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So, four races in and four different winners. The last time this happened was 1983, when we saw eight different winners by the season's end, and the title was decided at the last race by just two points. Probably not the best year to start as an F1 Pundit! 

The other big difference has been last week's test at Ferrari's private Mugello track - the teams agreed to postpone one of the preseason tests until after the fly-away races, when the pace of development really kicks in. And there's been plenty of development at Ferrari! After two days of testing, the team unveiled completely new rear bodywork, and Alonso immediately moved to the top of the timesheets. By the time the cars are unpacked in Montmelo, they will also have new front and rear wings, and a new diffuser.

Having hired an entirely new technical team, and given them a brief to push the car's design, this Ferrari is now a far more conventional machine. When it first broke cover at the preseason tests, the car had exhausts exiting at the edges of the sidepods. The warm exhaust gases were to act as an air curtain, keeping the airflow under the car heading towards the diffuser and increasing the downforce. Unfortunately, no-one considered what hot exhaust gases would do to the tyres, which duely overheated! Simply moving the exhausts inboard created a beast that was neither fish nor fowl - the rear airflow was compromised by shaping the bodywork over the exhausts, and there was no longer a constant airstream to the diffuser. The new rear end now resembles the Red Bull, and will probably be tidied up a bit more before the race.

McLaren also conceeded defeat and joined the ranks of the platypusses (platypi?), unveiling a new higher nose on the last day. Their solution is a lot neater and more sculpted than the other teams though. German magazine AM&S has a comparison picture here...

Elsewhere at the test, Lotus and Sauber continued to show impressive pace, with Grosjean and Kobyashi setting identical fastest times on the first day. The midfield teams have really closed in on the leaders, and I wouldn't be surprised to see more new winners before the season's end. Most of the teams talked about focusing on extracting the best from the tyres, and this seems to be the key this season. Schumacher has publically criticised Pirelli's rubber; the Mercedes does seem to be extremely sensitive to changes in track temperature and tyre compound, but all the teams seem to be struggling to find consistency. 

It'll be interesting to see all the new parts unveiled publically in Barcelona.

Postscript:
I had mentioned Jacques Villeneuve's forthcoming run in his father's old Ferrari before. He took to the wheel on May 8th, and there's pictures of the run here...

Barcelona has to be one of my favourite races; good track, great location, great weather, lots to do after. With a Spanish World Champion to cheer, the locals have finally extended their love of motorsport from two to four wheels! And the track has given us some epic races, like Mansell and Senna going wheel-to-wheel down the main straight in 1991 and Schumacher's unbelievable drive to second in 1994, with the car jammed in fifth gear for over 40 laps (and a pit stop!).

The real fireworks this time will be at the first driver's briefing! Rosberg may have escaped punishment by the stewards at Bahrain for his "enthusiastic" defending - causing both Alonso and Hamilton to take to Bahrain's massive concrete run-offs in avoidance. Alonso has made it quite clear what he thought of Nico's driving, and I doubt Rosberg will have many well-wishers among the local fans. But Fernando is right about one thing - a repeat of those tactics here will see someone put into a wall. Expect the stewards to be a lot less leniant here.

With a main straight nearly a kilometer long, and high speed sweeps through turn 3, turn 4 and then from turn 5 through to 10, the track is all about aerodynamic efficiency and power. In practice and qualifying, the Mercedes' trick DRS should see Rosberg and Schumacher qualify in the front couple of rows. Red Bull certainly have the raw pace - as we saw in Bahrain. The question is whether they can regain the consistency they've shown in the last two seasons. Ferrari will really be feeling the pressure - both from the local crowd and the Italian media - and will want a good performance from both cars. But with new and untested wings, it'll be a nail-biting time for the Scuderia.

McLaren sent their test drivers to Mugello, allowing Jenson and Lewis a little breather. It'll be interesting to see if this has refreshed their batteries, or dulled their edge. Lotus, Sauber and Williams will all be hunting for points, and Force India will be expecting a better performance than they've managed so far.

