Last week the FIA disclosed the entry list for the 2007 Formula 1 World Championship. All the cars will use Bridgestone Potenza tyres and, as was the case in 2006, there will be 11 teams.
Following the retirement of Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso is the only world champion on next year's grid. He takes the coveted number one to his new team, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, where he is partnered by rookie Lewis Hamilton, one of four British drivers on the grid.
Another newcomer is confirmed at ING Renault, where Heikki Kovalainen (car four) partners Giancarlo Fisichella (car three). Kovalainen becomes the seventh Finnish driver in history to race at the top echelon.
Felipe Massa drives Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro's car number five, and his new teammate Kimi Raikkonen is in car six. Next up are the Honda Racing F1 Team drivers Jenson Button (car seven) and Rubens Barrichello (car eight). With 233 races to his name, Barrichello is the most experienced driver on the grid and someone who is very familiar with the Bridgestone tyres.
Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica are in BMW Saubers nine and 10, with Panasonic Toyota Racing's Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli taking numbers 11 and 12. The season-opening Australian GP will be the first race since the European Grand Prix of '99 that Schumacher will contest without his elder brother Michael being in the same race.
David Coulthard and Mark Webber are in the Renault powered Red Bulls 14 and 15. Coulthard, with 211 starts to date, will be the second most experienced driver on the grid, while Webber is only the 12th Australian to have raced in F1.
Nico Rosberg and Alex Wurz take numbers 16 and 17 at AT&T Williams (with Toyota engines), while Scuderia Toro Rosso (Ferrari engines) hasn’t confirmed its driver line-up for cars 18 and 19.
Christijan Albers takes car 20 for the Ferrari powered Spyker F1 Team, while there is another 'to be announced’ spot alongside him in car 21.
Takuma Sato is the only Japanese driver on the entry list, in car 22 at Super Aguri-Honda, and British rookie Anthony Davidson sits alongside him in car 23.