Observations

We are one race short of the halfway mark of the 2008 Formula 1 season. And at this point, some surprises have emerged. BMW are second in the constructor's championship and leading driver Robert Kubica is also in second of the driver's race. Surprising to say the least and I would not have expected these guys to have kept their season opening momentum to go on for so long. Hopefully the guys in Hinwil and Munich keep pushing on to the end.

Toyota and Red Bull are neck and neck in the middle order. Toyota especially is a big surprise. The cars certainly are quick and they've even managed a podium spot in last weekend's French Grand Prix. Had they not shot themselves in the foot in 2006 with that last minute switch to Bridgestone tyres and then sacking the technical director for the marketing men's own mistakes I reckon they'd be at least on BMW level by now. As it is, this lumbering giant is making slow progress. But progress nevertheless and they are outperforming their customers at Williams. Deadly rivals Honda are absolutely nowhere this season as they were last year and Toyota's results must be hurting them a lot in Tokyo.

Red Bull on the other hand is a customer team that is completely whipping the works Renaults. Some say the Renault engine has huge flaws. That may be so but the Red Bulls are at this stage making better use of their motor and despite the presence of Fernando Alonso, the works cars can do nothing about it. Its good to see a "private" entry murdering the big manufacturer. Although in this case its a well financed privateer.

Lewis Hamilton didnt deserve to have the 10 spot penalty for France. Not at all. He deserved to have his superlicense sanctioned and placed under probation for his act of pure incompetence in Montreal. Its one thing for you to crash into another car whilst your brake balance is out of whack at 180 mph but to completely miss two stationary cars right in front of you whilst travelling at the leisurely speed of 80 km/h is a sign of pure stupidity. And the twit doesn't even want to admit his mistake. "If" he says, he has ruined Kimi's race then he is sorry. Its not an "if" moron. You bloody well chucked it out the window. And once again, in France he completely denies his any wrongdoing when it was clear that he gained an advantage by straightlining the chicane.

And apologising to the team for not doing his best. Oh come on. That was pure pretense designed solely for the benefit of the media. Ron has trained this one well. But of course, the British media are now quickly turning on him as is their habit. I suppose having enjoyed the adoring attention in the past, he likes it not one bit. But being the big mouth that he is, he's now taking them on with all sorts of trashy talk.

And just who was the idiot who suggested that he be suspended on wires and lowered on to a stage play in London? I really do not understand just what good he or the Porsche crashing train driver (son gets a little money and buy some nice toys for yourself eh?) thought that would do. Is he supposed to be a racing driver or a clown? That is just pure humiliation but it really befits him.

Without sympathising with Hamilton it brings me to the point on what Formula 1 drivers have to go through these days. Its no wonder Kimi is so fed up and there is talk of his retirement. All the stupid media responsibilities, meeting up with stupid corporate sponsors, annoying fans, I mean, who the hell needs that? Isn't his own display of skill and speed on the track enough? Thats what he gets paid to do. Drive the car like the devil himself. And while he doesn't put on a fake smile at least he is honest unlike these young PR washed robo-drivers like Hamilton.

Why do these people think they own him? I completely sympathise as this just reeks of rampant American style NASCAR commercialism that fools like Joe Saward of Grandprix.com keeps on preaching about. Hey this is racing. Its not supposed to wrestling sport entertainment. If thats what you want, then bloody well go watch stupid NASCAR where the good old boys will happily smile like idiots for "the show."

And note to Joe Saward, if you love NASCAR so much then bloody well write about NASCAR. I am really am so sick of reading about stupid theme parks, hamburgers and silly romance novels that you think are such fantastic ideas for grand prix racing. There is a cultural gulf between America and the rest of the world and guess what? We don't always care about, want or need American ideas. And what annoys me most is the increased American inspired commerical exploitation that is inevitably changing grand prix racing for the worse.

