“That was really controlled,” said Sebastian Vettel over the radio at the end of the Australian Grand Prix. “Thank you very much, very cool.”

His race was indeed ‘very cool’ as having blown everyone away in qualifying – his team-mate Mark Webber included – the German took the lead off the line and only gave it up to Lewis Hamilton during his two pitstops. He drove a faultless race and even though the Red Bull wasn’t equipped with KERS, something that Christian Horner only admitted to after the race, it was clearly the fastest car out there. A worrying state of affairs for all the other teams.

Hamilton had a less ‘controlled’ race as although he managed to keep second place after getting too much wheelspin off the line and momentarily letting Webber through, the underfloor of his car came away later on in the race. Despite the lack of downforce he kept his track position and will be hoping that the car passes scrutineering. Something that team principal Martin Whitmarsh was confident of after the race, but not something that is a dead certain.

Big news came in the shape of Russian Vitaly Petrov though as having got a superb start from sixth on the grid he finally finished third. He didn’t put a foot wrong and proved that he’s not just racing because of the financial benefits to his team. A great result and a fitting tribute to the missing Kubica.

Nick Heidfeld’s race in the other Renault was sadly not as successful. After a poor qualifying left him all the way down in 18th on the grid, the replacement for Kubica had his work cut out. However, although he did finally finish 14th, his pace was nowhere near his team-mate’s. The fact that he was drafted in as a ‘safe pair of hands with plenty of experience’ is all very well – and I doubt he will finish where he did in the next race – but when you’re standing in for Kubica results will be expected. Watch this space.

Other big news was Sergio Perez. The Sauber driver had an absolutely fantastic race and – having pitted only once for new tyres – finished seventh behind Button (6th), Webber (5th) and Alonso (4th). Quite how the Sauber could be so gentle on its tyres is amazing and certainly bodes well for the rest of the season, especially when we go to tracks that are harder on the Pirellis. It was a great way to start a Formula 1 career and hopefully the confidence will be flowing after such a strong start.

So what of all the new rules and regulations? As I mentioned, Red Bull didn’t even run their KERS during Saturday and Sunday having evaluated it on Friday and deciding that it was too big a risk to run. The Red Bull of Vettel was comfortably the fastest car out there, which does tend to suggest that the KERS still needs work. I just wish the rules gave teams that used the technology a bigger advantage. 80bhp may seem like a lot of power – it is more power than some small hatchbacks – but surely with a boost of 150bhp the teams would put more effort into the device and the technology would be advanced that much faster? The rules are set though, and it’s 80bhp that the drivers can lay their hands on when they press the button.

The adjustable rear wing didn’t produce as much overtaking as everyone expected. However, it did solve the problem of being stuck in a slower car’s dirty air to some extent. Yes, the pit straight was not a long enough straight on which to operate it and the effect wasn’t as large as it perhaps could have been, but it did help faster cars close the gap and overtake either into turn 1 or later on in the lap.

One of the best examples was when Felipe Massa was following Sebastien Buemi later on in the race and although he was within one second of the Toro Rosso driver – who was sitting in a car with the same engine as his own – for a couple of laps, it took him two attempts to get past, even with the ability to open the flap on the rear wing on the pit straight. Was it too hard? Too easy? Time will tell. A gimmick? That it is, but as someone pointed out, during the turbo era drivers could turn up their boost to overtake someone which would have had a similar effect.

Finally the tyres. Pirelli have made some big improvements since testing and the four or five-stop race was a pessimistic exaggeration. In the end the most number of stops cars really needed were three, while all the front runners opted for two – bar Perez of course who managed to use only two sets all race. “We have to make some compliments to Pirelli,” said Vettel after the race. Of course, having just won the Grand Prix he wasn’t going to be rude about them.

Albert Park is a different circuit to most though so we’ll have to wait and see how things pan out when we get to Malaysia in two weeks and even China in three. In the meantime – congratulations to a dominant Vettel, a McLaren team that has managed to find a second between testing and the first race, and of course to Petrov and Perez who showed that Formula 1 isn’t all about experience. Just ask Barrichello who had the weekend from hell, spending more time off the track than on…

The two Saubers of Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Perez have since been disqualified for a rear wing infringement. The team has made it clear that they wish to appeal the decision after investigating matters at its factory. Meanwhile, Hamilton’s floor was deemed legal by the scrutineers and his second place remains.

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

Robert Kubica’s accident, in a small Italian rally, came only days after he had set the fastest time in the Valencia test session, and as soon as it became clear that Robert was going to survive, Renault – something of a misnomer these days, given that the company has no financial involvement with the team beyond supplying engines – had to give serious thought to a replacement. Everyone assumes that Kubica will one day return to Formula 1, but no one knows when that will be, and the likelihood is that it will not be in 2011.

Various names came up. Kimi Räikkönen, vaguely mentioned in connection with Renault last autumn, was not seriously considered, and has anyway said that he no longer has any interest in F1 (something already apparent, let’s face it, in the last two of his three years with Ferrari).

Then there was Tonio Liuzzi, highly rated by some, and on the street following Force India’s decision to sign Paul di Resta. Come to that, there was also Force India’s new test driver, Nico Hulkenberg, late of Williams, where he has been replaced by Pastor Maldonado and a good many Venezuelan bank notes. As 2010 – his rookie season – wore on, Hulkenberg impressed more and more, and no one doubts his innate talent and speed.

However, given that Renault’s other driver, Vitaly Petrov, has also but one season behind him, the likelihood was always that Eric Boullier and his colleagues would go for an experienced man to stand in for Kubica, and on that basis the logical choice was Robert’s erstwhile team-mate at BMW, Nick Heidfeld. Renault put him in the car for a day at Jerez – and he set the quickest time. To no one’s great surprise, Boullier swiftly announced that Heidfeld had got the job.

A very easy man to underestimate, Nick. He may not have the blinding speed of a Vettel, but in the BMW days he had a habit of finishing in the top six in the World Championship, and his talents were highly rated not only by Mario Theissen but also – after a single season, 2005, with Williams – by Patrick Head, no less.

At the beginning of ’06 I asked Patrick if he had been sorry to lose Heidfeld to BMW. “Very much so,” he said. “We were very impressed with him, and not just in the car, but also in the way he conducts himself generally. As you know, he doesn’t ‘high profile’ himself, but he’s a very tough character. His interaction with the engineers – with the team in general – was extremely professional at all times.

“All right, most of the time Mark [Webber] was able to out-qualify him, but in racing conditions Nick was outstanding – over the season I think he made up 20 places between the start and end of the first lap, whereas Mark was actually in the negatives. Now you could say that was because Mark over-qualified the car’s rightful position – which undoubtedly he did on occasion – but what you could also see was that Nick always seemed able to work out where to be on the track at the first corner, so that he would get through OK. Equally, he was sometimes quite forceful on the opening lap, going round the outside of people, and so on.

“A good lad, Nick, and a very good driver, I think. We didn’t blame him for accepting the offer from BMW, but we were sad to lose him…”

Quite an endorsement from a man not given to hyperbole when discussing racing drivers. It goes without saying that Renault will desperately miss Kubica – in every sense – this season, but Heidfeld, unequivocally leading an F1 team for the first time, will be far more of a factor than many expect.

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

Motor Sport wishes Robert Kubica an extremely fast recovery from his terrible crash on the Ronde di Andora rally on Sunday.

The Lotus Renault driver’s accident occurred a few kilometres into the event when it is reported his Skoda Fabia hit a wall and a length of crash barrier penetrated the car. It left him with multiple fractures to his right leg and arm as well as cuts to his forearm and – most worryingly – his right hand, which was partially severed.

The Pole is currently in a ‘stable but serious’ condition in the Santa Corona Hospital in Pietra Ligure, Italy, and doctors are not sure whether he will race again in 2011. He has undergone a seven-hour operation on his hand, which according to doctors still retained heat afterwards, giving them hope that he will have full use of it once he has recovered.

Kubica’s co-driver Jakub Gerber was unhurt in the crash.

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

After Sunday’s excitement the editorial team wasn’t that quick to get down to work on Monday morning. Instead we spent a reasonable amount of time discussing who our top 10 drivers of the season would be (don’t tell the MD).

You’ll have to wait until our full season review comes out at the beginning of December to see what the final result was, but for what it’s worth, here’s mine.

1. Sebastian Vettel: Yes, he made some mistakes, most notably at Spa and Hungary, but he also suffered from mechanical failures which robbed him of certain wins. When neither of those happened, he was unstoppable.

2. Mark Webber: No one thought he could really challenge Vettel on raw pace, but he did. His win at Monaco was sublime and this was his best F1 season to date. Shame nerves got the better of him in Abu Dhabi.

3. Fernando Alonso: The Spaniard regularly put the Ferrari further up the grid than it had any right to be and his second half of the season was a lesson on why not to give up. Hockenheim incident doesn’t take anything away for me.

4. Lewis Hamilton: He put in some flawless drives and some superb qualifying performances. He struggled all year with a McLaren that was never quite fast enough to compete with the Red Bulls at every track. A few too many mistakes, but that’s what happens when you’re pushing a car beyond its limits.

5. Robert Kubica: OK, he didn’t have much competition from his team-mate and he didn’t actually win a Grand Prix. However, he seems to have galvanised Renault and he put in some superb performances in Australia, Monaco and Belgium. Also extremely consistent and mistake free.

6. Jenson Button: His two wins were absolutely brilliant examples of what a wise head can pull out of the bag. He made fewer mistakes than Hamilton, but his qualifying pace needs to be sorted for next year.

7. Nico Rosberg: There was much talk before the season that Rosberg was going to be blown away by Herr Schumacher. The exact opposite happened, and for me Nico was one of the most underrated drivers of the season.

8. Rubens Barrichello: Williams has looked like a proper team on more occasions than not this year and much of that has been thanks to the experience and hard work of Barrichello. Never underestimate the brilliance of the Brazilian.

9. Kamui Kobayashi: He made plenty of mistakes and wasn’t that consistent, but wow, when he was racing he found gaps where no other driver could and provided so much entertainment he has to be in the top 10.

10. Felipe Massa: Before this year Massa has only ever qualified on pole in Brazil when he has been driving a Ferrari. In 2010 he was ninth on the grid and then 15th at the end of the race. However, before he was asked to move over in Hockenheim he was doing a great job after receiving one of the worst head injuries you can imagine.

The great thing about these lists is that they vary from person to person… so what do we all think?

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

Mark Webber and Lewis Hamilton came to Spa 1-2 in the World Championship, and although Hamilton superbly won the race, and regained the points lead, Webber wasn’t too upset, for he finished second – and none of the three other title contenders scored at all.

It was a typically capricious Grand Prix at this greatest of all contemporary circuits, and – as is often the case at Spa – the weather had a hand in it. Fundamentally the afternoon was dry, which was a surprise after the practice and qualifying days, but a couple of brief showers caused many an incident. “On a day like this,” Hamilton said, “the race can be a lottery, so it’s always good to come out of it well.”

