There is no need for me to rehash the actual times from Practice Sessions 1 and 2 - they're all over the net (Grand Prix dot com is probably the most comprehensive). My five-hour handicap is a bit difficult to overcome unless I want to stay up all night; but I do have an advantage over the Europeans in that I have more time for reflection and identification of trends before I rush into print. So here goes.
Mark Webber, Red Bull RB4
Naturally, I am going to crow about the Ferrari worshippers who expected the red team to walk all over the opposition this year. It hasn't happened yet and, I predict, it is not going to happen. The McLarens looked a good deal more comfortable at speed than the Ferraris and Hamilton showed that he was not just a flash in the pan last year.
Sure, it's a lot to say after just one day of the season but take a look at what the Ferrari boys themselves are saying - it's a chorus of consternation, a sudden retreat from the triumphalism of the off season. They have just as much work to do as anyone else in competing with the monster of their expected form.
Compare that to the quiet satisfaction in the McLaren camp. These guys are motivated beyond ever before and the trials of last year play a big part in that. They may never say "I told you so" but they are determined to wash away the taint of suspicion with the detergent of victory.
Not that they will have it all their own way. Ferrari do have a quick car and the WDC in Raikkonen. And I would direct you to the comments of Mario Theissen and his assertion that everything went according to plan. Have we forgotten already that BMW never go for quick times on the first day? Come qualifying they will be in the mix.
Williams had a disappointing day, beset by niggling little problems that prevented their giving a true account of themselves. They are likely to move up the order tomorrow. And Toyota are just as likely to progress downwards - I'm sorry but I just cannot see them as better than midfield runners.
And so to Red Bull. Mark Webber maintains that we should not get excited by his second fastest slot in Practice 2 - light tanks, he claims. To which I reply that everyone had a go with light tanks (except poor Super Aguri who were still in the throes of poverty). Mark must take the consequences of being so quick, especially as Coulthard was not far behind him - we expect RBR to do well, although they will probably not last the race.
Otherwise, things were pretty much as I expected. Honda did better than they were supposed to, Renault did worse. Even Fisichella's astonishing ninth quickest time in the Force India was predictable from his performance in testing. Perhaps it is time for someone to point out to Adrian Sutil that coming close to a McLaren contract means nothing once the season begins.
And Toro Rosso? Blaming a green track is all very well but wasn't it the same for everyone? The STR cars are 18th and 20th, exactly in their allotted slots. And I'm still waiting for Vettel to impress me...