Poor Baby Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton took some time out last weekend to protest the actions of his teammate during the start of the Belgian Grand Prix. We all know the incident. Coming into the remodeled La Source hairpin, Fernando took the inside line into the turn locking up his brakes. Hamilton took the outside line. Exiting La Source, Fernando, to me at least simply took a normal exit out and in the process chopped across Hamilton, in a move that reminds me of tintop racing.

According to Fernando, the cars did not touch. But as well saw Hamilton was "forced off" across the run off grass and into the run off tarmac. Oh poor little Lewis decided to cry about it to the press. Funny though for it seemed to me that taking the "Nigel Mansell line" out of La Source, taking an extremely wide exit in excess of the white line leads to a faster exit and truth be told Hamilton was slightly ahead as the two McLarens went side by side into Eau Rouge.

Its very rich for that brat Hamilton to complain about some rough play. After all, here is the guy who is not shy to shut the door on everyone else. Indianapolis anybody? Or the often mentioned chopping across at the start line reminiscent of Michael Schumacher. Heck, at the Malaysian Grand Prix this year Hamilton was spotted weaving on the straights in his attempts to keep Massa behind.

Be that as it may, there is such a thing as lifting off and there is a device called the brake. Hamilton if he had wanted to could have deployed either as Fernando went across him. Hamilton in his press statement said that Fernando knew he was there. Yes I would suspect so but that doesn't mean he has to give way to you, Hammy boy. But I suppose after being spoon fed by Ron Dennis all through his career he expects other people to breast feed him as well.

I have heard that Fernando refuses to share his setup data with Hamilton. Well, good for Fernando I say. Lets see how the gang-starr does without it. I have been harsh in my comments about Fernando recently. But having said that I firmly believe that McLaren would not be in such a competitive position today without the double world champion. The impression you get sometimes is that having helped enormously with the development of the car, the team rallies behind their baby boy. Fernando some might say, just doesn't feel the love. But I suppose he has a right to feel like the team owes him something. I don't condone what Fernando has done in the recent case (that's not the way to get back at the team) but I can understand how he must feel.

Well lets see what happens in '08. I'm sure Fernando is leaving and I do hope he'll be off to Ferrari. Now what a pairing that would make, Fernando and Kimi. As for McLaren, lets see how far they manage without the Spaniard. But who to replace him? Well, from the way he's been driving lately and with the experiences of Williams from last year, I would imagine Nico Rosberg would be an excellent choice.

I leave with this closing thought. If anyone wants an example of hooliganism on the track, then I would point the finger at Filipe Massa. Fernando was on the inside of the left hander in Barcelona and Massa simply steers the wheel to take his normal line. There's a big difference, Fernando at that point was side by side. Massa, the git, tried it again at the Nurburgring but failed. Fernando had every right to protest at the argy bargy. However, I suppose because Hamilton wasn't involved in both cases, nobody, least of all the British press, see fit to complain.

Alonso's Ultimatum?

Now bear in mind how much the British press loves their prodigal son, Hamilton and it would seem to me in turn loves to paint Fernando Alonso in a bad light. Be that as it may, some serious allegations have been reported by both the Guardian and The Times, that none other than Fernando Alonso, threatened to leak information prejudicial to McLaren, to the FIA. Ron Dennis, who doesn't take shite from no one, called his bluff apparently and phoned Max Mosley directly. If true, I think its such a shameful act from an otherwise talented driver.

I take you back to 1986 when Ayrton Senna was in his second season with the Lotus team. Derek Warwick was slated to join him at Lotus but Ayrton apparently vetoed that decision, to which the team deferred to and put Johnny Dumfries in the second seat. Now, the British press likes to harp on that. However, the difference between that situation and the one facing Alonso today is that the Lotus team simply could not and did not have the resources to give both drivers equal opportunity at the championship. Ayrton knew this and quickly nipped it in the bud. Alas, despite this Lotus or should I say Renault still could not give him a car / engine to win the title. By contrast, at McLaren and later Williams, Aryton really couldn't be bothered who his teammate was for he knew he'd blow anyone out of the water.