He was right. Accidents accounted for Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso, while Sebastian Vettel trailed in 15th after yet another chaotic afternoon. Is Vettel quick enough to be World Champion? Absolutely. Is he mature enough? Absolutely not.

Given that straightline speed is not their strongest suit, the Renault-powered Red Bulls were expected – relatively – to struggle to Spa, but if Webber and Vettel were vulnerable on the long climb from Eau Rouge to Les Combes, their cars’ astonishing superiority through fast corners – and Spa, as we know, is essentially all fast corners – guaranteed that over the lap they were right there. Vettel, rather surprisingly, qualified only fourth, but Webber was able to beat Hamilton to pole position.

At the start, though, Mark’s car hesitated. “There was a small problem with the clutch on the formation lap,” he said. “We tried to make an adjustment to it, and hoped that would cure the problem, but it didn’t…”

Before the first corner, La Source, Webber was therefore engulfed, and at the end of the opening lap he was back in sixth place, behind Hamilton, Kubica, Vettel, Massa and Button.

By the end of the lap, a little rain had come down, and at the ‘Bus Stop’ chicane the first few cars all ran wide, but survived; behind them, though, Alonso and Barrichello had a coming-together, and while Fernando headed straight for the pits, to get a new nose, Rubens – on the occasion of his 300th Grand Prix – was out on the spot.

“I was closing the door on Rosberg,” he said, “but although I braked quite early, it wasn’t sufficient to stop the car, and I went straight into Alonso, for which I’m sorry…”

Fernando, already the long shot in the five-man fight for the championship, had a bad weekend in Belgium. After being fastest in both the Friday practice sessions, he qualified a disappointing 10th, made his early pit stop for repairs, spent the afternoon climbing back into the points, then – in a heavy rain shower – spun into the barrier, bringing out the safety car for the second time. It had been out first, for just one lap, after the original incident with Barrichello.

Even though conditions were uncertain – imminent rain was rumoured every five minutes or so – and even though he was the leader, and therefore going to find a suddenly slippery corner before those chasing him – still there was something quite inexorable about Hamilton’s victory at Spa. Before the race started Button remarked that the McLaren seemed to have a surprising amount of grip – on slicks – when the track was a little damp, and his team mate’s final qualifying lap seemed to bear that out. With spots of rain coming down at various points on the circuit, Lewis put in a stupefying lap – streets quicker than anyone else at the time – to join Webber on the front row. That being so, it wasn’t a surprise to see his faultless display the following day.

Almost faultless, anyway. On lap 33 a proper shower of rain (the one that accounted for Alonso) began, but for the first four – Hamilton, Kubica, Webber, Massa – it wasn’t yet coming down as they completed the lap, so off they set on another, while everyone else, some way behind, dashed in to change either to intermediate tyres or, in some cases, ‘full wets’. Still out there on slicks, Hamilton skated off…

“I was,” he said, “extremely lucky. It was incredibly slippery, and I was really tiptoeing, but the thing just didn’t want to stop – I just barely skimmed a barrier, but thankfully didn’t do any damage.”

When the top four made their stops, a lap later than the rest, Webber succeeded finally in getting ahead of Kubica, and into second place. Robert, having driven beautifully in the Renault (which ran with an F-duct for the first time, and gained significant straightline speed), stopped askew in his pit box, which necessarily delayed his mechanics.

“My fault,” he said. “The conditions were changing, and I needed to make various changes on the steering-wheel – I couldn’t do it on the track, because it was so treacherous, so I had to do it in the pit lane, got distracted, locked up, and didn’t stop in the right place…”

Over the last four laps, following the safety car period for Alonso’s accident, Hamilton concentrated on maintaining a safe gap, and this he was able to do without problem, taking the flag a second and a half to the good, with Kubica third, and Massa – Ferrari’s main man this weekend – fourth.

Force India, with their immense straightline speed, always show well at Spa – remember Giancarlo Fisichella’s second place in 2009 – and Adrian Sutil did a fine job to claim fifth place, ahead of the still disappointing Mercedes of Rosberg and Schumacher. Both the Mercs started way back on the grid, mind you, Nico losing five grid places after needing a gearbox change on Saturday, and Michael losing 10 for his lunatic driving (against Barrichello) at the last race, in Hungary.

So what of Vettel and Button, the two other championship contenders? Well, the one accounted for the other. In the early laps of the race, Jenson and Sebastian ran second and third, behind Hamilton, but on lap 16, on the approach to the ‘Bus Stop’, the Red Bull braked too late, and slammed into the McLaren. Button retired immediately, while Vettel headed for the pits to get a new nose.

“Not,” remarked Martin Whitmarsh, “what you’d expect to see in Formula 1 – more like the junior formulae… A ‘drive through’ seemed a pretty light punishment to me.”

And to many others. Vettel’s Belgian Grand Prix was no less chaotic than many of his races have been this year. Later in the afternoon, he had a coming-together with Liuzzi, which shattered the Force India’s nose, and punctured the Red Bull’s left rear tyre. Vettel really does need to sit down and have a talk with himself: he has had bad luck this season, yes, but many a good result he has tossed away.

At the press conference Hamilton and Webber talked about the balance of the season. With six races to go, both are now quite significantly clear of their team mates in the World Championship: were we getting to the point that McLaren and Red Bull – like Ferrari, with Alonso – would begin to put more ‘emphasis’ on one driver? One cannot, of course, use a phrase like ‘team orders’, because they’re banned, as we all know…

Hamilton said that, in the case of McLaren, he didn’t think so. “Jenson was very unfortunate today – he’d done a fantastic job to get from fifth to second. I get the same treatment as Jenson, and that enables us both to score the maximum points we can. I don’t feel there should be any preferential treatment – the team do the best they can possibly do for each of us. There’s no more they can do…”

Webber was more enigmatic. “McLaren,” he said, “have won many championships, and they have a very good trophy cabinet. Red Bull have a good trophy cabinet, too – but not one like McLaren’s, so… it depends on how hungry we are to try and do that. I think it’s too early at the moment, but not far away. Having said that, maybe there’s a different strategy, compared with McLaren, I’m not sure…”

Given the way Vettel is clowning around at the moment, Red Bull people must surely – however, in some cases, reluctantly – accept that their most likely 2010 World Champion is 34, not 23, and from Australia, not Germany. Sebastian may be sublimely talented, but, as Jackie Stewart would say, his ‘mind management’ is all over the place, and that’s not how titles are won.

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

Were I to ask you to name the most desirable car ever built, what would you say? Your answer would of course be totally biased towards your own tastes: classic or modern, road car or racer. Where you’re from might be a factor and perhaps your age would play a part, too.

Polls aren’t really Motor Sport’s thing, but I’m hardly going out on a limb to predict that if we were to run one, Ferraris would feature heavily in the desirability stakes. And of those Ferraris, one in particular would be in with a shout to top the list.

The 250GTO matches performance with beauty like few other cars, both on the road and on the race track. Enzo’s masterpiece? By price alone, you’d have to say yes (this summer radio DJ Chris Evans is believed to have paid £12 million for one). But it’s about much more than money. You know what I mean, don’t you?

All 39 that were built (in two different body configurations) are special, but the one that graces Motor Sport’s cover this month is particularly memorable – partly because it’s that pasty shade of green!

Ahead of the Goodwood Revival, Andrew Frankel was lucky enough to achieve a lifetime’s ambition and plant himself behind the steering wheel of the newly-restored British Racing Partnership 250GTO, complete with its tartan nose strip. Chassis 3505GT will always be intrinsically linked to the Sussex circuit, thanks to Innes Ireland who used it to win the 1962 TT, Britain’s biggest sports car race back then. A fitting result, given that the man who should have been driving it had ended his career against the bank at St Mary’s earlier that spring.

To accompany the 250GTO in the October issue, dep ed Gordon Cruickshank tells the tale of the team, BRP, talking to the men behind the green, Ken Gregory and Tony Robinson. It’s a tale of corporate sponsorship, nervous breakdowns and jealousy, set against the backdrop of the team’s Chelsea home in Lots Road. Hang on, that’s where we’re based. I thought it sounded familiar…

In stark contrast to all this history, Nigel Roebuck talks to Robert Kubica and enjoys what he hears. When I first read this interview it occurred to me that Poland’s Formula 1 star is something of a throwback to eras past. His no-nonsense approach, deadpan acceptance of danger and pure love of driving would have made him a contender in any era. This guy deserves to add to his paltry tally of one GP win and once he is given a competitive car, he undoubtedly will.

‘Lunch with…’ is another corker this month, but I’m particularly biased. I was a junior reporter when gravel-voiced Irishman Martin Donnelly was establishing his single-seater team in Formula Vauxhall. I used to phone him every week for a gossip, but he was never my first call on a Monday morning. I’d have to make sure I had something juicy to tell him first. “Got any dirt ’n filth,” he’d rasp at me. If I didn’t, it would be a very short conversation.

I was at Druids when Donnelly won his very first Formula 3000 race, at Brands Hatch in 1988 following Johnny Herbert’s leg-shattering crash. In the sadness of that day, Martin’s victory was understandably overlooked, but it was clear even then that he was a contender for great things – only for his own horror crash two years later to rob him of all that promise. His story is inspiring – and despite the sadness, very funny.

I should probably also mention the BMW motorcycle test that appears in this issue, but given the ‘welcome’ our new road car section received last month, I do so with care! Two-wheel road tests won’t appear in every issue, but they will from time to time when we have an interesting story to tell. Lest we forget, Denis Jenkinson loved bikes as much as cars, and didn’t think twice when it came to writing about them in MS from time to time. We’re looking at the motorcycle world with the same appreciative and open-minded attitude.

Oh, and my vote for the most desirable car in history? Well, it’ll always be racing cars first for me. So I’ll go for the 1975 Ferrari 312T. What about you?

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

“Not bad for a number two driver,” was Mark Webber’s cryptic comment over the radio on his victorious slowing-down lap, and thereby hung a tale.

Twenty-four hours earlier, at the post-qualifying press conference, Webber had looked like a man ready to explode, which indeed he was. Alongside him sat the pole position man, his Red Bull team-mate Sebastian Vettel, and clearly Webber felt it had not been a fair fight.

It was all a matter of wings – in particular, front wings. The team had new ones for Silverstone, but there had been time enough to manufacture only two, one for each driver. Or so Webber thought. On Saturday morning, though, Vettel’s collapsed on the Hangar Straight – ‘finger trouble’ (F1-speak for ‘human error’), apparently – and it looked like bad luck for Sebastian, for the wing was damaged beyond repair and no spare was available.

