FORMULA One goes into the New Year braced for change on and off the track, even if Lewis Hamilton will again start as top dog at Mercedes and firm favorite to take his fourth world championship.

    After winning 19 of a record 21 races in 2016, starting all but one on pole and retaining both titles for the third year in a row, there is just a chance that Mercedes will be less dominant.

    They will be without newly crowned champion Nico Rosberg for starters, after the retirement bombshell that dropped jaws around the world only days after he won his first title.

    Mercedes will not name a replacement until January at least, with Finn Valtteri Bottas favorite to move from Williams into the hot seat.

    Rosberg was not the only one heading for the exit, with Ron Dennis ousted as McLaren boss and 2009 champion Jenson Button making way at the team for Belgian Stoffel Vandoorne. Felipe Massa also retired.

    Next year, with new rules bringing wider tires and faster cars with more aggressive handling, promises even more excitement. More significant change has already started off the track with Liberty Media, led by U.S. cable mogul John Malone, taking control of the sport in a deal valued at US$8 billion.

    (SD-Agencies)