With the public announcement of the manufacturers that the FIA must attend to the matter of its president immediately, the battle has begun. This one will be fierce and without quarter, you can bet on that. But there is a race on in Bahrain this weekend, I believe. I wonder what has been going on there...
It seems that everyone is betting on a Ferrari victory this time. They were very quick in testing there over the off season (scaring Jarno Trulli something silly in the process) and their victory in Malaysia was pretty convincing too. Looks like a banker, doesn't it?
Kimi Raikkonen
Well, it would be, were it not for the noises coming from the Ferrari garage. Domenicali is not happy it seems and hints at the dastardly McLaren ECU being at the heart of Ferrari's reliability problems. Well, it would be, wouldn't it? The point is really that Ferrari have a problem in that only one of their cars is making it to the finish line, whereas McLaren just keep on totting up the points with both of theirs.
It all puts stress on the team and increases the chances that something will go wrong somewhere. If it's not the cars breaking down, one of their drivers is trying too hard to prove something and succeeds only in making mistakes as a result. And all the time poor Domenicali has to deliver the goods if he is not to be compared unfavorably with Jean Todt.
Which all goes to say that Ferrari is not guaranteed to win this one. McLaren will have been stung by their misfortune and under-performance in Sepang and will be determined to make up for it in Bahrain. The car had an off weekend, it's true, but has shown that it can compete on equal terms with the best. And the drivers are becoming a formidable team.
Big Ron may be refusing to comment on recent events surrounding the FIA presidency (and that is his wisest course of action) but the team members may be amused enough by it all, I'm sure. Look to McLaren for excellent qualifying times and race pace over the weekend, therefore.
And what of BMW? My own expectation is that they will improve quickly once in Europe but, in Bahrain, they should be about where they have been in the first two races. And that does not necessarily mean a second place again. Both their podium finishes have been aided by some luck and they cannot rely on something going wrong with the top two every time. Their chances are good, however, and they will be there to pick up anything going.
They will also not be caught by the chasing pack. Red Bull are closest but a bit fragile, Williams could come good again and even Toyota should do well. But Renault are living off the brilliance of Alonso at the moment and cannot hope for miracles this weekend. The Spaniard has been awe-inspiring in his wrestling of that dog of a car into the points - but it is likely that the rest of the season will consist of him having to do the same every time.
Who will win? My heart says Heidfeld, my brain says Raikkonen. So it will probably be Hamilton!