Lewis Hamilton will bid for a record eighth world championship crown when the 2021 Formula One season gets under way on March 28.
The Bahrain Grand Prix is the first of a record 23 races through a packed calendar which finishes at Abu Dhabi in December.
Here, the PA news agency runs the rule over Hamilton and the other 19 drivers who will all look to take the chequered flag.
Mercedes
Fernando Alonso (Spa)
Car: 14
Age: 39
Starts: 311
Wins: 32
Championships: 2 (2005, 2006)
Esteban Ocon (Fra)
Car: 31
Age: 24
Starts: 67
Wins: 0
All eyes will be on the return of two-time world champion Alonso, who will link-up with the former Renault team. After his two-season hiatus from the sport, the 39-year-old – who underwent corrective surgery on his jaw during February following a collision with a car while on a bike ride – brings the experience of victory at Le Mans and the Indy 500. Much is also expected of French talent Ocon, who claimed a first podium when finishing second in the Sakhir Grand Prix.
Ferrari
Charles Leclerc (Mon)
Car: 16
Age: 23
Starts: 59
Wins: 2
Carlos Sainz (Spa)
Car: 55
Age: 26
Starts: 118
Wins: 0
Following car trouble in the delayed 2020 campaign, Leclerc will be hoping for more reliability this season as he aims to make an impact in the drivers' championship and build from just two podium finishes last year. Spaniard Sainz replaces Vettel to help forge a new-look, younger partnership as Ferrari seek a first drivers' championship since 2007.
AlphaTauri
Pierre Gasly (Fra)
Car: 10
Age: 25
Starts: 64
Wins: 1
Yuki Tsunoda (Jap)
Car: 22
Age: 20
Starts: 0
Frenchman Gasly delivered a first Grand Prix win last year at Monza for Red Bull's junior team and will be looking to stay in the mix for more podium places. Rookie Tsunoda has plenty of potential, as he showed during testing, and will be the first Japanese driver to compete in F1 for seven years.
Alfa Romeo
Kimi Raikkonen (Fin)
Car: 7
Age: 41
Starts: 329
Wins: 21
Championships: 1 (2007)
Antonio Giovinazzi (Ita)
Car: 99
Age: 27
Starts: 40
Wins: 0
Last season saw former world champion Raikkonen break the record for most race starts, eclipsing Rubens Barrichello's mark of 322. Raikkonen and Italian Giovinazzi both each claimed only four points last season, a tally which they should be able to improve powered by an upgraded Ferrari engine.
Haas
Mick Schumacher (Ger)
Car: 47
Age: 22
Starts: 0
Nikita Mazepin (Rus)
Car: 9
Age: 22
Starts: 0
The Schumacher name will return to the grid in 2021 as Mick progresses from Formula Two. Determined to be his own man and emerge from his father's famous shadow all while under the spotlight, it is sure to be a rollercoaster campaign for the 22-year-old. American team Haas will have two rookies on the track as Russian Mazepin aims to make some positive headlines in 2021.
Williams
George Russell (Gbr)
Car: 63
Age: 23
Starts: 38
Wins: 0
Nicholas Latifi (Can)
Car: 6
Age: 25
Starts: 17
Wins: 0
The only way is up for Williams in 2021, having again finished bottom of the constructors' championship – and failing to secure a single point. However, with the ownership transition to Dorilton Capital now complete, there is real hope for the talent of Russell – who impressed when standing in for the self-isolating Hamilton at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix – and Canadian Latifi can start to deliver results.
