F1 Q&A Your questions answered before Australian GP

Formula 1 is back this weekend with the Australian Grand Prix - and race day returns to a Sunday.

Max Verstappen has made a strong start to the season, winning both the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Grands Prix.

As teams prepare to travel to Albert Park in Melbourne, BBC Sport's chief F1 writer Andrew Benson answers your questions.

Is there a driver from before your career started who you would love to have interviewed?
Andrew: Thanks for the questions as ever.

Two, actually.

The end of Ayrton Senna's career coincided with the very beginnings of mine - I was just beginning to attend the odd grand prix as a journalist in 1993.

I had a brief close encounter with the legendary Brazilian at Imola that year, which I've touched on in here. In that piece, you can also explore the reasons why it would have been so fascinating to do a long-form interview with him.

The other is Gilles Villeneuve - who was the driver who first sparked my interest in Formula 1.

Gilles Villeneuve (left) became a Formula 1 legend for his exploits with Ferrari, for whom he drove from the late part of the 1977 season

His combination of speed, bravery, and straightforwardness was and remains compelling, not just for me, but for many around the world.
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I feel there was a fair bit more to him than is often allowed for, and I would have enjoyed trying to get into that.

Of course, there are many more great names through history who would have been fascinating to talk to, but those are the two who stand out on a personal level.

How close do you think Mercedes, McLaren, Ferrari etc will get to Red Bull as we get towards the later stages, on the current regulations?
Andrew: Any answer to this can only be a guess, and there are two possible ones. The prevailing theory is that as long as regulations are kept in place, the more the field closes up.

The thinking behind that is a team with an advantage finds it harder to unearth further gains as they are pushing up against the ceiling of what's possible, while the others catch up.

But… I'm not that convinced that will happen here. This is year three of a set of rules that were designed to make the racing more competitive and close the field up.

They have done some of that - but Red Bull started with an advantage and it has, if anything, grown over time rather than diminished. I fear no-one will catch up before the new rules in 2026.