Except, of course, for the one on Webber’s car. And it was decided by the team that because Vettel was ahead of Mark in terms of championship points and position, he should have the one and only new front wing at Silverstone. Accordingly, it was transferred from Webber’s car to Vettel’s, and symbolically – if nothing else – that was highly significant, for it further fuelled the widespread belief (hotly denied by the team, of course) that Sebastian is the favoured one at Red Bull, and Mark ‘the other driver’.

Webber was livid, and none could blame him. Unsmiling, stone-faced, he suggested at the conference that, “The team had got the result it wanted…”

As we know, Webber has come through a hard school en route to the top echelons of Formula 1, and as the cars came up to the grid one almost – but not quite – felt a twinge of sympathy for the boy Vettel, who was about to experience the wrath of a team-mate who felt he had been wronged.

Having qualified second, Mark was of course on the ‘dirty’ side of the track, but at Silverstone this tends to be less of a problem than at most circuits (perhaps because of the unusually large number of support races here), and when the lights went out the second Red Bull was instantly alongside the first, Webber ignoring Vettel’s attempt to block him.

In effect, the destiny of the British Grand Prix depended on a drag race in the opening seconds, and Webber won it. At Copse, the first corner, Vettel’s problems were multiplied when his car was hit from behind by Lewis Hamilton’s McLaren: swiftly he radioed in to say he had a puncture.

Vettel came at the end of the first lap, his soft Bridgestones replaced by the harder ones – which would now, of course, have to last for an entire Grand Prix. Initially Sebastian, dead last, seemed to lose heart, but by half-distance he had come alive again, and in the end finished a good seventh, having dealt in the late laps with fellow Germans Nico Hulkenberg, Adrian Sutil and, ahem, Michael Schumacher…

After the race Webber was all smiles, of course, after one of the most satisfying races of his life, and the victory put him up to third in the World Championship, one place ahead of Vettel. Did this mean, someone asked, that if there were a ‘wing situation’ or something similar at the German Grand Prix (in two weeks’ time), he would get preferential treatment over Vettel? Mark grinned: “Dunno, mate. You’d think so, wouldn’t you…?”

Although, as expected, the Red Bulls were clearly the fastest cars at this, a circuit made for their peerless ability in ultra-quick corners, Webber allowed that he had not had an easy afternoon, Hamilton not having the car quite to challenge him, but certainly one quick enough to keep him alert. “I had no interest in anyone else in the race,” said Mark. “All I wanted was the pitboards giving me the gap to Lewis…”

Hamilton reckoned his qualifying lap, good for fourth on the grid, to have been probably the best of his life, which is saying something. McLaren looked to be in real trouble during practice on Friday, with the team’s new exhaust-blown diffuser (due originally to make its debut at Hockenheim) not producing the results anticipated. That evening it was decided to drop it for this weekend, and put the cars back to original specification. But still they didn’t look like front-runners, and Hamilton’s fourth best time – Jenson Button was back in 14^th – was heroic, as indeed was his drive on race day. Button, for his part, also drove a fine race and came up to fourth, sandwiched between Nico Rosberg’s Mercedes and Rubens Barrichello’s ever-improving Williams-Cosworth.

Before the race it looked unlikely that anyone would offer a serious challenge to Red Bull, and so it proved, but the man apparently closest to Vettel and Webber on pace was Fernando Alonso, as usual comfortably faster than his Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa.

Alonso, though, made a poor start, dropping instantly from third to fifth place, demoted by Rosberg and Robert Kubica’s Renault, and there he stayed until the tyre stops. The revisions to Silverstone went down better with some drivers than others, but all concluded that, sadly, they offered nothing in terms of more overtaking opportunities.

Later, in a scrap with Kubica, Alonso somewhat unavoidably cut a corner, and in so doing got ahead of the Renault driver, after which he should have given the position back. By the time the stewards reached a decision that he should be penalised – with a ‘drive-through’ – Kubica had already retired, and instead of losing just one position Alonso lost a great many. Most considered the stewards’ decision harsh, and afterwards Fernando was so angry that he refused to be interviewed. With precisely four points from the last two races, Ferrari – while pretty good on pace – is having a thin time of it just now.

Webber, so far the only driver to win three races this year, glowed with delight afterwards. Had this been a case of poetic justice? “Well,” he grinned, “maybe there’s a bloke upstairs every now and then… I made a good start, and I was… very keen to make it my corner, let’s put it that way.

“I wasn’t massively in favour of what happened yesterday, with the front wing thing – to be honest, I would never have signed a new contract for next year if I’d believed that was the way things were going to be. Let’s just see how it goes in the future. I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing, and hopefully it’s enough.”

And now comes Germany…

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

“For me,” said Lewis Hamilton on Sunday afternoon, “this is one of the best races of the season – a fantastic crowd, a great atmosphere, and such a great track…”

It was at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve three years ago that Hamilton won his first Grand Prix, and this time around, too, he was always the man to beat. A memorable last-second pole position, and then a superb race drive, during which he was under pressure for virtually the entire distance. As in Turkey a fortnight ago it was a McLaren 1-2, with Jenson Button just a couple of seconds adrift of Lewis at the flag. Fernando Alonso, having pushed Hamilton hard for much of the afternoon, finished third finally, having suffered more than most from the traffic problems endemic to Montréal.

Fundamentally, the Canadian Grand Prix was all about tyres. In the old days, before refuelling was banned, tyre wear wasn’t too much of a consideration – essentially you raced a car in qualifying spec, always light, always on new-ish tyres. Now, though, looking after your tyres – particularly when the car is fuel-heavy in the early laps – has become an important new discipline for the drivers to learn, and in Montréal ‘graining’ was a problem for everyone, particularly with the softer of the Bridgestone compounds on offer (both compounds, of course, must be used during a race).

After qualifying the feeling was that Red Bull were in the pound seats, for although Hamilton had beaten them to pole position, Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel (together with Renault’s Robert Kubica) had set their times on the harder Bridgestones. It was a certainty that all their major rivals would have to make a very early stop, at which point, went the received wisdom, Webber and Vettel would canter away into the distance.

In the event, it didn’t work out that way. Yes, the McLarens were indeed in early (Button stopping on lap six, Hamilton a lap later), but significantly Kubica – on the hard tyres, remember – was in after nine laps, and the Red Bulls stopped after 13 (Webber) and 14 (Vettel) laps. With a heavy fuel load, in other words, the harder Bridgestones didn’t last anything like as long as expected.

Even before the race started Mark’s day began badly, for his car required a gearbox change and that meant a five-place penalty on the grid, so that he started seventh, rather than second. Certainly Vettel had pushed Hamilton in the first few laps, but he was never able to get by him, and even with a clear track was unable to build enough of a cushion to keep his lead through his own first stop.

When the first round of stops was all done Hamilton was in front, chased hard by Alonso, then Button – and then Vettel and Webber. All (except Vettel) were now on the harder tyres – but McLaren and Ferrari, of course, already had the more troublesome soft ones out of the way.

This season, with refuelling banned, we have become accustomed to single-stop strategies, everyone beginning the race on the soft tyres, then coming for the harder ones and running through to the finish on them. Even though the track surface at Montréal is not particularly abrasive, though, that policy looked out of the question thanks to the graining problems, and ahead of the race Bridgestone folk reckoned everyone would need to stop at least twice.

So it proved, and different folk threw the dice in different ways. The Red Bull drivers, as we have said, both started on hard tyres, but when they made their first stops Vettel opted to switch to soft, whereas Webber took another set of hard.

In the short term, at least, this worked well for Mark. As the race neared half-distance, the three drivers ahead of him – Hamilton, Alonso, Vettel – all made their second stops, whereas Webber was able to stay out and at this point took over the lead. For 20 laps he looked very comfortable, but eventually the grip began to go away and his problem was that, with only his soft Bridgestones to come, he was obliged to stay out as long as possible before changing to them.

By lap 50, with 20 to the flag, Hamilton passed the hobbled Red Bull in front of the pits, and at the end of the lap Webber duly came in. This left Hamilton to fight off the advances of Alonso, while Fernando, at his absolute best in Montréal, was obliged also to keep a weather eye on Button.

On lap 56 Alonso was badly held up by the tardy HRT of Chandhok, which changed line unexpectedly in front of him. So much did the Ferrari have to slow that in an instant Button was past, and away up the road. Fernando, who had suffered similarly at the hand of Trulli’s Lotus earlier in the race, was afterwards remarkably charitable about the slow traffic: “Yes, I had a bad time with it today, but sometimes, you know, it can work to your advantage – over a season it evens out for everyone…”

Thereafter there was nothing to be done for Alonso, but although he finished only third he was delighted to be back on the podium. “It’s strange, this Formula 1,” he said later. “In Turkey we were nowhere – completely out of it – and we bring exactly the same car to Canada, and we’re competitive! I really think we had the pace to win today. For the next race, in Valencia, we have some major updates on the car, and I hope then we can start to be competitive everywhere…”

There was no denying the McLarens, though. With the air cleared between them, after the spot of unpleasantness in Istanbul, Hamilton and Button were all smiles afterwards. “It was a very difficult race,” said Jenson, “because of the tyre situation. The whole time you’re driving you never know if you’re not pushing hard enough because you’re saving your tyres – or maybe you’re pushing too hard, and hurting them. It’s so easy to grain tyres here…”

Hamilton agreed that it had been a tough race: “There’s the tyres, of course, but also the traffic is always a big problem here – almost as bad as at Monaco. I must say, too, that I was amazed there was no safety car period – you almost always get at least one here. Still, the car was fantastic, I must say, and I didn’t have worries here about running low on fuel – I managed to save some at certain points in the race, and there was no problem at all.”

Neither Red Bull driver made the podium in Canada, but in fact neither Vettel nor Webber was too disappointed. “We didn’t really expect to shine here,” said Mark. “It’s not really a track that brings out our car’s best qualities. But we scored some useful points – and Valencia, I’m sure, will be good for us.”

Sixth, behind Vettel and Webber, was Nico Rosberg, who drove a thoroughly excellent race for Mercedes after being disastrously held up by a first corner contretemps between Tonio Liuzzi’s Force India and Felipe Massa’s Ferrari. Rosberg was actually in 13^th place at the end of the opening lap, but came back strongly, on the way setting the third fastest lap of the Grand Prix.

His team-mate was rather less distinguished – indeed, this was probably the worst drive by Michael Schumacher most people could remember. Having qualified only 13^th, Michael made a good start and his race looked promising for a while, but thereafter we seemed to see only the worst of him, prompting one former F1 driver to comment that he drove ‘like a bad-tempered old man’. Off the pace, and plainly not enjoying the experience, Schumacher blocked and weaved and chopped, just as he always did, but now he was doing it from 12^th place, or whatever, and there was something curiously sad about it. This, after all, was a man who had won the Canadian Grand Prix seven times…

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Fifty points in seven days – and now Mark Webber, for the first time in his life, leads the World Championship. To any Formula 1 driver, admitted or not, the Monaco Grand Prix is the most important, the most prestigious, race to win, and Webber did it in the most comprehensive manner imaginable. On pole position by a scarcely believable three-tenths of a second, he took the lead immediately, and although there were several safety car periods, each of them costing him his lead, on every restart he just went away again –from Red Bull team mate Sebastian Vettel, who, as at Barcelona, was simply not able to match his pace. When Webber and his car are in harmony like this, he is as good as invincible. At the press conference, for the second Sunday in succession, the much-vaunted Vettel looked frankly bemused.

