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LONDON, England (CNN) -- The flying Finn Kimi Raikkonen starts his second season with Ferrari highly favored to claim back-to-back drivers' championships but McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, the star of 2007, leads a pack of young talent determined to ruin his plans.
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen is favoured to win back-to-back Formula One titles.
A twice runner-up, Kimi Raikkonen quietly went about his business in 2007 racking up podiums and points to pip Lewis Hamilton in the final race in Brazil and secure his first title.
In the last 10 races -- barring a retirement in the European Grand Prix -- Raikkonen did not finish lower than third, and in the process reeled in the boy wonder Hamilton, who had dominated the first half of the season.
In his first season with Ferrari, Raikkonen reputedly earned $50 million -- comfortably F1's highest earner.
He can expect to better that in 2008, his eighth season in Formula One, though may face even fiercer competition from Hamilton in the royalty stakes.
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The levels of attention and then expectation eventually took their toll on Lewis Hamilton in 2007. But letting the title slip from his grasp cannot diminish his achievements.
Hamilton's talent allied to his youth and color sent the marketing men into fits of delirium. But it was his driving, which was classy, bold and mature, that mesmerized Formula One's faithful and expanded the appeal and image of the sport.
A year older -- but still only 23 -- and presumably a whole lot wiser than a year ago, Hamilton, the most impressive F1 rookie, could be unstoppable in 2008.
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Alonso came back to earth with a bump in 2007. After winning back-to-back titles with Renault in 2005/2006, his switch to McLaren proved far from happy.
Although 2007 saw him become only the second driver (after Michael Schumacher) to post 100+ points in three consecutive seasons, relations with his new team became increasingly strained: Alonso clearly didn't enjoy sharing the limelight with Lewis Hamilton.
The announcement in November that he and McLaren had parted company came as no surprise and he must hope that a return to Renault for the 2008 season will be more settled.
It will be interesting to watch the duo racing against each other now that they are on different teams. No doubt Alonso will be doing all he can to thwart Hamilton's attempts to become F1's youngest world champion, thus preserving his own record, set in 2005.
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Ferrari's Felipe Massa will want to build on his strong performances in 2007, which saw him finish fourth overall.
Massa remains the No. 2 driver with Ferrari. Having completed two solid seasons with the Italian giant -- finishing 3rd and 4th in the Driver's Championship -- Massa will want to build on the three first places and 10 podium finishes he recorded in 2007.
If he does, he will push his lavishly remunerated team-mate to the limit in 2008.
F1 is a far cry from his first job -- delivering pizzas at the Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo aged 17.
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Heidfeld recorded his best season in 2007. He is renowned for being a highly consistent performer.
The 2007 season was no different, seeing him finish 6th place or higher on 13 occasions. The German-born driver's steady drives scored him an impressive 61 points and earned him 5th place in the Drivers' Championship.
Now entering his ninth year in F1, Heidfeld will be desperate to add to his total of seven career podium finishes and maybe record his first victory this year
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Heidfeld's partner at BMW Sauber, Kubica could not repeat his notable podium finish at the Italian Grand Prix in 2006, but still turned in some promising performances in 2007 and survived one of the more impressive crashes of the season at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.
Hamilton maintains that Kubica, who is not 24 until December, will be one of his main opponents in the years to come.
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Heikki Kovalainen's rock-steady temperament will hold him in good stead for the 2008 season.
A respectable 7th place and 30 points, including an impressive 2nd place in the rain-drenched Japanese Grand Prix in his debut season for Renault was enough to convince McLaren's bosses that Kovalainen was the man to partner Hamilton in 2008.
A rock-steady temperament also helped, especially after the soap opera relationship the Woking-based team had with Alonso. The hope is that Kovalainen will be the perfect foil for the Brit.
Pre-season testing has revealed the Finn to be more than a match for the raw speed of Hamilton. It will be interesting to see how Hamilton responds should Kovalainen start stealing the limelight.
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Outshone by his Renault team-mate in 2007, Giancarlo Fisichella, the veteran, starts the 2008 season with the sport's newest team Force India.
An average start to 2007 got worse as the season progressed. His best years came in 2005 and 2006 when he finished 5th and 4th respectively, but "Fisi" has never really lived up to his early promise.
He assumes the first driver slot at Force India, where his experience and feedback on the car will be invaluable for the team as they look to build for the future.
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Son of 1982 F1 Champion Keke, Nico begins his third season with Williams in 2008. Still young and hungry, Rosberg will hope that he can improve on his impressive 2006 debut and the 20 points he scored in 2007.
This year, his goal must be to make the podium. His form in the second half of 2007 suggests that shouldn't be a problem.
If the Williams team continues to improve the reliability of its car, then Rosberg could finally unleash his undoubted potential and make a major impact in 2008.
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Veteran driver David Coulthard is aiming for a podium or two in what may be his final season.
After 14 years in F1, DC is still securing drives by virtue of his hard work and consistency. Currently at Red Bull Racing -- only the third team of his long career after Williams and McLaren -- Coulthard experienced a frustrating 2007 season, his car was dogged by reliability problems that led to seven retirements.
Statistically he is the most successful British driver. Less surprising is the fact that he will be the oldest driver for the second season running.
He will be hoping for a podium or two, or even adding to his 13 grand prix wins in what may well be his final season.