Fast forward to 2007. McLaren is a team that can provide equal treatment for both its drivers. Frankly speaking I still rate Alonso's driving ahead of Hamilton but Alonso's attitude thus far has not put him in good stead. It seems to me that he's pressuring himself for nothing and on top of that demands special treatment. Despite Michael Schumacher's achievements, I've always looked upon his favourable treatment by Ferrari as a blemish. Why does Alonso want to do the same? How could he have allowed his confidence to be so dented that he resorts to throwing the toys out of the pram?

If these allegations are true then, I have certainly lost respect for the man. I mean, whatever happens, you do not threaten your team in that manner. It reeks of disloyalty. In fact it shows an utter lack of class.

Ron Dennis must have been in a really tight pickle. Perhaps being proud, he simply called the bluff. The consequence of which now is a ban on the constructor's championship and a USD100m fine. Some say thats offset by the USD30m or so McLaren would receive from FOM. But still thats a USD100m total that will be missing from the coffers. And that folks is not hay. Its a serious dent on McLaren's finances. One that threatens not only the competitiveness of its cars but I would imagine with all that debt carried from the building of its new Technology Centre, a serious blow to its status as a going concern.

I think that the punishment is way in excess of the crime. If you can really call it a crime in the first place. Whatever it may be its a helluva way to play poker, Ron. I know Ron Dennis is a man of integrity but at what cost?

I sincerely hope all these allegations aren't true. I really do. I think I shall not be the only Alonso fan who would be terribly disappointed by such behaviour. Hard charger on the track is fine. Tough racer on the track, brilliant. But threats of this nature and the demands for leading status, I cannot agree with.

Team Strategy vs Team Orders

The British media calls it team orders, Ron Dennis insists that its strategy. The FIA has just said that no further action is to be taken but prior to that Bernie was calling for blood.

In the first place, if it is team orders, I would be incredibly surprised these early on in the season from a team that has in the past let both drivers loose on the racetrack. Anyone remember when Prost and Senna were both at McLaren? McLaren has mostly been fair to its drivers unlike some other teams. But there have been incidents. Exceptions rather than the rule. Jerez 1997 for instance.

Be that as it may, the British media and Lewis Hamilton himself has expressed displeasure at Hamilton being told to take it easy and hold station behind his teammate in last weekend's Monaco Grand Prix.

But seriously, what the hell could Hamilton have done if indeed he were given a free hand? In 1992, Senna held off a charging Nigel Mansell who was 5 seconds quicker than himself towards the end of the race. Monaco is not a place where you can overtake. And before anyone brings it up, Rubens Barrichello was a fool and did not defend his line when he let Michael through in the 2005 Monaco Grand Prix. Fernando Alonso however has proven himself adept at defending his position in far more difficult circumstances. Turkey last year and at San Marino in 2005 for instance. At Monaco, overtaking is nigh impossible against one such as Fernando.

So what the hell does Hamilton think he could have done? Play bumper cars with Fernando perhaps? Far better to have saved his car and engine for Montreal than do something really stupid as he did in free practise for last weekend's race. If the little prick wanted to win then he should have kept his car on the island during free practise and put a perfectly good car on pole on Saturday and driven a faster starting and middle stint than his teammate on Sunday. He did none of these things and the blame for not winning lies squarely on him. If the British media had any sense, they would have picked this up instead of harping on about holding station.

The British media are well known for this sort of action and in fact have been harassing poor Fernando over the last few months. Whatever may be the case, Fernando simply cannot win with these idiots. You would expect this sort of thing from The Sun or The Daily Mail but even broadsheets like The Times have joined in the melee, acting very much like the yobs who buy their rubbish newspapers.

You see this sort of behaviour from the British media after football matches. And now here it is again (a repeat of Mansell mania) in racing. The only thing for Fernando to do is simply to beat this young brat Hamilton to shut him up and shut the damned yobs up for good.