“What can I say?” Webber beamed afterwards. “It’s hard to avoid the clichés, isn’t it – but this is the Monaco Grand Prix! I guess it has to be the proudest day of my career – to win here is a dream for every driver. A party tonight? Probably a lot of people are going to be here, rather than going home, because of the volcanic ash, so… yes, I’d say there’s likely to be a party tonight, with a few sore heads in the morning. The boys really deserve it – they work so incredibly hard…”

It had not been easy, he said – just keeping your concentration going for 78 laps around Monaco can never be easy – but it had been more straightforward than perhaps he might have expected. After qualifying the Red Bulls were again the strong favourites at this, a circuit at which they had not previously shone, but there was clearly some threat from the Renault of Robert Kubica, which separated Webber and Vettel on the grid, and lurking, too, were Felipe Massa’s Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton’s McLaren.

Kubica, as it happened, got a little too much wheelspin away from the line, which allowed Vettel to snick through on the run to Ste Devote. “That pretty much decided second place,” said Sebastian, but I couldn’t do anything about Mark today – he was just too quick – and in fact I was concentrating more on my mirrors today, because Robert was never very far away.”

Indeed he wasn’t. “A lot of the time I think I was actually a bit quicker than Vettel, particularly on restarts, but…it’s almost impossible to pass here, you know, and late in the race I flat-spotted a tyre, and then had terrible vibration from it. I drove hard today, and I think third place is not too bad…”

The Monaco Grand Prix effectively ended ‘under yellow’, for at Rascasse a couple of backmarkers – Trulli and Chandhok – became entangled in a nasty-looking incident, the Lotus going over the top of the HRT. Neither driver was hurt, but the safety car was instantly deployed, and such was the quantity of debris that, with only three laps left, there seemed little chance of restarting the race proper.

As it was, the safety car pulled off at the end of the final lap (so as not to appear on all the ‘chequered flag’ photographs), and it was at this point that Michael Schumacher suddenly made a desperate lunge past Fernando Alonso for sixth place.

What is it about Schumacher and Rascasse? On his last appearance at Monaco, in 2006, Michael ‘parked’ his Ferrari at the corner, thus blocking the track in an attempt to protect his pole position from last-second attack. For that, he was put to the back of the grid, and most felt he got off very lightly.

This time around he passed Alonso at the end of the final lap – which had been run as a ‘safety car’ lap, and therefore precluded overtaking before the start/finish line. Afterwards the stewards debated the matter for hours, and one didn’t really understand why, for it seemed like an open-and-shut case. Eventually it was announced that Schumacher had indeed transgressed, but as the regular penalty – a ‘drive through’ – could not be applied as this was the last lap, a time penalty of 20 seconds was imposed instead.

Much earlier in the race there had already been muttering about Schumacher, who got ahead of Mercedes team-mate Rosberg, and remained narrowly there until lap 19, when he came in for tyres. With a clear track in front of him Nico cut loose at this point, setting new fastest laps on consecutive laps, and it seemed clear that he would be ahead of Schumacher after his own stop. As it was, for reasons unclear to all but the ultra-cynical, Mercedes decided not to bring Rosberg in until lap 28, by which time his tyres had gone way past their best. When he rejoined Nico came out just behind… Michael Schumacher…

Alonso, never at the best of times exactly a fan of the great man, was furious about the Rascasse incident, in which he came close to hitting the barriers, but already he had been on the back foot all day, having started from the pit lane, stone last. In the Saturday morning practice session, having just set the fastest time, Fernando clattered into the fence at Massenet, and although the impact speed was not that high, the Ferrari’s monocoque was damaged, obliging him to miss qualifying altogether – no T-cars allowed these days, of course.

Alonso had been fastest in both sessions on Thursday, and was very much a man to fear for the Red Bull boys. He makes remarkably few mistakes in a Grand Prix car, but this one – who knows? – might ultimately cost him the World Championship.

For McLaren, Monaco was a consummate disappointment, with Hamilton finishing fifth after never featuring, and the unfortunate Jenson Button retiring after a couple of laps, his engine cooked after someone forgot to remove a cooling cover from the left hand sidepod – where resides the radiator…

No such problems for Webber, though – no problems of any kind, in fact. The Red Bull is unquestionably the fastest car – and at the moment the man who is driving it fastest is one derided by some as a hard trier, and very brave, but essentially an artisan at the wheel. At Monte Carlo, as at Barcelona, he looked like an artist.

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“The Formula 1 car,” said Ferrari’s Stefano Domenicali recently, “is too efficient…”

For most, if not all, of the designers in F1, Domenicali’s words will be heresy, for their constant quest is to achieve as close to perfection as possible, and quite right too – that’s what they’re paid for. But a man like Patrick Head, as much a racer as anyone I have known in this business, has always been able to see the bigger picture, to appreciate that Grand Prix racing is – or should be – much more than merely a technical exercise. It is also a sport, and one that requires fans to enable it to survive.

Those fans need to be entertained. As Head once said, “Imagine how spectacular Monaco would be if we ran there with ‘Hockenheim’ wing settings…” Very well, Patrick was speaking some years ago, when Hockenheim was still a flat-out blind, but his point was well made. It’s interesting to remember that in those days, when the cars were as ‘trimmed out’ as possible, in the interests of straightline speed, they twitched and moved around in the stadium section most entertainingly.

Over the years I’ve written endlessly of the need for a complete reappraisal of Grand Prix racing, and where we – the fans – would like it to go. Personally I believe we have taken a good step forward this year, with the ban on refuelling, which has revived the need for a driver to look after his tyres, and will reward artists in the Clark-Stewart-Prost mould. A driver, as Robert Kubica has said, now needs to ‘manage a race’, rather than go through a series of qualifying sessions – which are great on Saturday afternoons, when they decide the grid, but quickly became too much of a muchness on Sundays. There is now, as Jenson Button has superbly demonstrated, more than one way to win a Grand Prix.

So all that’s good, but it is not enough. Since its soporific start in Bahrain, the F1 season has picked up dramatically – but it would not, it must be said, have done so to this degree had not rain played so big a role. In both Melbourne and Shanghai, the races were mainly wet, and in Sepang – admittedly with the help of complacency by McLaren and Ferrari – mixed conditions in qualifying led to a highly unusual grid, with four major players towards the back.

Lewis Hamilton may lack his team-mate’s delicacy when it comes to going quickly and babying your tyres, but his aggression, his freestyle approach to overtaking, has been one of the highlights of the year. In Sepang, where he started 20th, Lewis sliced through the field in amazing style – until he caught Adrian Sutil. The Force India wasn’t as fast as the McLaren, but it was very quick in a straight line, and driven extremely well. At that point Hamilton’s only hope of getting by was to pressurise Sutil into a mistake, but it never came.

The race was dry in Malaysia, of course, and I thought the Hamilton-Sutil duel served very well to highlight F1’s abiding problem: when grip levels are normal, overtaking is simply too difficult, and, while the layout of many circuits doesn’t help, the main culprit is aerodynamics.

As Domenicali says, the F1 car is too efficient. You only have to see how good the racing becomes when it is less efficient, when the track is damp and grip levels are reduced, to appreciate that. Next year the controversial ‘double diffuser’ is to be banned (as it was originally intended to be from 2009 on), and that is good, but much more needs to be done.

As the powers that be contemplate the future, let them concentrate not on tricks and artifices – a minimum number of pitstops and the like – but on tailoring the next generation of Grand Prix car so that it can race more effectively. The technical gurus may not like it, but in the end – as it should be – it’s the fans who matter most. They’re the ones who pay for it, after all.

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It’s a fact that many of us left Bahrain in a downbeat frame of mind, for this 2010 Grand Prix season had been anticipated – for a variety of sound reasons – with a great deal of relish. Yet the opening race of the season had been one of the most boring in recent memory, like a re-run of qualifying in slow motion.

Many immediately suggested it had been a mistake to get rid of refuelling and demanded immediate changes, some of which had merit, some not. Bernie Ecclestone counselled against knee-jerk reactions, and anyone with half a brain agreed with him.

Race two, in Melbourne, was as diverting as Bahrain had been bland, and much of this – rightly – was put down to uncertain weather conditions, which have spawned exciting races since the beginning of time. It isn’t much of an intellectual stretch to understand that when you get a wet race track – even a damp one – you have less grip, and when you have less grip you get more driving errors and therefore changes in the order.

Not rocket science, is it? Which makes it the more unbelievable that, between them, the FIA and the Formula 1 teams – all of which have recently wakened up to the fact that racing fans like racing – cannot between them come up with a set of regulations to promote it. Last year, those teams which designed ‘trick’ double-diffusers into the concept of their cars deliberately ignored the aims of the FIA Overtaking Working Group – and the governing body then shamefully declared them permissible.

All concerned knew of the adverse effect this would have on the sport’s appeal, and all – for reasons of self-interest – chose to ignore it. A plague on their houses, as far as I’m concerned – but the FIA Court of Appeal stands especially culpable, for while it is in the DNA of F1 designers to look for loopholes in the rules, it is the interests of the sport which should always be paramount to the people who run it.

Patrick Head once pointed out that the Monaco Grand Prix would be highly diverting if all the cars ran with ‘Hockenheim wing settings’, and on another occasion even more radically suggested that wings be banned altogether – although that, he smilingly admitted, would never be accepted by the team owners given the amount of ‘sponsorship area’ on the car that would be lost.

For the fans, the people to whom manufacturers and sponsors are trying to sell things – and therefore, in the end, the people who pay for this sport – what constitutes the ideal racing car? No one ever defined that better than Tony Brooks, the great Vanwall and Ferrari driver of half a century ago: “A Grand Prix car,” he said, “should always have slightly more power than the chassis can comfortably handle…”

Simple, isn’t it? And the abiding problem of contemporary F1 is that the ratio between power and grip is out of kilter. The ban on traction control was a good move, but still the fact remains that F1 cars race today with 300 horsepower fewer than we have seen in the past – and don’t tell me that the grip levels in the 1980s (during the turbo era) were anything like those of today.

Some years ago Max Mosley decided that horsepower was getting out of control, and declared that the 3-litre V10 engine should be replaced by a 2.4-litre V8. He then imposed the ‘frozen engine spec’ rule, and that was probably essential, given the amounts of money being spent on the endless quest for another 10bhp.

