities is the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) which some teams are expected to deploy. The system stores energy that would have been wasted while braking and allows drivers a boost of an extra 80bhp for almost seven seconds each lap.

The teams are still unsure about using the hybrid system from the start of the season, and some may even decide to go without it altogether.

"Our KERS is race-ready," said BMW team boss Mario Theissen. "Now it is just a matter of weighing the pros and cons.

"On the positive side, the drivers would have an extra 82 horsepower at their disposal for 6.6 seconds per lap."

Formula One is at the crossroads in view of the global financial crisis. Honda's decision to leave F1, plummeting sales afflicting the car industry and the loss of sponsors have all shaken the sport.

For Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone though the financial crisis offers the chance of a new start.

In line with this, motorsport federation FIA has decided to make the highest number of wins in a season, rather than the highest number of points, the chief criterion in deciding the drivers' championship.

Had that been the case last season Massa rather than Hamilton would have been crowned champion.

The 10 teams have meanwhile rallied together with a series of proposals to help F1 survive the global financial crisis.

"It's a unique moment in the history of Formula One," said Ferrari and Formula One Teams Organisation (FOTA) boss Luca di Montezemolo.

The teams aim to cut costs of some 2 billion euros (2.6 billion dollars) in 2008 by a third, bringing that down to around half the 2008 level by 2010.

Formula One however continues to spread. Montreal and Magny-Cours are off the calendar, but Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates makes its premiere on November 1 with the last of the season's 17 races.

By them, some certainties will have returned. (dpa)