So who to back? It's kind of hard to know, since this new Ferrari is such an unknown quantity. Fernando has been on average 0.9 seconds off the pace, so allowing 0.2 seconds for the new rear body, 0.2 for the front wing, 0.2 for the rear wing and another 0.2 for the diffuser - he should be back among the front runners. But no-one will have stood still, so I'd expect him to qualify around half a second off the pole sitter. McLaren and Red Bull will be very strong in race trim, but I'll stick my neck out and tip Schummi for pole. He's a six times winner here, and the Mercedes' DRS should let him fly through the second sector of the lap. I also expect Webber to be the leading Red Bull driver - he really seems to love it here, and he's got the better of his team mate for the last two seasons.

In the race, it'll all come down to the start. If a Mercedes can lead out of turn two, then the leaders will be facing a silver traffic jam until the first pitstop. I think someone from row three or four could pull a real surprise and pop around any squabbles in front - and that means Fernando! I don't like him, his politicing within Ferrari, his subjugation of his teammates, his evasion of the awkward questions, but he knows how to get the most from a start and usually makes up three or four places from the lights. And he showed in Malaysia just how wide that Ferrari can become once he's got something to defend!

In contrast, Jenson has struggled to get the McLaren off the line, ending up stuck in the pack and having to fight his way back. A Mercedes traffic jam or a safety car would play right into his hands. Lewis and Vettel will be their usual hard-charging selves, and will push all the way. Should be an eventful race...

Qualifying:
1) Schumacher 12/1  2) Webber 12/1  3) Vettel 5/2

Race Day: 
1) Vettel 11/4  2) Webber 12/1  3) Alonso 12/1

Worth a punt…
With the amount of new parts arriving on the grid, it's hard to find something at long odds with a good chance. But the Qualifying Match Bet market has Webber at 6/4 to head Vettel on the grid. Considering he's been on pole for the last two seasons, I'd stick a few bob on Mark!

And the trouble starts...

On Wednesday night, a 4x4 ferrying Force India staff back to Manama was caught up in a riot and had petrol bombs thrown near it. Two of the team personnel, one of whom was in the vehicle, have asked to return home. Nico Hulkenberg has become the first person to break ranks, stating in an interview with the BBC that "We shouldn't have been put in this position." In addition, the BBC website is reporting that Force India are planning to skip this afternoon's second practice session as their personnel do not want to travel after dark. If we do see a team refuse to participate, it will add more weight to the arguement that Bernie and the FIA have placed their commercial interests ahead of team safety.

Although only Hulkenberg has so far spoken out, there is only faint praise for the decision to race. Fernando Alonso's response was typical of most; "We are here because the decision made by people who had all the information in their hands. Everyone thinks it is safe to be here. So no problem."

Whether there remains "no problem" is questionable. Bahraini activists have called for "three days of rage" to mark the Grand Prix weekend, while Britain's shadow Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, has called for the drivers to boycott the race and the All Party Parliamentary Group for Democracy in Bahrain has asked sponsors to boycott the race.

Second practice is due to start at 12.00 GMT, so we'll see if Force India carry out their threat to leave the track. For the record, Lewis Hamilton was fastest, from Vettel and Paul Di Resta's Force India - which ran on the soft option tyres, probably to get data early if they don't run at lunchtime.

Our preview of the race is available here... 

UPDATE 12.45

Despite Bernie's offer to stay at the track and travel unescorted with the Force India team at any time - or loan them his protection detail - Force India have abandonned the second practice session, and will return to their hotel. No word if there will be any sanctions against the team, but they are not obliged to run in the session.

Sauber have also released a statement regarding their team bus encountering rioters on Thursday night, although there was no actual incident.

If, like me, you're old enough to remember the days of Fittepaldi, Hunt and Lauda, then you'll realise just how much of a change Bernie Ecclestone has made to Formula One. Back then, the sport was a loose affiliation of national events. Every race was run as its own little kingdom - 16 different entries to make, 16 separate TV deals to negociate, numerous small teams who might/might not show up. Bernie has, to borrow a phrase, "made the trains run on time". Teams have to attend all races, TV companies have to show all races and everyone knows where the money will come from. He may have made himself phenomenally rich - through a lot of hard work - but he's brought the teams and their owners with him. Very few people have left Formula One poorer than when they entered!