Unfortunately, attempts to change the aerodynamic rules – so as to cut back on grip – have proved far less effective, and thus we have a situation where a dry day means a procession, where only adverse weather conditions can guarantee a memorable afternoon. Can’t be right.

After Bahrain, there was hand-wringing by some of the team principals, who had apparently become suddenly aware that a Grand Prix can be boring, and were demanding all manner of instant changes to spice up ‘The Show’. One instant change might be to be receptive in future to technical changes proposed by the Overtaking Working Group, rather than ignore them for the sake of self-interest.

And to think there was a time when we used to joke about spinklers…

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As the 2010 Grand Prix season beckons, most of my acquaintance are agreed that it’s been a very long time since we anticipated a year with such relish. Schumacher back… Alonso at Ferrari… Button with Hamilton at McLaren… four World Champions in the pack… the prospect of four highly competitive teams… All right, we have lost BMW and Toyota (after Honda), and one or two of the new teams look more than a little flaky, but overall the prospects are indeed enticing.

It’s interesting that, when forecasting the likely World Champion, most seem to be choosing between Schumacher, Hamilton, Alonso and Vettel – to be focusing, in other words, on one driver in each of the four top teams.

There’s no denying that, in the normal course of events, within a team one driver tends to assert his superiority over the group, to become the de facto number one, even if this is not officially acknowledged. And it’s a fact, too, that Michael, Lewis, Fernando and Sebastian have all shown themselves to be very keen on this thing of having the team revolve primarily around them. But I wonder if it’s going to be as clear-cut as some imagine.

Consider the ‘other’ driver in each team: Rosberg (Mercedes), Button (McLaren), Massa (Ferrari) and Webber (Red Bull). Of these only Nico has yet to win a Grand Prix, but then he has never – until now – had the car to enable him to do so. Shout me down if you will, but I have a suspicion that he will show a great deal better against Schuey than most appear to believe. Although Ross Brawn presided over a Ferrari team that for years clearly favoured Michael, he has publicly said that such will not be the situation at Mercedes.

Over at McLaren, Martin Whitmarsh has said the same about Hamilton and Button – and, again, I expect the performance gap between them to be far less than some suggest.

On to Ferrari. While I believe Alonso to be the best driver in the world, don’t forget that Massa – fully recovered – largely dominated Kimi Räikkönen, and came within a Toyota dry tyre of winning the 2008 World Championship. Felipe is cowed by no one these days, and quite right, too.

Finally, there is Red Bull: Bernie Ecclestone has predicted that Vettel will win the championship this year, and that’s not the silliest thing he has ever said, for Sebastian is prodigiously talented, with ambition to match.

I do, however, think it would be a great mistake to underestimate Webber. Because he’s in his thirties, and has been around a while, Mark is sometimes overlooked, but remember that last year he won twice – and that included a sound defeat of Vettel in Germany. Webber is Trulli-quick over one lap, and in a race no one fights harder. Twelve months ago he began the season with virtually no testing behind him, legacy of the badly broken leg sustained the previous autumn, but he never moaned about the discomfort, put up with his team-mate’s occasional tantrums, and simply put his head down and got on with it. I’m sure he will do the same in 2010.

Four top teams, then – but there are more than four drivers in the mix, and that’s what makes the forthcoming season so mouth-watering. And I’d add a final thought: if Renault comes up with competitive package, expect Robert Kubica – as talented as there is – to be in the thick of it.

If pushed, my money would be on Alonso for the title – but I’m not sure I’d bet very much…

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Renault – in more ways than one – has had a poor time of it in Formula 1 over the last couple of years. True, Fernando Alonso returned to the team, after a single season with McLaren, but even the world’s best driver can do little with a fundamentally uncompetitive car, and although Alonso invariably gave 100 per cent (for that is his way), he won only two races in two seasons – and one of those was the controversial affair at Singapore in 2008. His victory in the next race, at Fuji, was from the top drawer, but there were to be no more, and in ’09 Fernando really struggled, his Renault frankly nowhere near the pace.

As he left for Ferrari, so Robert Kubica – on the market following BMW’s withdrawal – took his place, but through the late months of last year rumours abounded that Renault, too, might follow the lead of Honda, Toyota and BMW, and disappear from F1. Theoretically, therefore, Kubica might have been on the street once more – and, frankly, I was surprised that during that period any team signed any driver before being certain of Robert’s situation.

For my money, he is one of the top four drivers in F1, and some go further than that. His close pal Alonso has said he considers him the best, while even Lewis Hamilton has – privately – admitted that Kubica is the driver he most fears.

When Renault announced that, while the team would be continuing under the same name, a considerable chunk of it had been sold, Kubica declared that he now considered himself free to walk, should he choose to do so. After being reassured that it would remain a serious F1 operation, he said he would remain – but his original contract was for one season only, and there has been speculation that he could well join Alonso at Ferrari in 2011.

It could be that Kubica will have a frustrating time of it – again – this year, but still it astonishes me that when pundits consider the prospects for the coming season, frequently they omit to mention him. In all probability, this is because they do not expect very much from Renault, but if the car is even half-decent expect to see Robert in there, pitching. He might not look the part as much as some, but potentially this is a great Grand Prix driver.

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Another Grand Prix and another win for Button. He may have lost a place to team-mate Barrichello at the start, but the Brit got his head down and gave us another remarkable display of driving and getting the most out of the car and tyres. A large shunt at the beginning finished Trulli’s, Fisichella’s, Sutil’s, Bourdais’ and Buemi’s race but the other talking point of the afternoon was just how wrong it all went for Ferrari. Again.

Here’s how they all stacked up…

Jenson Button (1^st)
On finishing the race, just before going onto the podium Button asks “sorry, where do I go”? A sign of just how many times the Brit has visited the podium in Barcelona. Another great day, even though he lost first place to Barrichello at the start, he proved that when a driver is at the top of their game nothing can stop them. Or indeed go wrong – he crossed the start/finish line 1.6secs before the end of the Q3 session to start his flying lap that got him pole. Changing to a two-stop strategy in the race (rather than three) certainly helped. 9.5/10

Rubens Barrichello (2^nd)
“I don’t know how I lost that race man.” He was quicker than Button throughout the weekend (bar Button’s stunning qualifying lap) and humbled the Brit at the start. However, he couldn’t get his tyres to work in the second and third stints meaning that almost certain victory slipped through his hands. A good sign for Brawn though when one of their drivers is disappointed with second. If he can’t pin Button back in the next few GPs it’ll be like Ferrari all over again where he had to play second fiddle to Schumacher for so long. 7/10

Mark Webber (3^rd)
He’s so far been outclassed by his team-mate Vettel this year and this weekend looked to be going along the same depressing lines for the Australian. As soon as he tussled with Alonso in the opening stint though we knew we were watching a man on a mission. A great drive and one which heralded receiving the ‘Drive of the Day’ award from Coulthard. Anyone else notice how he always backs the Red Bull drivers? Funny old world… 9/10

Sebastian Vettel (4^th)
Tipped by Coulthard to win the race. The German’s afternoon effectively ended when Massa ‘KERSed’ him off the line. If Red Bull need any information on the Ferrari rear-end though, I’m sure Vettel will be able to tell them exactly what it looks like after staring at it for an hour and a half. 6/10

Fernando Alonso (5^th)
All he had to do was overtake a back marker and the crowd would erupt. Which is exactly what they did when he fortuitously took fifth in the dying laps when Massa had to slow because of a lack of fuel. Probably would have won if he was being powered by the support for him during the weekend. As luck would have it, he was in a Renault and was lucky just to get points. Solid drive. But that’s the least we expect from him… 7/10

Felipe Massa (6^th)
Ferrari has certainly improved ­– the car that is rather than their general running of the team – but I suggest Massa flattered them somewhat today. A catastrophic error in the final pitstop meant that he didn’t have enough fuel to finish the race, so had to give up fourth to Vettel and then fifth to Alonso. Only managed to keep Vettel behind him for that long though thanks to KERS. At least his car didn’t come to a grinding halt. Ah, of course it did, it ran out of fuel just before the end. 7/10

Nick Heidfeld (7^th)
A pretty quiet race for Heidfeld although he did well to keep Räikkönen behind him in the opening stages. The BMW is faster, but definitely not fast enough. Had the measure of Kubica though. When you drive reasonably well, only 14 cars finish, you’re in a car that was fighting for the World Championship up until the last few races the season before and you don’t even get a point you’ve got to struggle to see the point of it all. 6/10

Nico Rosberg (8^th)
Continues to excel in Friday practice, but that doesn’t really help a team get points on the board. Could be worse, he could have a team-mate who pushed him more… Good, long first stint though after punting Trulli off on the first lap. 6/10

Lewis Hamilton (9^th)
“What did you feel when Jenson Button lapped you near the end of the Grand Prix?” Hamilton, deadpan face: “nothing”. I very much doubt that Mr Hamilton. It must have felt like one last kick in the tender area after another weekend of having no grip whatsoever. This season is going to feel as long as 2008 was exciting for the current World Champion. 5.5/10

Timo Glock (10^th)
Qualified well but just slipped further and further back in the race. He out-drove Trulli, but only because his team-mate’s race ended on the first lap. An afternoon Glock will want to forget. If Hamilton is as unhappy as he is with ninth then Glock in a Toyota – which, lest we forget, is supposed to be one of the fastest cars in 2009 ­– finishing behind him must be as painful as being stuck with a Toyota Prius as a courtesy road car (I’m sure he has something a lot more interesting). 4.5/10

Robert Kubica (11^th)
He’s never sought out the limelight and even when he was battling for the World Championship last year he was quiet. Now though, he looks positively rock star noisy last year compared to how he is now. We know he’s one of the most naturally quick drivers on the grid, but you might as well put him in a soapbox at the moment judging by how fast the BMW is. An improvement, but an improvement to 11^th can’t put his mind too much at ease. 5/10

Nelson Piquet (12^th)
Crasher Piquet didn’t crash, and drove a solid – if uninspiring race – to finish where he did. However, it does look as though he’s happy to just coast round the track, but with Alonso – one of the most exciting and aggressive F1 drivers around – as team-mate, he isn’t going to look like Senna is he? The last two races haven’t been bad, but his likely replacement, Romain Grosjean, only went and took pole, a race victory and a second place in the GP2 round this weekend. News about as welcome as a kick to the head you feel. 5/10

Kazuki Nakajima (13^th)
‘Copy’ and ‘paste’ first sentence of Piquet’s report here. Pitted early after contact at the start, rejoined at the back, but drove a long, solid second stint to move up the order. End of the day though, he finished in 13^th. With only 14 runners at the end of the race. 4/10

Giancarlo Fisichella (14^th)
Qualified last, and was last in the race (out of the finishers). The Force India is not the fastest car out on the track at the moment – quite the opposite in fact – but you have to ask yourself whether the Italian is the right man to push this team forward. Personally, I think this is his last season. Here’s hoping he can go out with a bang. I.e. points, not an explosion. 3/10

