What's at stake in...Australia?

Finally, after thousands of miles of testing during the winter, hours of development and analysis, and after seeing Formula 1 set up shop halfway around the globe, the 2007 F1 season has finally begun. Even before the opening practice session began, the questions were many and varied.

Judging from the results of the final tests of the winter, held during two three-day sessions in Sakhir, Bahrain, four teams seem to be ahead of the pack: ING Renault F1 Team, Ferrari, McLaren and BMW-Sauber. So far, the Ferrari F2007 seems to hold the most effective combination of speed over a single lap and consistency on the long runs. McLaren were just behind, several tenths of a second slower in race conditions. The Renault R27 made good progress throughout the session, setting second-fastest time on the final day, during the afternoon when it is traditionally hard to improve your time. The BMW-Sauber team also showed itself to be competitive, although the F1.07 still seemed to be suffering from mechanical unreliability.

At the moment, the prime candidates are BMW-Sauber. In the hands of Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica, the car put in some strong performances over the winter. However, a fragile gearbox prevented the team from completing as much mileage as it had hoped to. So expect the F1.07 to cause a stir during qualifying and the early part of the race, although it’s hard to know if they will make the finish. The Williams FW29, powered by Toyota, also impressed during testing. However, the British team did not make the trip to Bahrain – and didn’t line up against the competition in identical conditions. That makes them something of an unknown ahead of the weekend…

Executive Director of Engineering Pat Symonds has made the situation clear: Renault is not yet on the pace of its direct rivals. However, the team has made big progress in its understanding of the Bridgestone tyres, and found the set-up tweaks that should allow them to generate maximum performance from the opening laps. The R27 has also seen aerodynamic gains added, and the team approaches the first race in confident mood: “Hopefully we can fight for the podium,” commented Fisico.

Melbourne is located on the coast, and conditions can change very quickly. Rain was predicted for this morning, and forecasts for the rest of the weekend are unpredictable. Some showers and sunny spells have been mentioned – and that could have two consequences. Firstly, rain washing the track will make it more abrasive for the tyres – and make graining more probably. Secondly, an unexpected shower during qualifying could shuffle the pack – or in the middle of the race…

This weekend, several teams will be out to show that the poor performance during the winter were a deliberate part of good preparations. Toyota endured reliability problems and need to prove their form; Super Aguri only presented their new car in Melbourne, and will have plenty to do. Honda failed to impress during testing, but major aerodynamic improvements are expected for the second race of the year. And finally, Red Bull Racing are counting on a new aero package to improve by several tenths of a second…