Bahrain Grand Prix Review

Round four and the first ‘Normal’ race we’ve had. A purpose built track, no rain and no safety car. All meant this was a lights to flag race. What a race it was too. I can’t remember the last time that there was a start with so much overtaking and dicing. It really was good to see. The KERS and new aerodynamic packages seem to be doing the trick. However it was noticeable that by the end of the race things were pretty settled and the use of different tyres and the new rules didn’t create the overtaking right up until the end of the race. With a dozen laps left nothing much really changed. However it was always custom that nothing changed after the first corner so things have improved markedly. I think that is reflected in the surge of interest in Formula One this season. Coupled with the fact that in this country we have a British world champion and an Englishman winning races now.

Brawn managed to win but I think it was only through the brilliance of Jenson Button in the opening laps and the genius of Ross Brawn and his tactics which meant they won. It was also a lost opportunity for the Toyotas who must be kicking themselves. They just weren’t quite quick enough when they needed to be. However as they keep developing with the rest of the field it will be interesting to see if the Brawn gets swamped. Because at the moment I think the Brawn at most is only as good as the Toyotas and Red Bulls – not better. At Brawn GP they don’t seem to have the sponsorship and subsequently the money to develop with the rest of the field. The clear advantage they had at the beginning of the season is fast being eaten up by the rest of the field.

Ferrari gave a big sigh of relief after Kimi put in a solid race to come in 6th and score their first points of the season. Even despite Massa being squeezed into Kimi at the first corner by Barrichello. For a heart stopping moment I thought they were going to take each other out. Thankfully they didn’t but Massa’s car was sufficiently damaged to not be competitive.

Unbelievable really to think how dominant Ferrari were at the end of last season. They will be pleased to be off the mark and will be getting all the new parts, including a rear diffuser for the next race at Barcelona. Rumour has it that unless the new parts make a major difference then Ferrari are going to scrap this season’s development and just pour all their resources into next years car. With the points difference being so huge after four races then unless they start scoring big straight away it seems like a reasonable thing to do. However it is a bit of a shame for the sport for Ferrari to give up for the rest of the year.

BMW Sauber had a horrid time in Bahrain. Both the cars coming plumb last. Their be analysing the race and working out what exactly went wrong. Simply seems they had to pit to repair the cars after the first couple of laps and although they fuelled them long there was not a safety car so they couldn’t take advantage. Game over.

Mark Webber had an amazing first couple of laps to drive through the field (his opening lap can be seen here). However he only came in 11th at the end of the race which shows how important qualifying is. Ironically his qualifying position was not his fault and although Sutil (who blocked him in qualifying) got a three place penalty it is no help to Webber. The man with no luck continues to have no luck. He must be rousing the lost opportunity as Vettel is making off with the lions share of the teams points and establishing himself as the teams leader going for the championship.

In two weeks time all eyes will be on the developments the team bring to the first European race. Ferrari especially will be looking to make the new developments count. McLaren will also be looking to push into the top three. So it is going to be very tight. We will also find out if the new rules really are improving overtaking as the Catalunya circuit is notorious for producing stagnant non overtaking races. In the last 8 races the pole sitter has won the race. Let's hope it's not a yawn fest.