In this file photo taken on March 17, 2019 Mercedes' Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas (R) leads a pack at the start of the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. The new season of the Formula 1 starts on March 15, 2020 with the Australian Grand Prix. (WILLIAM WEST / AFP)

BEIJING - With pre-season testing over, Formula 1 teams and drivers have arrived in Melbourne ready for the first Grand Prix of at least 21 in the 2020 season. But who will be tasting the champagne glories, and who will be plumbing the depths of despair? Xinhua takes a look at the runners and riders in the 2020 Formula 1 world championship.

Mercedes (2019: 1st, 739 points)

44. Lewis Hamilton (2019: 1st, 413 points, 11 wins)

77. Valtteri Bottas (2019: 2nd, 326 points, 4 wins)

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Having dominated the sport since 2014, Mercedes showed no signs of resting on their laurels during pre-season, with their innovative dual-axis steering system setting tongues wagging throughout the paddock. The car again looks the class of the field, though there has been a whiff of unreliability about the power unit. If reigning champion Lewis Hamilton keeps winning at his current rate, he will surpass Michael Schumacher's all-time record of 91 wins during the course of this season, and few would bet against him matching the German's record of seven world titles by the end of the year. Though 2019 brought Valtteri Bottas better fortune than his miserable 2018, the Finn might consider himself a touch fortunate not to have been cast aside in favor of Esteban Ocon, and he may find himself looking nervously over his shoulder if George Russell's upward trajectory continues this year. But with Mercedes having scooped both championships for the last six years, is there any need to change a winning formula?

Ferrari (2019: 2nd, 504 points)

5. Sebastian Vettel (2019: 5th, 240 points, 1 win)

16. Charles Leclerc (2019: 4th, 264 points, 2 wins)

After being widely considered to have the quickest car after pre-season testing in 2019, Ferrari suffered the ignominy of being blown away by Mercedes in the first few races of the year, and never mounted a serious title challenge. The Scuderia's edge in overall top speed has also been called into question, with rival teams unhappy at the FIA's decision not to investigate the legality of Ferrari's power unit - a state of affairs that may yet have further consequences. Charles Leclerc proved F1's breakout star of 2019, regularly outpacing four-time champion Sebastian Vettel, whose year was again pockmarked with individual errors that are threatening to tarnish his reputation. With his stock having fallen in recent years, and Leclerc rumoured to be the new favorite within the Ferrari stable, all signs point to 2020 being Vettel's last with the Prancing Horse. The new SF1000 failed to set the world alight during pre-season testing, and downbeat comments from team boss Mattia Binotto suggested that the Scuderia may be in for a tough season. Are they hiding their true pace, or is this a realistic acceptance of their situation? Unusually difficult to predict.

Red Bull Racing (2019: 3rd, 417 points)

23. Alex Albon (2019: 8th, 92 points, best result 4th)

33. Max Verstappen (2019: 3rd, 278 points, 3 wins)

Since their domination of the sport in the early 2010s, Red Bull have been reduced to no more than a handful of wins in more recent years, though there are signs that this may change for the better in 2020. The RB16 showed well in pre-season, and many within the paddock feel Max Verstappen will be Hamilton's closest challenger this year. Fresh from inking a new long-term contract with the Milton Keynes squad, the Dutchman clearly has confidence in Red Bull's ability to give him a car with which he can mount a season-long title challenge. Alex Albon was unlucky not to score a podium finish after his surprising mid-season promotion from Toro Rosso last year, and if the new car is as good as many feel it is, the British-born Thai racer must be a good bet to score his first Grand Prix win in 2020.

McLaren (2019: 4th, 145 points)

4. Lando Norris (2019: 11th, 49 points, best result 6th)

55. Carlos Sainz (2019: 6th, 96 points, best result 3rd)

For the first time in several years, McLaren exceeded expectations in 2019. The Woking squad pushed the reset button after the woes of the Honda era and the departure of Fernando Alonso, and new signing Carlos Sainz was a revelation in his stead. Showing great maturity in his first season as a clear team leader, a maiden podium finish at a chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix was richly deserved. Lando Norris also showed well in his rookie year, as McLaren emerged at the head of a very congested midfield. The big challenge for 2020 will be remaining the fourth best squad in the face of well-funded competition elsewhere on the grid, and McLaren may find themselves running to stand still in the development race.

Renault (2019: 5th, 91 points)

3. Daniel Ricciardo (2019: 8th, 54 points, best result 4th)

31. Esteban Ocon (2019: N/A)

After a disappointing 2019 in which Renault failed to close the gap to the front three teams and got overhauled by McLaren, 2020 represents a key year in deciding the fortunes of the Regie. Daniel Ricciardo could not have done much more with the equipment at his disposal, but with the Australian entering the final year of his deal, Renault need to provide him with a car worthy of a proven race-winner if he is to stick around. Alongside him, Esteban Ocon is back in a race seat after warming the bench at Mercedes, and will be itching to show that a year on the sidelines has not blunted his youthful promise. Pre-season testing indicated that Renault have made a step forward, but regular podiums may remain out of reach.  