Kimi Räikkönen (15^th – RET)
Some say he lacks motivation, but how can you have any motivation when your team doesn’t persuade you to set another time in Q1, to make sure you make it into Q2? Out he went in Q1, and then started the race complaining that his KERS wasn’t working. He seemed to be all the better for it though after making up six places in the opening racing laps. Oh, and he also couldn’t see the lights at the start because the new rear wings are so big. All this then his car came to a grinding halt on lap 18. You could argue that he should have made the call to go back out in Q1 but when you have this much bad luck on race day it doesn’t really matter at all. A sentiment I am sure Raikkonen shares. 6/10 (for making up places at the start) 1/10 (Ferrari’s management of the Finn) 10/10 (for bad luck)

Heikki Kovalainen (16^th – RET)
It wasn’t a day for the Finns was it? A lacklustre qualifying performance followed by gearbox failure. He seems very relaxed for a man that has been completely outperformed by his team-mate this season, even if he has admittedly only finished two races thanks to a healthy dose of bad luck. 3/10

Jarno Trulli (17^th – RET)
Nudged off by Rosberg at the start and then rejoined the track, facing sideways. Cue a pile up that took out all the drivers below. A racing incident but not what Toyota need. 1/10

Sébastien Buemi (18^th – RET)
Taken out on lap one. 1/10

Sébastien Bourdais (19^th – RET)
Taken out on lap one. 1/10 (Level of anguish at Toro Rosso after both cars need collecting on a truck after not even completing one lap? 10/10)

Adrian Sutil (20^th – RET)
Went wide at turn one, only to rejoin the track at turn two, into Trulli. Not really his fault but when you don’t even make it round one turn successfully… 0/10

On an unrelated note, did anyone notice that the podium looked quite, umm, ‘old’ this weekend? Button, Barrichello, Webber… A combined age of 97 must be some sort of a record in recent years.

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

The Chinese Grand Prix was another soaking affair, yet this weekend it wasn’t Brawn GP scoring a one-two but Red Bull. Sebastian Vettel, who proved his prowess in the wet at last year’s Italian Grand Prix, once again drove faultlessly to score a maiden victory for the team.

1st: Sebastian Vettel
Having put his car on pole the German managed to keep the Brawns at bay and, despite atrocious conditions and safety cars, he drove brilliantly to his second career win. Escaped serious damage after Toro Rosso’s Buemi drove into the back of him, which goes to show just how much luck can play a part when it’s that wet. 9/10

2nd: Mark Webber
A career best for Webber who, although he was outdriven by his team-mate, managed to keep his car on the track – most of the time – and battled well with Button’s Brawn. 8/10

3rd: Jenson Button
Complained of severe grip problems after not getting any heat into the tyres, which meant that at some points he was weaving down the straight. Another solid race for Button, whose smooth style is just what’s needed when it’s this wet. A few mistakes, but overall a good weekend. 8/10

4th: Rubens Barrichello
Even though he has yet to outclass his team-mate in a Grand Prix this season Barrichello drove a solid, if a little uneventful, race. 7/10

5th: Heikki Kovalainen
Unlike Hamilton, Kovalainen drove a mature race and kept his car on the black stuff. Even if he didn’t have the speed that his team-mate showed on occasion, he will be satisfied with completing more than one lap of a Grand Prix, something that must have been starting to worry him a little. 7/10

6th: Lewis Hamilton
Got his car into Q3 for the first time this season and started well from ninth, storming through the field to fifth, only to spin off. He stormed through the field again, and then span off again… While he showed blistering pace his driving style means he doesn’t always conserve his tyres well. He complained of losing all grip on his front left after five laps, but he must accept some of the blame for that. Well done for pushing hard though – he had nothing to lose after all… 5/10

7th: Timo Glock
After starting 19th on the grid Glock drove smartly up the field, only for a clash with Heidfeld on lap 13 to delay him. He recovered well and despite meandering off course on a few occasions – something that you have to forgive drivers in weather like this – he clawed his way back up again. Although he is yet to do something spectacular, something tells me that he has a bright future ahead. 7/10

8th: Sebastien Buemi
The only rookie on the grid had a brilliant race, challenging Vettel for the drive of the day. He was lucky to escape after hitting the back of Vettel (who had slowed under yellow to avoid passing the car in front, which he thought was Barrichello but was in fact Trulli) but recovered well to another points-scoring finish. 8/10

9th: Fernando Alonso
Having put his car second on the grid with a light fuel load, the team decided to pull him in early after only seven laps – when the safety car was still out. He rejoined at the very back and with a full tank of fuel and zero visibility he struggled to work his way through the field. The Renault, however, was hardly the car of the day. Eventually made up ground, but a spin late meant he missed out on points when he was starting to show some real pace. 7/10

10th: Kimi Räikkönen
The Finn had real problems finding any grip at all and seemed to be going backwards at times. His team-mate had no such problems, but Räikkönen’s lack of speed was such that Hamilton overtook him on numerous occasions before spinning off again. Although he was classed fourth at one point he never worked his way back up the field after pitting. 5/10

11th: Sébastien Bourdais
His rookie team-mate showed that the Toro Rosso was one of the cars to have in the wet conditions, but Bourdais never looked like setting the world alight and spun so often that he never kept position. 5/10

12th: Nick Heidfeld
After a good start Heidfeld took over Webber’s mantel of the ‘unluckiest man of the day’, aquaplaning off the track, colliding with Glock on lap 13 and then being hit by one of Sutil’s wheels from the wreckage of his crash and losing four places as a result. 6/10

13th: Robert Kubica
Trulli was going so slowly it was inevitable that someone would drive into the back of him, and that someone was Kubica. The replacement wing fitted after that clash eventually worked loose, so he lost even more time pitting again. Kubica is a great driver but has had little to shout about so far this season – I suspect BMW will struggle to hold onto him if it can’t start to find some extra pace somewhere. 6/10

14th: Giancarlo Fisichella
Fisichella spent much of his time finding his way back onto the track and suffered severe graining problems with his tyres. Another sedate race for a man who can’t afford to keep being outdriven by his team-mate. 4/10

15th: Nico Rosberg
A day to forget for Rosberg who complained of severe visibility problems – something I would have thought most of the grid was suffering with… He did drive well, when he could see, but never really looked set to challenge. A late gamble on intermediates was a real long shot, but you’ve got to admire him for a least taking a punt. 5/10

16th: Nelsinho Piquet
Another dreadful day for Piquet. Again hugely outclassed by Alonso in qualifying and the race. He had to stop twice for a new nose after two huge spins and really doesn’t seem to have any positives to take away from the weekend. Another few races like this and his seat may not be safe for the rest of this season, let alone in 2010. 2/10

17th: Adrian Sutil
A good performance from the German, who was looking at a points finish until a spin and a big impact ended his race on lap 51. Another very disappointing outcome following a good strategy by the Force India team and a good drive. 6/10

18th: Kazuki Nakajima
Although he was unlucky to retire with transmission problems, he didn’t exactly make a huge impact when he was ‘on’ the track. Numerous spins and off-track excursions meant this was another weekend to forget. 4/10

19th: Felipe Massa
If Räikkönen’s speed was any measure of how fast the Ferrari was in these conditions, then Massa drove an absolute blinder. The Brazilian – often criticised for only being able to drive a good race from pole, or for not being able to drive in the wet (please see Silverstone 2008) – proved his critics wrong. A real shame that an electrical problem robbed him of his first points in 2009. 8/10

20th: Jarno Trulli
The Italian really struggled in the wet, complaining that he couldn’t get any grip and only lasted 13 laps before Kubica ploughed into the back of him. 5/10

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The F1 season is finally under way… After a winter of wondering whether Honda would be saved, whether McLaren could carry on its 2008 form and whether Piquet could turn things around and keep his Renault on the Tarmac, some of our questions have finally been answered.

So who started the season well? And who needs to up their game? I’ve gone through each driver and here’s what I think. Remember… it’s just a viewpoint!

Jenson Button (1st)
His car was the quickest on the grid, but he produced the goods when needed. He drove a solid race and only went a little awry during his second pitstop. A dream start for the man from Frome. 9/10

Rubens Barrichello (2nd)
After overshadowing his team-mate last season and in testing, the Brazilian faltered in the race and seemed to think his car was indestructible – luckily for him, on this occasion it was. Recovered well from a bad start, which the team was keen to point out was a mechanical problem, but ultimately wouldn’t have been on the podium if it weren’t for Masters Kubica and Vettel playing demolition derby in the final 10 minutes. 6/10

Lewis Hamilton (3rd)
Despite having one of the worst cars on the grid, Hamilton drove a quite brilliant race after starting from the back – thanks to a gearbox problem in qualifying – and stormed through the field. For me, the drive of the day. 9.5/10

Timo Glock (4th)
The German drove a mature race to finish fourth. Of course if it weren’t for the retirements of Vettel, Kubica and the demotion of team-mate Trulli, he wouldn’t have finished with so many points. However, you’d be hard pressed to argue that it wasn’t a successful day after starting from the pitlane and ending up with five points. 7/10

Fernando Alonso (5th)
Once again showed why he’s one of the most sought-after drivers on the grid by scoring points when his car really wasn’t worthy. Even if he did run wide in turn one, dropping him to the back… 8/10

Nico Rosberg (6th)
Pulled off the ‘manoeuvre of the afternoon’ on Räikkönen and posted fastest lap of the race. Struggled with the super soft compound tyre though. 8.5/10

Sébastien Buemi (7th)
A great first race for the only rookie on the grid. Stayed out of trouble and importantly beat his team-mate. 8/10

Sébastien Bourdais (8th)
The Frenchman had a disappointing afternoon, which he put down to his car “handling like a caravan”. Needs to dominate Buemi this season to keep his seat. 5/10

Adrian Sutil (9th)
Another strong performance, again outperforming his team-mate. Had to pit after an opening-lap collision but maintained a cool head to almost finish in the points. 6/10

Nick Heidfeld (10th)
Made a strong start (along with all the other KERS users) but had to pit for new tyres and wing after lap-one collision. Car just didn’t have the pace afterwards. 6/10

Giancarlo Fisichella (11th)
An embarrassing moment when he overshot his pit, which cost him a lot of time. Not one of the Italian’s finest hours. 5/10

Jarno Trulli (12th)
Almost a great race. Started in the pitlane and finished third, only to be told that he illegally overtook Hamilton under yellow. He will no doubt be back on the podium soon. 7.5/10

Mark Webber (13th)
Once again, the unluckiest man on the grid. Taken out of the reckoning in the first corner by Barrichello and struggled with the car thereafter. 6/10

Sebastian Vettel (14th)
A great performance up until the red mist came down and he tried to defend his place from Kubica. Admittedly the Pole didn’t give him much room. 7/10

Robert Kubica (15th)
Outdrove his team-mate and could possibly have robbed Button of victory at the end if it wasn’t for his collision with Vettel, which he should take equal blame for. 7/10

Kimi Räikkönen (16th)
In line for a second place if he hadn’t ended up embedded in the wall. A disappointing end after a good, if unexciting, race. 6/10

Felipe Massa (17th)
Lost a lot of ground with the super-soft tyres after the opening laps, pitted at the wrong time and then forced to retire. You could say he’s almost as lucky as Webber. 7/10

Nelsinho Piquet (18th)
Drove a strong race and looked set to finish in the points. However, a combination of cold tyres and brakes (and over-optimism) meant that he went straight on at turn one after the restart. 4/10

Kazuki Nakajima (19th)
Showed good pace up until he went wide at turn four and lost control, ending his race in the wall. He must stop making mistakes. 5/10

Heikki Kovalainen (20th)
Taken out at the first corner. Made a reasonable start though… 2/10

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

Some of you may remember that a couple of weeks ago my esteemed colleague Rob Widdows, wrote a blog about his predictions for the 2009 Grand prix season.

