Lewis Hamilton begins the defence of his world championship in Melbourne on Sunday.

The 34-year-old British driver is bidding to win his sixth crown and move to within just one of Michael Schumacher's record.

Here, Press Association Sport takes a look at nine key questions ahead of the new Formula One campaign.

1. Will Lewis Hamilton win the world championship?

There is a real buzz around the two British novices set to make their debuts in Melbourne. George Russell from King's Lynn, Norfolk, arrives on the grid as the reigning champion of Formula Two, the feeder series to F1, as well as having a year under his belt as understudy to Hamilton as a Mercedes reserve driver. Lando Norris, who finished as a runner-up to Russell last season, will become the youngest British F1 driver aged just 19. Russell faces an uphill battle at Williams, however, after their disastrous pre-season campaign, while Norris will race for a McLaren team in transition after years of failure.

6. Can McLaren reverse their fortunes?

McLaren shot themselves in the foot last year by claiming a divorce from engine manufacturer Honda and a new partnership with Renault which was meant to herald in a new era for Britain's most successful team. It did not. Racing director Eric Boullier was sacked, Fernando Alonso has moved on, and Norris and Carlos Sainz form a new-look partnership this season. Andreas Seidl has subsequently been hired to lead the team's F1 project while engineer James Key will start work this month after he was poached from Toro Rosso. McLaren hope this will be the start of a path back to their former glories, but if little to no progress is shown expect American chief executive Zak Brown's position to be under threat.

7. And what about Williams?

There are no new races in 2019 with the calendar staying at 21 rounds, but the British Grand Prix is set to be the last staged at Silverstone if a new deal is not renegotiated. The British Racing Drivers' Club – owners of the Northamptonshire circuit – are hopeful of getting a deal over the line, while F1's owners Liberty Media do not want to lose a race that has been an ever-present on the calendar. But do not be surprised if the saga rumbles on until the end of the year. Incidentally, the Silverstone race in July will be the only F1 round shown live on terrestrial TV this year after Sky Sports won the exclusive broadcasting rights in the UK.