It's almost time. The cars once again have hit the track for testing, with the 2011 models fresh off the showroom floor.

Storylines abound, especially as to whether reigning Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel again can claim the title. It's no doubt a long road, and one filled with obstacles brought about by competitors, tracks and the car itself. His RB5's unreliable nature last year nearly sidelined his title chances, but as with every new year there is overwhelming optimism.

Relatively recent history says Vettel has about a 50 percent chance of repeating. Since 1990, a driver has had the opportunity to defend his title with the same team 14 times. Of those, a driver has repeated eight times. True, five of those were by Michael Schumacher, and the last two drivers with a shot at repeating with the same team, Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton, have failed to do so.

After three initial days of testing to start the season, it was Robert Kubica and Lotus Renault who struck the first blow with the quickest time of the week, but it likely means very little, as several teams were still fielding outdated cars. Kubica's availability for the start of the year is also now in doubt after a bad rallying accident a few days later.

The talk of the week was the Renault R31's new exhaust system, which appears to exit around the sidepods rather than toward the rear. Time will tell if it becomes a clear advantage, but it conjures up memories of recent technology that has taken the sport by storm.

Last year, the F-duct dominated summer headlines, with teams attempting to perfect the technology for fast tracks like Spa and Monza. The year before, Brawn GP took advantage of a double-diffuser design. In 2011, the key technology could be the movable rear wing, KERS or something not yet introduced to the F1 world.

One certainty is that these new cars demand a fairly high learning curve, as Mercedes pilot Nico Rosberg detailed to reporters. "I tried the rear wing and that is going to take some getting used to," Rosberg said. "I pushed the button, the thing goes down at the back and you suddenly feel the car go lighter. Then you release the button again before braking and you think, 'Jeez this thing hasn't actually gone back to its original position.' So yes, it's going to take some time to get used to, I think."

Concerns aside, the 2011 season is nearly upon us. So what can fans look forward to this year from a statistical perspective? Fernando Alonso's climb up Formula One's all-time wins list could certainly be a large headline. Entering the year, the Spaniard sits sixth on the list, just one shy of Jackie Stewart. With five victories, the amount he earned in 2010, he'll match another British great, Nigel Mansell. That would leave only Schumacher, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna with more career victories than Alonso.

From a constructor angle, Red Bull is one win shy of matching Cooper for the 10th most by a team in F1 history. That may not sound overly impressive, but the team has only existed for six years, and all 15 of those wins have come in the past two seasons. If the team can keep up that recent pace, it will take just three seasons before Red Bull is the fifth-winningest constructor in F1 history.

Two F1 veterans are also primed to reach milestone marks this year. Lotus driver and 2004 Monaco champion Jarno Trulli likely will see his 250th grand prix, while the man who finished second in that race, Jenson Button, is primed to make his 200th start midway through the season.

A smaller storyline centers around which driver will earn rookie of the year honors. Kamui Kobayashi, last year's winner, will be paired up with a man eligible for that award, Sergio Perez of Mexico. Perez's opportunity in the sport has come courtesy of telecommunications giant Telmex, and he faces some stiff competition in the forms of Paul di Resta, Jerome d'Ambrosio and Pastor Maldonado. Perez is just the fifth driver from Mexico to compete in F1 and the first since 1981.

Of the four listed in the accompanying graphic, only Pedro Rodriguez found substantial success, winning twice and finishing on the podium seven times.