Ron Dennis claims that it is the best strategy for Monaco. And perhaps he is right. But once upon a time, he asked Ayrton Senna to slow down, also at Monaco. Ayrton lost concentration and hit the wall. Funny how McLaren always seem to run into trouble when asking their drivers to slow down.

What To Make Of Hamilton?

On the back of 3 successive podium finishes the media hails him as the next Schumacher. On the other hand, I'd urge a little caution before heaping such praise on Hamilton. The fact remains that on 2 out of the 3 races he's had so far, he's been beaten by his teammate. But nevertheless, Hamilton has exceeded my expectations and in fact he is a very solid driver indeed, I have to (grudgingly) admit.

Watching the two McLaren drivers in Sepang I was hard pressed to spot the differences in their driving styles. However, as Hamilton hounded Filipe Massa in Bahrain, I did notice one inescapable fact. He drives like a karter. He loves the edge of the track and takes a late turn in to the hairpin and clips a late apex. By comparison, Massa takes a much earlier turn in and tighter line. Hamilton's driving does in fact reflect Michael's early on in the great German's career. Lots of sharp turn ins, lots of brake lock ups.

Anyone who's watched him in the junior formulae will recognise that the almost cocky style of driving has been carried forward into Formula 1. In the GP2 last year, he was blindingly quick, at times up to a second faster than his rivals. When behind and chasing, he darts and weaves in a manner that leaves the viewer in no doubt of the man's confidence in his abilities and that of his car. It reminds me of his fellow Briton Nigel Mansell.

But confidence is certainly what he has in spades. That's how he's been able to handle the pressures and expectations. In fact, I believe he relishes the press he gets and the more he gets the more he thrives. Confidence. Thats what attracted Ron Dennis to him in the first place. In fact more than confident he's a little cocky to me. A bit like Michael I guess. If you can't see this on the track, you'll definitely notice it in the press conferences.

Let's not get carried away with the Schumacher mantle. There have been other drivers with impressive debuts as well. Have we all forgotten Juan Pablo Montoya so quickly? He too exploded into the scene with Williams and in the process gave Michael Schumacher a scare in only his second race overtaking Michael with such insolence and confidence in Sao Paolo. And like Hamilton, Juan Pablo also excelled in the junior formulae. Nick Heidfeld for instance can tell you how the Colombian simply blew him away in F3000. But now look where Juan Pablo has ended up. Quite a waste and potential unfulfilled.

But what Hamilton has got that Juan Pablo never had is a cool head, no doubt drummed into him under the tutelage of Ron Dennis. As I've said before, old Ron must be thrilled by the performance of his protege. But beat Fernando? I am as yet unconvinced. In time perhaps.

In the meantime, I wonder which rap artist will come up with a tune with the lyrics, "I bust a move like my name was Lewis Hamilton." Or something like that. And how long before Hamilton buys a Bentley slammed with 21 inch wheels?

Saturday Morning At Sakhir

How about that Super Aguri? Kimi Raikkonen may have topped the charts on Friday and today its Hamilton's turn but the surprise of free practise this Saturday must be Ant who managed 5th fastest time of 1m 32.900s. This was still some 0.357s behind Hamilton but still ahead of Filipe Massa who managed sixth fastest.

By contrast the two underachieving Hondas of Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello managed 16th and 18th respectively, split by Ant's teammate Takuma Sato. Jenson Button was a little more than a second away from Ant and about 1.2 seconds quicker than Sato.

And this was the man who was considered surplus to the works team? For sure, this is merely the practise session and it doesn't count but come on. The big boys in the paddock must surely open their eyes and notice this!

Of the rest, championship leader Fernando has been slower than Hamilton all weekend long and the same thing has happened before when they tested here in the winter. God I hope he's not going to keep doing this in qualy and the race. I'm quite sick of the British press and their Hamilton suckfest.

But happily, Filipe Massa has been outpaced by Raikkonen in all the sessions so far and that is something new this year. Personally I hope this trend continues on.

