From a personal point of view, I am delighted the 2011 Formula One season is not opening in the desert of Bahrain but it has nothing to do with the recent unrest which has recently blighted the country…
While the internal turmoil that has seen many clashes between protesters and those in charge, the decision made early last week by Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa was the correct one and ensures that the safety of those who work within the sport will not be compromised. Bernie Ecclestone had an easy decision to make and thankfully, by letting the Crown Prince decided the fate of the race, he has avoided immersing Formula 1 into the local politics of the Middle East. The FIA – Formula 1’s governing body, kept a welcome silence with it’s President – Jean Todt, preferring not to make any comment worthy of media attention. One can’t help but wonder if things would have different under the leadership of FIA’s former head Max Mosley…
It has also presented us with the prospect of the Australian Grand Prix opening the season and I am not alone in welcoming that. McLaren drivers Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton have announced their disappointment in the team’s latest creation – the MP4-26 but more of that in a minute.
Fact is that the Melbourne venue is regarded by the majority as being their favorite race of the calendar and many were disappointed when it was shoved aside to make way for the deserts of Bahrain at the start of this season. While the Arabian millions that constructed the circuit have generated mixed opinions as to it’s success, many believe that the sheer atmosphere present in Australia year after year should guarantee that the grand prix season kicks off around the greenery of Albert Park, and not the sands of Sakhair.
Amid much anticipation, the German capital Berlin was the setting for the McLaren launch and while Button and Hamilton expressed cconffidence in their latest car, fact is that in testing, it has been a disappointment. There is little doubt the team will turn the situation around but when nearest rivals Ferrari, Red Bull and Renault have accumulated considerable ore laps and general running time, it is clear the to regular victories, could be a long one:
"When I first jumped in the car my first reaction was not 'wow, we're going to blow everyone away'," Button told Press Association Sport.
"But then I don't think anyone would have felt that because the car has a lot less downforce and the tyres (Pirelli) are working very differently to the previous tyre (Bridgestone).
"There's nothing that really scares me about the car in a negative way, so there's a lot we can improve through general set-up work.
"This year, at the moment, we've had some issues in testing in terms of getting parts to the circuit and a couple of reliability issues.
"So we've not done as much running as we would have liked, which has hurt our set-up work.
"But we do have four more days and hopefully things are going to run more sweetly at the next test, we get a lot of laps in, and then we can improve the base we have."
Team-mate Hamilton conceded that launching the car so late, has been a hindrance more than a help and that while there are developments in the offing, it is not an ideal scenario.
"The team are aware of it, and of course we'd love to have had more mileage, but there is a real balance," he said.
"We left it (unveiling the car) a bit later, not because the car was late, but because we wanted a week or two more to develop it, and perhaps it's not played right into our hands.
"We've good things in the pipeline, and we definitely improved in the last couple of days' testing, doing 107 laps on the final day at the last test.
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