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The only Australian driver in F1, Webber did a respectable job for Jaguar Racing in 2003 and 2004 before peaking with the Williams team in 2005, winning 36 points to finish 10th. 2008 will be his second season partnering David Coulthard at Red Bull Racing.
Webber has had to retire 41 times in his 103 starts -- an unfortunate statistic. But 3rd place in the European Grand Prix last year, to go with the one he achieved with Williams at Monaco in 2005, points to the promise he showed when he started in 2002.
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A disappointing 2007 season, in which the Italian managed only eight points, Trulli has always found it hard translating slick qualifying times into points.
Entering his fourth full season with Toyota, Trulli will be looking to replicate the form that saw him qualify in the top five of the grid no less that 14 times in 2005. That season he scored 43 point. His one win came at Monaco in 2004.
Given the problems with the Toyota car, a return to that kind of form would be a remarkable achievement.
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The 20-year-old Sebastian Vettel is the youngest driver on the 2008 starting grid.
Having replaced the American Scott Speed midway through last season, Vettel impressed his Toro Rosso team enough for him to be chosen to start the 2008 season.
The 20-year-old German is the youngest driver on the starting grid. His fourth place in the Chinese Grand Prix points to a bright future for the sport's youngest ever point scorer.
His boss, the Red Bull Racing owner Dietrich Mateschitz, describes him as "fast ... intelligent and very interested in the technical side."
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Entering his ninth season, Button continues to drive for Honda -- his fifth team. During 2004, when he scored 85 points and finished 3rd in the World Driver's Championship, Button looked on the brink of becoming the first British champion since Damon Hill. But then two average seasons followed.
The only high point was a first victory in Hungary in 2006. But the lows were too frequent, and very public discussions about his contracts with BAR Honda and or Williams didn't help. By his own admission, 2007 was a "total disaster."
It is widely thought that new rules banning traction control in 2008 will suit Button, who is renowned for his exquisite control.
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Two seasons at Super Aguri have yielded only four points, and the quick yet erratic Sato has come nowhere near replicating the form that led to a podium finish with BAR Honda in 2004.
Even when he scored a respectable 34 points in the same year, he was overshadowed by the achievements of his team-mate Button.
2007 saw the team moving in the right direction -- Sato will please his team bosses no end if he can repeat the heroics he showed at the Canadian grand prix when he managed sixth place, passing the great Alonso on his travels.
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Adrian Sutil is one of F1's newest recruits, taking the wheel for Force India.
Sutil is one of F1's newest recruits, joining in 2007 after winning the Formula Three title in 2006. In 2008 Sutil will race for the newly formed Force India team.
A creditable eighth place for the Spyker team at the Japanese Grand Prix was the high point of a lackluster 2007 season.
Despite driving an inferior car, Sutil, now 25 years old, impressed many with his competitiveness, and for a time during the close season attracted the attentions of some of the bigger teams.
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Barring his near-fatal accident in 1994, veteran driver Barrichello experienced the lowest point of his driving career in 2007: zero points and only five top 10 finishes.
It is a far cry from his Ferrari days when, playing the supporting role to Michael Schumacher, he won nine grand prix and finished runner-up in the Drivers' Championship twice.
The Brazilian will be looking for Honda to provide a vastly improved car for 2008, which will enable him to add to his total of 61 podium finishes.
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Nelson Piquet Jr will be hoping to prove that F1 racing is all about good genes.
Few drivers coming into F1 could have a better pedigree that Nelson Piquet Jr. Son of three times World Champion Nelson Piquet, Piquet Jr lived with his mother in Monaco before going to Brazil to live with his father.
He began his driving career racing carts when he was nine years old. He joined F1 in 2007 as a test driver for Renault, which is where he starts his career proper in 2008.
He was runner-up to Lewis Hamilton in GP2 in 2006 and, like Hamilton, has the job of partnering Alonso in his first season.
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Another new boy, Bourdais joins his namesake Vettel at the Toro Rosso team. The 29-year-old Bourdais arrives by virtue of his performances in the U.S. Champ Car -- he secured a historic fourth championship last year and after testing three times for Toro Rosso, secured the No. 2 driver's berth for 2008.
The Frenchman was due to race for the Arrows F1 team in 2003 but lost out when the team went bankrupt.
Renowned for his speed, Bourdais will be looking to make up for lost time this year.
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Joining the Toyota team as the No. 2 driver, Glock had a brief and relatively successful foray into F1 back in 2004. As a test driver for the Jordan team he was promoted to drive in the Canadian Grand Prix in place of Giorgio Pantano.
He finished 7th, scoring two points on his debut. Last year he won the GP2 Series.
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Nakajima spent the majority of the 2007 season as a test driver for the Williams team. After being promoted to a full drive in the final race of the season in Brazil -- where he finished a respectable 10th -- the 23-year-old keeps his place for 2008.
He replaces Alexander Wurz, who has retired. Although he didn't exactly set the world alight in the GP2 series, Nakajima has impressed Williams with his speed in testing and is generally thought of as a good fit with the newly promoted Nico Rosberg.
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Although Davidson made his F1 debut in 2002, he has effectively been a test driver for the past six years.
He was finally handed a driver's slot with Super Aguri in 2007. While not as fast as his team-mate Sato, he is generally more consistent and should be looking to improve on the 11th place he secured on three occasions in 2007. E-mail to a friend 
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