The Beemers have looked threatening all weekend and are always in the top 5. The times are quite close in this last practise session. Just a shade over 1 second covers the top ten in this free practise. It should be quite a good qualy coming up in about an hour and halfs time.

The customer teams are once again doing very well thank you very much against their respective works teams.

Mark Webber's Red Bull Renault is once again ahead of the works Renaults. Oh, I can imagine the pain Flav is going through right now. A little pain wouldn't hurt the man after his cockiness in the past two (Alonso) years. His cars are back in ninth and tenth. Now if only Webber can do this in the race.

Both Nico and Wurz are in the Williams Toyotas have been outpacing the works Toyotas for most of the weekend except for first practise yesterday. I just hope all these customer teams convert their practise performances into factory beating exploits.

One thing's for sure the Hondas are going nowhere and I would imagine there is a good chance that both the Super Aguris will be heading the works cars to the chequered flag.

Now That's A Result!

It seems like ages but finally the boys from Woking have managed a win and in some style as well scoring a 1-2 result thats long overdue. As Fernando himself said in the post race interview, if Filipe had got ahead at the start, it surely would have been more difficult. But too bad he shot himself in the foot.

Oh how the British press will have an even bigger field day now what with their young pup Hamilton performing like he did. Well, its no surprise really after a season in the overtaking rich GP2 series last year. Moves like that which he pulled against Raikkonen and Massa at the start are common place in the junior formulae. And maybe its even easier in grand prix racing since these cars have traction control and electronic diffs. Well, at least at the start of the race anyway.

But you gotta love the way he defended himself against Filipe. The Brazilian attempted two moves against the Briton into turn 4. In the first move, he got on the inside of Hamilton, locked up and ran wide. Hamilton does a switchback and retakes second spot. Filipe was not to learn his lesson however for a lap later the same thing happens. But this time, Hamilton stuck in the middle of the road taking Massa completely offline and quite possibly into the a dirty piece of tarmac for it seemed that under braking Filipe had no traction at all. Hamilton too locked up but I should think that was some premeditated intimidation tactics on his part. Reminds me of kart racing actually. Filipe (to my utter delight, I must confess) ran off the road and lost places to both Kimi and Heidfeld.

Fernando however, ran a majestic race in front. The McLarens are closer now but again here as in Australia, we won't really know how close they are until the faster of the two Ferraris, that of Filipe actually gets into a proper fighting position. But surely the McLarens have improved since Australia. May it carry on season long. Fernando is not one of those drivers that wastes opportunities and he took this one eyes closed. People may be tipping Massa for the title but I think Fernando is really the one to watch out for. It must be a relief for the Spaniard as well seeing how McLaren performed last year but he's landed in the team at just the right time.

For someone of Kimi's reputation I felt he was running a numbers game out there. Certainly he kept his head better than his teammate and if he ends up in the season ahead of Filipe or even wins the world championship then it definitely would be because of performances like today. I am however disappointed that he doesn't seem to be able to assert himself fully just yet. But also remember that there were quite a number of days when Filipe was quicker than Michael himself last season. And surely the Brazilian has improved even more now.

Lest we forget Hamilton was sublimely quick in his second stint setting a 1m 36.701s fastest lap and closing the gap on Alonso. Whats even more impressive was that after the second stops he basically left Kimi for dead. Even in clear air the Ferraris of Kimi and Filipe could not match the pace of the McLarens. Always they were a couple of tenths at least off the pace. And that has to be encouraging. The testing last week must have taught them a lot about the Bridgestones. And maybe the ban on flexi floors must have helped too. And just maybe not having Ross Brawn on the Ferrari pit wall and Michael in the car is hurting their main opposition. But whatever.

Niki, Alain, Ayrton, Mika and now Fernando continues a long line of great McLaren drivers ever since Ron Dennis took charge. Joined by promising young Hamilton no wonder both Ron Dennis and Norbert Haug look well pleased. Hopefully they won't let their drivers down as they did in the recent past. I'd like to see Woking take it this year frankly speaking.