Well, I decided that it’s all very well making predictions but what are the odds of any of these happening? I annoyingly agree with almost every point Rob made, but others have different views and I decided that the only way to sort it – apart from waiting for a year – was to find out the odds of everything happening.

So here you go, Rob did say that he wasn’t taking any bets but Blue Square are apparently…

Robert Kubica to win the 2009 Drivers’ Championship: 6/1

McLaren to win the 2009 Constructors’ Championship: 15/8

The BMW F1.09 will win in Melbourne: 3/1

Giancarlo Fisichella will retire at the end of 2009: 10/3

Jarno Truilli will retire at the end of 2009: 7/2

Kimi Raikkonen will retire at the end of 2009: 11/4

Toyota will stop participating in Formula 1 at the end of 2009: 10/3

KERS will be stopped at the end of the season: 5/1

Williams will score over 50 points in the season: 2/3

Fernando Alonso will move to Ferrari in 2010: 11/4

Sir Fred Goodwin will be the next FIA president: 12/1

And a couple of others that I couldn’t resist while I was there…

Sebastien Loeb will win every rally this season: 7/1

Valentino Rossi to win the 2009 Championship: evens

James Toseland to win the 2009 Championship: 80/1

One of the most surprising ones? Loeb winning every rally this season at only 7/1. It appears that we aren’t the only ones that think the Frenchman is nigh on invincible.

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

It is truly remarkable just how many people love to watch motor racing. Almost everyone I meet knows something about the forthcoming Grand Prix season. Many have plans to go to at least one race. Many have their favourite drivers.

They all have opinions, both negative and positive, about the sport. I was queuing in a shop the other day when a man started telling me how wonderful Lewis Hamilton is. Then I was standing at a bar, having a quiet glass of wine, when a woman asked me who would win the championship this year?

I have no idea. Have you?

Lots of people ask me how Mr Ecclestone has managed to hold on to so much power. They all like to offer a wager on what will happen in 2009.

So, if we haven’t met, here are a few thoughts on the year ahead:

1.    The BMW F1.09 will be very fast in Melbourne.
2.    Robert Kubica will be in the hunt for the championship.
3.    Giancarlo Fisichella will retire.
4.    So will Jarno Trulli.
5.    And Kimi Räikkonen.
6.    Toyota will not continue into 2010.
7.    KERS will be very troublesome, and controversial.
8.    McLaren will win the constructors’ title.
9.    Williams will be revitalised and score points.
10.    Fernando Alonso will move to Ferrari in 2010.
11.    Sir Fred Goodwin will join the FIA.
12.    Rear tyre wear will be a headache.

I’m not taking any bets but some of these will come to pass.

More interestingly, David Coulthard will be the star of the new BBC TV coverage. This will reinvigorate Martin Brundle and the coverage will be warmly received.

Plans for a Grand Prix in London will be announced. Boris Johnson will support the plan and Donington will be put on hold

Aston Martin will not win Le Mans but the team will bring the race back into the headlines. The cars will look wonderful, sound terrific.

Meanwhile I have been talking to Bob Dance, chief mechanic at Team Lotus during the golden years of Colin Chapman’s innovative team. The old mechanics are simply the most colourful, entertaining and honest people you’ll ever meet in this sport. Bob has so many great stories from the Grands Prix of the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s that he could fill the fattest possible book. He was a big fan of Mario Andretti, another huge character from the days when etc, etc. Mechanics tell good stories so keep an eye open for Mr Dance’s recollections of a wild night out with the 1978 World Champion in the magazine soon.

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

The Formula 1 circus has come to Monaco and so far, apart from a few gentle brushes with the walls, the whole grid has managed to complete the opening two practice sessions.

The forecast is for rain and what better race to have it at than Monaco, when none of the drivers have raced without traction control in the wet yet. If the promised rain does arrive, the race – I fear – will be won by the most level headed and cautious driver on the day.

Hamilton seems to love the circuit through the Principality and spent much of the day at the top of the sheets. Raikkonen did respond with a flurry of quick laps at the end of the first session and nudged the Brit from 1st place; however, Hamilton was even quicker in the next session and was only briefly knocked off the top of the sheets by Rosberg, who seems to be in great form in the Williams.

Piquet still seems to be struggling with the Renault – Alonso was 1.5 seconds quicker in P1 and then a second quicker in P2. Last year Briatore was very publicly vocal about Kovalainen taking time to get up to speed yet remains silent on Piquet’s pace. I doubt he is as relaxed as he looks but I suspect it is only a matter of time before the pressure of needing to perform further hampers the young Brazilian.

The McLarens do have the measure of the Ferraris for the time being, but as speculated the Scuderia is certainly not as far back as last year. As for the race – well, thanks to the overtaking possibilities in Monaco, much of the result depends on how the drivers do in qualifying. I would have thought, bar a problem or a mistake, Hamilton will take pole, with either one of the Ferraris or Kovalainen lining up alongside him.

However, with the likes of Rosberg showing the pace he is at the moment and the BMWs going well, I will no doubt be completely wrong. (When Hamilton does get pole I’ll delete this last sentence).
Practice 1

Practice 2

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So here we are in Istanbul, Turkey. The sun isn’t quite shining, but it certainly looks like we’ll be in for a good race on Sunday – this being one of the Formula 1 tracks where it is actually possible to overtake.

As expected the Ferraris seem to be roughly half a second quicker than the McLarens. Although the times are much closer than that, the long runs suggest that the Scuderia’s cars do hold a clear advantage. As for Hamilton‘s time in P2, well… he went out right at the end and completed just the one flying lap so who knows how much fuel he had in.

The Renaults showed that their pace in Barcelona wasn’t a one-off with two strong sessions from Alonso and it’s good to see Red Bull up in the top 5. Webber clipped the grass early on in the second session which sent his car spinning into the barrier. The Australian was unhurt but the armco certainly did a pretty good job of short-wheel basing the car.

As for the rest, Kovalainen seemed to have left his sense of self-preservation in the hospital, as he was straight back on the pace. A quite remarkable feat considering he suffered a 26G crash less than two weeks ago. The BMWs don’t seem to be as close to McLaren as they have been promising but, as I said before, the practice times can be a little misleading.

So predictions for the Grand Prix on Sunday? Short of a breakdown or moment of madness from Raikkonen or Massa, the Ferraris look as though they could take another 1-2. As for the last place on the podium, I would have thought that both Hamilton and Kovalainen have the pace to take it.

Having bad mouthed the ITV F1 live feed the other week, I am pleased to say that it is vastly improved. Last time I watched something on there I spent an hour and a half staring at a frozen screen with snippets of flying laps sped up a hundred times so that the ‘feed’ could catch up again. However, its gremlins seem to be cured and you can now sit back and soak up the sound of the V8s. Whether this was down to me and my blog, I very much doubt, but it is now a pretty good place to catch the practice sessions.

Practice 1

Practice 2

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So the European season has begun. Almost all 22 cars completed the two Friday practices without incident and the Ferraris look like they are the pace setters at the moment. The Scuderia occupied the top two spots in the opening practice and were just under half a second quicker than Hamilton. Massa managed (after I had said that his ‘moments’ would become less frequent from Bahrain onwards) to spin twice, once at the chicane on his flying lap and then on the exit of turn 8 later on in the first practice.

The most interesting part of the two opening practice sessions? Well in the first, a second covered the first 4 cars and in the second, it covered a quite remarkable 12 cars. Indeed, if you ignore the Super Aguris, all the cars were within two seconds of Räikkönen’s fastest time. It may surprise you even more that in the second Friday practice in the French Grand Prix last year, the top 15 cars set times within 1 second of each other. And they say Formula 1 isn’t interesting…

On the subject of Super Aguris, it is great to see them on track as up until today they were still in talks with Honda over whether or not they could actually compete this weekend. With the rule changes next year, the Japanese manufacturer has made it quite clear that they aren’t prepared to keep shelling out inordinate amounts of money to keep Aguri Suzuki afloat. After one possible backer dropped out at the last minute the team is again looking for a sponsor. Let’s hope that they find one otherwise this may well be one of the last times we see them on the Grand Prix circuit.

I was actually quite surprised to see them leave the garage this morning as competing over a race weekend amounts to what us mere mortals would consider a cash bonfire. Of course, they don’t want to miss out on the money they receive for competing in a Grand Prix.

As for the rest… The Renaults certainly looked quick in the second session but watching the onboard footage it looked as though both drivers were pushing pretty hard. Whether they can keep that sort of pace up over the whole weekend, I doubt. Force India, after saying mid-week that they are ready to get into Q3, have taken another step forward with strong finishes in the second session.

Whether all the teams were actually trying to set quick times, I am not convinced. I suggest that the Ferraris are going to be hard to beat come Sunday and the McLarens seem to have the edge over the BMWs for the time being.

The good news for all of you is that Nigel Roebuck is getting ready to write his first www.motorsportmagazine.co.uk Grand Prix Report and will share his views with us, here, after the race on Sunday. For a far more insightful and interesting read… log back on, Sunday evening and go via the ‘Grand Prix Reports’ link on the homepage to read it.

Practice 1

Practice 2

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Well, Massa needed a win, or at the very least a strong performance with all four wheels staying firmly on the Tarmac, and he delivered. From when the red lights went out he dominated a fairly uneventful race for the two Ferrari cars and finished over three seconds ahead of his Finnish team-mate.

He has a good record in Bahrain, having won there last year ahead of Hamilton and Raikkonen, but the fact that he managed to drive such a dominant race after so much criticism was a testament to his mental and driving ability. I am not saying he is cured of his moments – but if he can drive like this for the rest of the reason, they will be forgotten by many.