The downside is what's been lost. In the last 25 years, we've left behind some fantastic circuits - Mexico, Estoril, San Marino, the (real) Osterreichring, the real Hockenheim - and replaced them with an anodyne collection of circuits around the world, all with two things in common; Herman Tilke and large piles of cash. For all these new venues, Formula One is a sign of national pride; a way to show the world how they have developed, and a chance to get some tightly-controlled world-wide publicity.

And so, we move to Bahrain. For all of the talk, very little has changed there from last year; the appearance of peace is maintained through a heavy police and military presence, opposition figures have all appealed for the race to be cancelled, and no-one in the paddock - teams, drivers or sponsors - is delighted to be going. Red Bull have announced that they will be bringing extra security personnel with them, and it's safe to assume they're not the only ones. But the race remains on the calendar, and so everyone must atttend.

This year, the race will return to Sakhir's traditional "Grand Prix" configuration, bypassing .8km of pointless tight corners to become a high-speed run with long straights and sweeping curves. On paper, the track is tailor made for the Mercedes team and their trick DRS. The only issue is the track temperature; in Australia, the Silver Arrows overheated their tyres and fell back. Bahrain will be around 10 degrees hotter! Pirelli have announced that they'll be supplying the same soft option and medium prime tyres as in Australia and China.

If Mercedes slip up, then McLaren are certainly the team set to benefit. The only drawback is that they too appear to be hard on their tyres - their drivers were the only leading runners on a three-stop strategy in China. But both drivers will be eager for a good result. Jenson is a previous winner here, and always manages to go well in hot conditions. Lewis will be psyched up by his position as Championship leader, and eager to make up for his five-place penalty last weekend. After them, it's all very tight. Lotus, Williams and Sauber have all made big strides while Red Bull are still slipping back. And Ferrari will just want the weekend to be over, so they can concentrate on rebuilding the car before Barcelona. 

I think it's going to be a McLaren success in both qualifying and the race. I think Mercedes will once again suffer in the heat and qualify well, but fall away in the race. I fancy Webber to be the one to benefit. Mark is a textbook "confidence" driver; if he feels he's doing well, he'll continue to do well. And leading Vettel in the championship will definitely have put a spring in his step! As for Sebastian, the big question is what car he'll have to drive. Last time, Red Bull set his car back to its initial spec, and he definitely didn't like it. If they bring identical cars for both drivers, I still think Webber's confidence will still see him win this battle. But we know they'd never just take the new parts off the Aussie's car and give them to the German, would they?

Qualifying:
1 - Hamilton ( 11/8 )  2 - Button ( 11/2 )  3 - Rosberg ( 4/1 )

Race:
1 - Button ( 9/4 )  2 - Hamilton ( 2/1 )  3 - Webber ( 12/1 )

Worth a punt...
Both Williams drivers are available at 11/10 to finish in the points, so that's a 36/10 double if you fancy it...

And finally...
On a poignant note, Ferrari have released these pictures of Gilles Villeneuve's old 312T4 from 1979 being tested at Fiorano. 1997 World Champion Jacques is scheduled to drive the car next month, on the 30th anniversary of his father's death in qualifying at Zolder. Gilles was the last of Enzo's real favourites - after his death, the Commendatore seemed to keep a distance from his drivers - so it's nice to see the company do something to keep his memory alive...

Anyone who thinks there's no more competition in Formula One should go back and look at Jenson Button's second pit stop in China. Entering the pits in second place, he was held up for a few seconds by a cross-threaded wheel nut and emerged in tenth, part of a train stretching from Raikkonen's second place Lotus to Di Resta's Force India in thirteenth! All running nose-to-tail. Nico may have disappeared into the distance from pole, but behind him was the most intense tussle I've seen in years, eclipsed only by Kimi's dramatic illustration of "falling off the cliff" - second to tenth in one lap as his tyres lost all grip!