AlphaTauri (2019: 6th, 85 points)

10. Pierre Gasly (2019: 7th, 95 points, best result 2nd)

26. Daniil Kvyat (2019: 13th, 37 points, best result 3rd)

Rebranded for 2020, the squad formerly known as Scuderia Toro Rosso enjoyed an unexpectedly fruitful 2019, with both Daniil Kvyat and Pierre Gasly scoring podium finishes after picking their way through the chaos in Hockenheim and Interlagos respectively. Gasly in particular showed his mettle after a potentially morale-sapping mid-season demotion from Red Bull, with the Frenchman seemingly rediscovering his mojo in the more homely environs of the Faenza squad. Kvyat had a solid year, but was notably overlooked for promotion when Albon assumed Gasly's seat at Red Bull. The Russian's continued presence in the team is thanks in part to the paucity of race-ready alternatives in Red Bull's junior ranks, but if the kids turn out to be alright, it may spell "dasvidanya" for Kvyat.

Racing Point (2019: 7th, 73 points)

11. Sergio Perez (2019: 10th, 52 points, best result 6th)

18. Lance Stroll (2019: 15th, 21 points, best result 4th)

After years of punching above their weight on a relatively shoestring budget, the deep pockets of owner Lawrence Stroll have allowed the team to pursue a completely different design philosophy for their 2020 car, chiefly based on Mercedes' all-conquering 2019 model. The copy-paste approach has won them few friends in the paddock, but the RP20 has posted impressive lap times in testing, and rumors suggest the "Pink Mercedes" may be best of the rest behind the big three in 2020. With further investment from Aston Martin set to arrive in 2021, Sergio Perez may finally be able to look forward to a competitive drive after years in the midfield. Lance Stroll's opportunistic fourth place at Hockenheim was a highlight in 2019, but the Canadian was largely overshadowed by Perez, and did little to suggest that his place in the team is down to anything other than his father's ownership.

Alfa Romeo Racing (2019: 8th, 57 points)

7. Kimi Raikkonen (2019: 12th, 43 points, best result 4th)

99. Antonio Giovinazzi (2019: 17th, 14 points, best result 5th)

A promising start to 2019 for Alfa gave way to mid-table mediocrity as the season wore on, though finishing 4th and 5th at Interlagos was a major fillip for the Hinwil-based squad. Now in his fifth decade, the evergreen Kimi Raikkonen seems to be enjoying his status as F1's elder statesman, and is set to break Rubens Barrichello's record of 322 race starts this season. After struggling initially, an improvement in the second half of 2019 saw Antonio Giovinazzi's contract renewed for another year, but with Ferrari junior Mick Schumacher looming increasingly large in the background, the affable Italian will need to remain upwardly mobile if he is to remain in F1 beyond 2020.

Haas (2019: 9th, 28 points)

8. Romain Grosjean (2019: 18th, 8 points, best result 7th)

20. Kevin Magnussen (2019: 16th, 20 points, best result 6th)

Haas fell back down to earth with a bump in 2019, with both drivers struggling badly to get the best out of their tyres. Kevin Magnussen once again shaded Romain Grosjean, who can consider himself lucky to have had his contract extended after another underwhelming season. The histrionics of charismatic team boss Guenther Steiner provided moments of light relief in a trying year, but Gene Haas' patience appears to be wearing thin, with the owner publicly questioning the financial value of his cars circulating at the rear of the field. Pre-season testing did not suggest that a great leap forward had been made, and another disappointing season could result in F1's only American team disappearing from the grid in 2021.

Williams (2019: 10th, 1 point)

63. George Russell (2019: 20th, 0 points, best result 11th)

6. Nicholas Latifi (2019: N/A)

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A torrid 2019 saw the once-proud Williams team in dire straits, with its cars regularly occupying the final two slots on the starting grid and then trundling around with little hope of scoring points. George Russell was one of the few team members to emerge from a chastening year with any credit, the Briton regularly outpacing teammate Robert Kubica who seemed to lose heart as the season wore on. In his place comes well-financed Canadian rookie Nicholas Latifi, who will be eager to show that he is in F1 on merit, rather than by the dint of his millions. After a thoroughly embarrassing pre-season test last year, when the car was late to arrive and overwhelmingly slow when it did appear, there was a symbolic touch of redemption in 2020, when Latifi's car was the first out on track. Much needs to happen before the Grove squad can once again think about race wins, or even regular points finishes, but early signs point to green shoots of recovery after the horror show of 2019.