Fernando Alonso believes this year's new regulations will redefine what makes a grand prix.
This season heralds the arrival of the 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 engines while fuel has also been limited.
Instead of last year's 160kgs of fuel per grand prix, this campaign the drivers can only use 100kgs.
This has prompted some concerns about F1 become a strategic battle instead of an all-out race.
And although Alonso concedes it will be different, that doesn't necessarily mean it will be bad.
"The new Formula 1 rules are very different to what we were used to," the 32-year-old explained.
"I think the concept of what constitutes a grand prix will actually change this year, with Saturday and Sunday being very different from one another.
"In qualifying, one will be able to get everything out of the car, pushing the new power unit to the limit, trying to get the absolutely best result. But in the race you won't get anywhere near that level.
"Last year, towards the end of the races, on new tyres, you could do very quick lap times, whereas in the closing stages this year, you will have to bear in mind how much fuel you have left, the state of the batteries and that of the tyres.
"You will need to be very clever to manage these parameters and the new race strategies could see drivers being unable to go flat out to the end."
The double World Champion has also urged Formula One to keep the rules consistent for a few seasons rather than face a potential knee-jerk reaction.
"As drivers, we will get used to it quickly and so I hope these rules aren't immediately overturned and that they stay unchanged for a few years.
"Otherwise the spectators could lose confident in this new Formula 1 which is very complex, even for the viewer."
The double World Champion is now preparing to head to Melbourne where he expects a busy Friday as teams continue to build on their pre-season programmes.
"We come to the start of this Championship with the team having had twelve days of testing, while as a driver I've had six.
"A few more days would have been useful given how much has changed for this season.
"With every lap of testing we learned something and improved pretty much constantly. I think that will still be the case in Australia, especially on the first day and then actually in the first few races."
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