Qualifying:
I predicted a Mercedes to qualify well, but not Nico and not that well! In Australia, the tyres overheated and the cars lost grip. In Malaysia, the tyres lost temperature and the cars lost grip. But like Goldilock's porridge, the third track was just right! The controversial DRS system may have helped, but Nico still drove a flawless qualifying lap and fully deserved the pole. It's a sign of his coolness that while his rivals were still on track trying to catch him, he had climbed out of the car and headed for the stewards' weigh-in, certain that no-one could match that lap. Add in Lewis' five-place penalty for changing his gearbox, and Mercedes emerged with their first front-row shut out since the days of Fangio and Moss!

The second row of Kobyashi and Kimi shows just how tight the pack really is, with both their teammates also in the top ten. Jenson having to settle for a lowly fifth place was a surprise, but nowhere near the shock of Vettel falling at the second hurdle. The fact that Webber described his car - good enough for sixth - as "an old model" does not bode well for Red Bull's development updates.

Race:
A flawless drive from pole by Nico, with enough in hand for an extra pitstop if he'd needed it. By contrast, his teammate reminded me of Alain Prost - nursing his tyres and driving just hard enough to stay ahead - until a botched first pitstop left him with three wheels on his wagon! Another botched pitstop cost Jenson any chance of victory. The six seconds he lost with the faulty wheel nut would have seen him clear Massa and Webber, instead of spending eleven laps bottled up behind them.

Lewis vowed to earn points at every race this year - how else do you think you win a championship, son! The 2011 vintage Hamilton would have lost his temper over his grid penalty, leap off the grid like a scalded cat and careered off the track by lap 20, probably wrapped around Massa's Ferrari. Instead, his third consecutive third place has seen him take a two point lead in the Drivers' Championship over his teammate. 

Behind Lewis, it was all very tight, with only sixteen seconds separating Hamilton from Massa in thirteenth. Webber will be happy with fourth place ahead of his teammate, making him Red Bull's leading contender by eight points. Not bad for a number two driver! Grosjean again demonstrated the Lotus' good pace en route to sixth, while managing to preserve his tyres better than his world champion teammate. Williams had an excellent afternoon, with Senna and Maldonado coming in ahead of Alonso's vastly better financed Ferrari. And Kobyashi took the last point, ahead of Perez. A pity I tipped the wrong Sauber to get fastest lap, as both drivers were priced at 50-1!

So three races down, and three different winners from three different teams. This looks like the most interesting season for a long time...

Drive of the Day:
Nico Rosberg; who else? He was so composed, it was hard to believe that it was his first pole or his first win. The pressure is now on Mercedes to make sure it's not his last of the season.

Disappointment of the Day:
The FIA, who have stated that the Bahrain GP will go ahead this weekend, despite the reservations of drivers, teams and sponsors alike. All the old excuses about sport and politics came out, but it's hardly a surprise. F1 was the only sport to visit South Africa in the Apartheid era; just a pity that their ethics haven't developed in the same way as the cars. Let's hope it all passes without incident, either at the track or off it.

Dressing Down Monday!
I doubt it's been a good morning for the Mercedes lollypop man, who released Schumacher before the right rear wheel man had even attempted to put his wheel nut back. Could have been a 1-2 finish...

If it was easy to impliment, there wouldn´t be all this noise...

There are few straight talkers in Formula One, so thank God for Ross Brawn! As we speak, Lotus and Ferrari are still appealing his innovative DRS system, which has seen the Mercedes fly in qualifying. Put simply, when the rear wing opens ducts are exposed which channel air over the front wing as well. In this way, the drag is reduced at front and back, maintaining the car´s balance. This makes no difference in the race, but in qualifying - when DRS can be used anywhere - the Mercedes can fly through fast corners like nothing else on the grid.

And at this stage of the season, this is where the serious design work begins. Every year, someone finds a new idea, and after the first couple of races it´s apparent if it works. Two years ago, it was Brawn´s double diffuser. Last year, it was Red Bull´s blown diffuser. And this year, it´s the Mercedes DRS. Now, every team has to make a call - is the development going to benefit their car if they introduce it, and how much other work must they ignore to do it? From the amount of complaining from Lotus and Ferrari, it´s fairly obvious they don´t think they can do it with ease, and Ferrari have much bigger problems to deal with!