High Compression

Since 2001, in every other year I somehow find myself attending the Malaysian Grand Prix. Nothing will ever beat being in paddock in 2005 but nevertheless, I was persuaded to watch qualifying yesterday in the cheap seats. Cheap, hot and dirty it may be but sometimes, the best vantage points are from these less than glamorous locations.

So we ended up watching from the very highest spot in Sepang that is at the top of the hill at Turn 11. Its not my first time at this spot but the last time I was here we placed ourselves in between Turns 9 and 10 which in hindsight is not the best of spots. Sitting yourself so that the entry to Turn 11 is directly in front of you gives you a great view. You get to watch the action all the way from under braking for Turn 9 all the way to Turn 14 and a little bit of the back straight.

I hadn't planned on going to Sepang but at the last minute I thought what the heck. After all, I've never heard the scream of the latest V8s nor have I seen these new cars in action. I'm glad I did for every single time you see these cars in action, it just takes your breath away. I believe anyone who's ever had any time behind the wheel of any car on the track will have an even greater appreciation of it, particularly if you've driven the track that you're currently watching.

Turn 11 is not my favourite turn at Sepang. Its slowish in nature, the road seems to fall away from you and in a front wheel drive car, it feels like the car just wants to slide wide into the gravel. I've seen one chap who uses his left foot to tighten the line but all in all it just sucks. You really want to finish your braking and downshifts before turning in, so to see these grand prix drivers braking, shifting down and turning inside the corner is just simply amazing. The sheer grip these cars have is simply mind blowing.

All the while, I'm treated to that phenomenon I just absolutely love, the amazing sound effects. I just love the way those engines pops and bangs on the overrun under braking. Pop, pop, pop. It sounds like someone turned up the bass on the sound of 9mm gunshots. And of course once the cars are on the rumble strips on the exit of Turn 11 the traction control comes on and the engines goes into machine gun mode as the ignition is turned on and off by the electronics. Down the hill and as the drivers shift up and and once again, you truly appreciate how incredibly high the compression ratios are in these engines.

The amazement doesn't stop for whilst the rest of us will lift or brake before the fast turn 12, these guys keep the throttle constant and simply turn in. Whilst even the Porsche Carrera cup racers are sliding wide on the exit of this turn, the grand prix cars simply stick. Then they're hard on the throttle confident as you like through thirteen and poised for the trickiest turn in Sepang, Turn 14.

Everyone needs to turn and brake into this one because Turn 13 blends into 14 without any straight bits. Its sometimes downright dangerous during track sessions. A lot of people don't make it and end up ploughing straight into the gravel. Rear wheel driver cars get into a habit of spinning here. Added to that apex of Turn 14 is blind as you come up to it, so picking your turning and braking points are damned difficult.

Myself, I always brake either way too early and just way too late into this corner. The problem as I said is that you're coming up fast and flat through 13 and way too much on the inside. Probably not the best line but unfortunately normal cars just slide too wide out of 12 that you have very little choice. And at the same time as keeping the wheels turned, you need to find a good braking point through a blind apex. And the whole action unsettles the car and more than once I've felt the tail really move. Its scary but really you ought not to be too afraid because the run off is quite big.

But of course if you have a car with a couple of tonnes of downforce pushing it down things get a little bit easier. But as a spectator you cannot help but feel the awe as these guys simply attack 13 and 14 with abandon. From my vantage point you can tell they're flat through 13 and the cars then visibly slowing down and of course turning in, braking and downshfting at the same time. I wonder if these guys could still do that if they weren't using paddle shifters and semi auto gearboxes.

Quickest at this section? Felipe Massa for sure because he's quite smooth through Turn 11. His teammate Kimi by comparison is a little more aggressive and you can hear that he's on the traction control for longer on the exit of the corner. Mark Webber is aggressive as well, consistently kicking out the tail of his Red Bull in the turn. And so do the Toyotas. What surprises me though is just how similar the McLaren boys perform through the turn. If there's any difference at all between Alonso and Hamilton, well I can't really tell. Whatever it is, they seem quite smooth and quick.