As for the McLarens, Hamilton had yet another disastrous race. He was extremely slow off the line, his car looking as though he tried to draw away in 3rd, and dropped back to 10th place. He then slammed into the back of Alonso and consequently had to pit for a new nose cone. With the rest of his race hampered by a heavy fuel load and traffic he came home a disappointing 13th.

His team-mate, however, drove an undramatic race to finish 5th. It is obvious that the BMWs are quicker than the McLarens now (or at least in Bahrain) and hopefully for the Woking-based squad they will have found more speed from somewhere, come the European season. If not, they will be the ‘BMWs of 2008′ – the team that is relying on others not to finish in order to score good points and finish on the podium. Something that none of them would accept.
But well done Kovalainen, he may not have the raw pace of Hamilton but his lows are much higher than Hamilton’s when things go wrong. Something that, come Australia, may well count towards beating his team-mate in the Championship standings.

The BMWs both looked strong with Kubica finishing 3rd, and Heidfeld only three and a half seconds behind him. They have had a remarkable start to the season – lets hope they can continue competing for the podium. They certainly have one of the strongest driver line-ups on the grid.

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Massa looked very much the strongest driver all weekend until Robert Kubica took the first pole of his career in Q3. Whether he was carrying a much lighter fuel load or not, we won’t know until tomorrow. If this is the case or not – he drove a remarkably good lap.

At the front of the grid, it was business as usual. The Ferraris still seem to have the measure of the McLarens and, as predicted, Hamilton managed to qualify ahead of Raikkonen, (I have to point this out as all my other predictions are so far off I have promised myself never to bet on Formula 1).

Again, the ‘Don’ of one lap pace – Trulli – finished well in 7th and for the first time this season Button made it into the third session. Having been bold enough to say that the Toyotas just don’t have the race pace to finish in the points earlier this season, I stand corrected. Having been the only team that started with a clean sheet of paper for their 2008 car they seem to be consistently capable of scoring points. Add to that the fact that they are one of only two teams to test in Bahrain – expect more of the same tomorrow.

It was good to see Button finish the day 9th on the grid. The Honda is improving and I suggest it will continue to do so. Brawn has made it clear that he has the ability to make on-the-spot decisions which before had to go through days of committees. With the capacity to move forward unhindered by delays (in the right direction) they really should be scoring points sooner rather than later.

However, if there was one driver with ‘less luck’ than Webber – you’d probably have to say Button was up there with the ‘best’ of them. Lets just hope that’s not the case on race day.

Predictions for tomorrow? Well, if Massa stays on the track and his Ferrari engine doesn’t decide to pack-up then I am sure he will finish on the podium. Whether he can keep Raikkonen behind him or whether Kubica has the pace to challenge the Scuderia over a long distance I am not sure, but the Pole is certainly in the right position to fight for his best finish yet. I don’t think the McLarens have the speed to trouble the two teams on the front row so I doubt whether they’ll be on the podium. Who knows… knowing my predictions, the podium will consist of McLarens and Red Bulls.

Qualifying

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For the first time I decided to watch the two practice sessions on the ITV site with their ‘live feed’. This was, without a doubt, my worst Formula 1 viewing session ever. The fact that there isn’t any commentary is brilliant. An hour and a half of unrelenting, unmolested noise is wonderful.

However, as soon as it lulls you into a V8-induced slumber the sound is taken over by what can only be described as ET on speed. The picture then decides to pack up its bags and go home, leaving you in a suspended state, watching… well… nothing. Everyone in the office thought that I had finally lost the plot and was lost in a photo of the F1 ITV logo.

At first I thought it was something our end but with the latest Macs, this is utter rubbish. I understand that a ‘live stream’ is never going to be perfect but this was an utter waste of time. Raikkonen lost it at one point, and someone else did but I can’t for the life of me tell you who. They were using Bridgestones though. That was what the screen decided to freeze on anyway.

There is something quite eerie about the Bahrain circuit. There are no landmarks to speak of on track and the tarmac is so wide it looks like the cars have all been bought by Corgi. A fascinating place as Rob Widdows will tell you in the next issue of the magazine.

As for the racing, the Ferraris look like the ones to beat with Massa finishing the second practice nearly a second quicker than his team-mate Raikkonen. However, the Ferrari garage isn’t all sunshine and smiles as Raikkonen lost it in both practice sessions, needing to return to the pits in the first to get sand removed from his car. The dusty nature of the circuit does seem to be causing problems as many drivers were struggling for grip in the opening laps of the first session. If Massa can keep his pace throughout the weekend and stay on track it will certainly silence a few of his critics.

Hamilton ran well but lost it at turn 7 late in the second practice sending him sideways into the barrier. His car is badly damaged but we have heard that he is fine. As he said on Top Gear, he does occasionally enjoy a “good shunt”.

The Williams are back on form after Malaysia and the McLarens are biting at the heals of the Ferraris. What will happen in qualifying? Well, as long as everything goes according to plan, I suggest Massa will get pole, with Raikkonen making up the front row. Hamilton may well be able to beat Raikkonen to it but looking at the speed of the Scuderia’s cars he will have to carry much less fuel. Time will tell.

The rest? Well, the Toyotas don’t seem to be as fast here as they were in Malaysia. And five teams have finished with times that put their drivers next to each other on the time sheets. You may well ask; how much difference does the driver make? Quite a bit I think and that’s why I am sure that Kimi is going to push Massa all the way, even if his time sheet does look as good as the Brazilian’s so far.

Practice 1

Practice 2

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The second round of the World Championship saw Ferrari take a dominant victory, with Raikkonen crossing the line some 20 seconds ahead of BMW’s Kubica.

Massa, who took pole yesterday, was leap-frogged by his Finnish team-mate during the first round of pit stops and later spun off. It isn’t clear as to why he lost the back end but I suspect there was a slight driver error, something that Massa isn’t new to.

As for the McLarens, well, both of the cars were penalised 5 grid places yesterday for holding up Nick Heidfeld, and in my opinion rightly so. As I mentioned in the Qualifying report, the speeds which they were doing their fuel saving in lap at were lethal considering the BMW was closing at 170mph. So having started from 8^th and 9^th, Hamilton got a great start and come the end of lap one was up to 5^th. Kovalainen did well, but didn’t manage to get higher than 7^th in the opening stages.

It was during Hamilton’s first pit stop that his hopes of a podium were dashed as there was so much brake dust on his front right that the pit crew couldn’t get the wheel off. The stop took some 20 seconds meaning that a final position of 5^th was about all he could hope for.

The real surprise for the day was that Trulli managed to keep his qualifying pace and ended the race in 4^th position. After two dreadful seasons it seems that Toyota have finally made a more competitive car. Indeed they were one of the only teams to start with a blank piece of paper for their 2008 car, most teams being content to revise their 2007 cars considering the rule changes coming in to place next year.

Coulthard, having been openly critical of Massa’s move in the Australian Grand Prix which took him out of the race, has since changed the mirrors on his Red Bull – perhaps not the best advert for being innocent?

Although Ferrari can leave the weekend with a well-deserved win it will be playing on their minds that, after losing three cars to engine failures last weekend (Raikkonen, Massa and a Toro Rosso which uses a Ferrari engine), Adrian Sutil’s engine (another Ferrari customer) failed on Friday. It is rare for even one engine to fail during a weekend’s racing, let alone an average of 2 every Grand Prix.

The Australian Grand Prix it wasn’t; there were certainly less accidents for a start, but Sepang’s final results were a remarkably fair reflection on all the drivers’ and cars’ pace. The BMWs were the second quickest cars out there, behind the Ferraris. While the McLarens, even though they started down in 8^th and 9^th, really didn’t have the pace to have fought for a win.

Well done Kimi for another typically relaxed win.

Constructors Championship

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The Formula 1 World Championship certainly got off to an action-packed start – 9 cars taken out of contention by accidents, 5 breakdowns, a disqualification and only 7 finishers.

Hamilton avoided the carnage that unravelled behind him and romped home to take the top spot on the podium. The British driver could hardly relax as his lead was constantly cut by safety car interventions, however, he kept his cool and never put a foot wrong.

As always he congratulated the team on how well the car was running and dropped a small line about the difference to last year’s McLaren, “the car was phenomenal, a complete dream to drive compared to last year.” Whether this was a loaded comment or not – it certainly made it clear that Hamilton backs himself without the ‘help’ of Alonso’s experience in car setup and development.

The real action though, took place behind the leading McLaren. The Ferraris had a dreadful day with both cars spinning and then eventually retiring with engine failures. Massa was quick to say that Ferraris shouldn’t have such problems but if I am not mistaken it was exactly this that gave Alonso a second title in 2006, when Schumacher’s car drifted to a halt.

The Scuderia will no doubt be quick to sort the problem but it must be playing on their minds having come away from a Grand Prix weekend with only 1 point. Nowadays it is rare for even a single car to break down, unless of course you were driving a Red Bull last year, so for both to come to grinding halt… well it will be about as easy to stomach as their arch rival cruising to an easy victory, especially with their record at Albert Park.

Kovalainen was one of the unlucky, fortunate drivers of the day. Fortunate because he managed to avoid the various impacts happening around him but unlucky because a third safety car period meant that his pit stop left him well down the order. Ron Dennis was clearly pleased when the Finn overtook Alonso near the end but sadly Kovalainen accidentally hit the pit lane speed limiter button while removing a tear-off from his visor, letting Alonso cruise past with 1 lap remaining. The fact that he got the fastest lap of the race will be small consolation. Still, his debut for McLaren was certainly more successful than his opening race for Renault.

Alonso showed just what a class act he is while carving through the field and pulling off great manoeuver after great manoeuver. Although the Renault was clearly off the pace, he managed to bring the car home 4th. Piquet’s debut was similar to Kovalainen’s first few races last season – the Brazilian spent much of the race running at the back and was eventually taken out of contention when his car was involved in an accident.

Honda had a similarly bad day as Button was involved in an accident at turn one on the opening lap and Barrichello, having finished in 6th was later disqualified for leaving the pit lane on a red light, giving Raikkonen the point.

Rosberg got his first podium with a solid third position and rightly so; he drove a good race and proved that this will be the first of many now that the car is competitive enough to occasionally trouble the McLarens, Ferraris, and BMWs. Heidfeld took second place and it was a shame that Kubica, after such a good qualifying, was involved in an accident which ended his race just over ten laps from the end.

I can’t believe that every Formula 1 race this season will be as chaotic as Albert Park – but it just may be that banning traction control was the sport’s best move in recent history. To see the likes of Raikkonen pushing it hard enough to spin while attempting to overtake someone was a reminder of just how difficult these cars are to keep on the straight and narrow when on the limit. The Finn shrugged off his erratic driving in typical fashion by merely saying that he “was a bit too optimistic.”

It was the unlikely face of Nakajima that summed the day up though, after bringing the second Williams home in 6th place, he concluded that “to get to the end today was great.” How right he was, and long may unpredictable Formula 1 continue.

Manufacturer standings

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