And it´s not just the big ideas. The teams will have had their spies going up and down the pit lanes, they´ll have bought copies of every agency photo of an opponent´s car, and they´ll be sifting through the evidence for anything useful. The small parts - wing endplates, fences - will be the first to be copied, and some new designs might appear for China. But by the start of the European races, cloning will be in full effect. Just remember, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!

As for the Chinese Grand Prix - much like Malaysia, it´s speed, speed and speed that matter. Once again, Herman Tilke provided a track with two long straights linked by a slow corner, and a fiddly infield with a mix of high speed sweeps and tight 90 degree turns. But the strategy seems to be much less clear. For the last two years, Red Bull have had the fastest car but McLaren have shown the better strategy. So it´s hard to look beyond Button and Hamilton for the winner. I think Hamilton may be the better bet, buoyed by his performance in Malaysia.

After that, it´s a pretty open field. The Ferrari´s are unlikely to perform in a dry race, and will do well just to score points. Red Bull remain the closest challenger to McLaren, but Lotus and Sauber should be close enough to keep Vettel and Webber honest. I don´t see any strategic master strokes doing it for them - maybe their sponsor could get them some new wings! Mercedes - I think - will qualify well, but fall off during the race without the trick DRS to fall back on. Should be an interesting battle, and may show who´s design team is best placed to respond to the track form.

Qualifying
1: Button (7/2) 2: Hamilton (11/10) 3: Schumacher (10/1)

Race Result:
1: Hamilton (2/1) 2: Button (5/2) 3: Vettel (9/2)

Worth a Punt
Schumacher is 10/1 to lead the first practice session on Friday. He tends to start fairly strongly, and gradually get caught by the rest, so it could be his best chance at winning something! And Perez is 50/1 for fastest lap, which is a mad price. If he performs like he did in the last two races, he´ll be approaching the finish in a chase for points with low fuel...

Spare a thought for poor Claudio Ranieri - the now "ex-"manager of Serie A under performers Inter Milan, after one win in the last ten matches. And he's not alone; Inter sacked his predecessor - Gian Piero Gasperini - after only five games. It seems unbelievable, but Ranieri becomes the sixteenth managerial casualty in a twenty-team Serie A this season!

Football management is a fraught business, and possibly nowhere more so than in Italy. No matter how much work you put in at the training ground, no matter how hard you drill the players on your tactics - when the whistle blows you have little more involvement than the fans in the terraces. But your livelihood depends on those eleven players doing what

And then the rains came!

It’s funny how the bosses spend ages finding new technical wheezes to make racing more exciting; DRS, KERS and so on. And yet, all it takes is a good dose of rain to reduce the grip and mix things up! And give us the most unlikely of podiums.

All credit to Fernando Alonso. Accidents may have robbed him of two serious wet weather rivals (Schumacher and Button), but once he hit the front he hung on for dear life, beating the hard charging Perez by just 2.2 seconds. Had it not been for his excursion on

So, another week, another country. This time, it’s the damp but delightful Malaysian Grand Prix.

Buoyed by the success of the night-time Singapore race, the FIA moved the Malaysian Grand Prix back to late afternoon so it can be televised at a reasonable morning slot in Europe. Only drawback – March is the tail end of the Northeast Monsoon! By 4pm there, the black clouds are rolling in and it’s a question of when – not if – it rains, and just how much.

Which is a pity, because Sepang is a cracking circuit. I’ve never understood

The two McLaren drivers are very evenly matched. Hamilton is probably the quickest over a lap (but not by much), but Button is the smarter racer, and having jumped into the lead from the start, he sailed off to one of his easiest victories. Hamilton can feel rightly aggrieve by the safety car, which let Vettel slip past into second place.

As I predicted, we got the usual carnage at turn 3. Having started from an amazing third place on the grid, Grosjean's Lotus lost out in a wheel banging competition with Maldonado's Williams. Both drivers had stunning