At the end of the day, I'm quite glad that I went. Today I shall be watching from the comfort of home. Whilst I shall not be enjoying the live special effects but nevertheless, I shall be more aware of whats going on in the race. And of course there's instant replay. But getting a dose of live action reminds me again of what its all about and just why these guys and their cars are the world's best.

2007 Australian Grand Prix

The Steeles of the recently revived F1Talk feared a Ferrari domination this year. They may be right. The way Kimi Raikkonen quite serenely won the Australian Grand Prix is an ominous sign for the other contenders. Serene is perhaps the right word for this race because nothing much really happened. Unless you're English and are absolutely over the moon with Lewis Hamilton's debut.

As in qualifying yesterday, I would have liked to see how Kimi stands against Filipe Massa during a race. Yesterday the Brazilian experienced gearbox and engine troubles. Today, he was following a completely different strategy having to come from right at the back. Yes, Kimi managed to lap him during the course of the race. And that must have been a psychological blow to him. But it would have been interesting to see how Massa would have run under a normal race strategy.

Do I sound like I'm behind Filipe? Well, actually no. For I still think Kimi will beat him over the course of the year. I just hope though that Ferrari will let the both of them duel it out together come what may.

The other team that had any hope of matching the Ferraris were McLaren. But lets face it, Kimi was really toying with them today. Setting that 1m 25.235s fastest lap was just rubbing it into Ron Dennis' face. He didn't need to go anywhere near that lap time and he was still simply pulling away from the two McLarens.

Alonso or Hamilton? For pure speed I think there's very, very little to choose between them. They are both equally as fast. My word, this could be quite a driving partnership for Ron. They've both got long careers ahead of them. One is a double world champion, the other can match the former. One slip, and its easily one or the other. There is very little margin if today's performance is anything to go by. Still, Alonso's strategy was the better one. Yes, Sato got in the way but even if he didn't I estimate Alonso would still have come out ahead of Hamilton at the end.

The ITV commentators were over the moon with Hamilton but lets put things into perspective. The 2005 GP2 champion, Nico Rosberg also had a great debut in the first race last year. Somehow it seems the GP2 championship does prepare a driver quite well for the challenges of Formula 1. And why not? The GP2 cars do have some massive performance all without traction control and other driver aids. But the challenge for Lewis now is to sustain this performance and not fade away like Nico did last year. Although one could say that Williams did not give Nico a great car to show off his talents.

Can McLaren catch up? Well, if you look at their qualy performance particularly on low fuel they do have some pace. Its when the fuel goes in and the races progresses that they seem to lose out to Ferrari. I think McLaren will need to work very hard to get the best out of those Bridgestone tyres if they are to have a chance. On some of the tighter circuits however, I think McLaren have an excellent chance of besting Maranello. The Ferrari you see has a longer wheel base. Great on circuits where aero performance is all important. Not so great in some of the slower bits. Still I think for McLaren, optimizing the aero with the Bridgy tyres is the key. As for driving talent, the do not lack any.

The BMWs much touted long distance pace could eventually was not enough to sustain a challenge to the front runners. But nevertheless, they have vastly improved and I believe they will improve still further as the season progresses and they have a better understanding of the new Japanese rubber.

And I was somewhat disappointed that the Super Aguris could not beat the works Hondas during the race. But Sato beating Jenson was a nice thing to see. Nico Rosberg did well I thought beating both the works Toyotas to seventh ahead of "I'm one of the top three" Ralf Schumacher. The fact that the Toyota engined cars have had a years greater experience on Bridgestone rubber is perhaps one of the reasons why the Hondas simply could not get on terms with their deadly rivals.

Again, if there is to be a Ferrari domination of 2007 I hope the two teammates will put up a good show for the rest of us. Kimi did a supreme job of the race today bar the odd mistake whilst fooling around. It'll boost his confidence and standing with the team and I'm sure he's going to get even better still in the car.