1. Rosberg Reigns on home turf

Supreme is the only way to describe Rosberg’s performance across the whole weekend, he exercised his utter supremacy on the circuit he grew up on. He remembers being driven through the tunnel on the way to school, and when he drove through it on the 78th lap he had been unchallenged from Thursday morning where he topped all the time sheets from the moment he took to the track. In each free practice and qualifying Rosberg left everyone wanting, then to lead from pole to flag he gave a Monaco masterclass, taking inspiration from his father 30 years ago.

Rosberg said he wasn’t considering the neat tie up with the 30th anniversary of his father’s victory on Sunday, understandable when he had two safety cars and a red flag to contend with. Dealt with calmly and with a cool head he forced the pack to follow him as he managed his tyres superbly.

2. Tyregate

It has been quite some time since we’ve had a decent controversy in Formula One, Red Bull’s flexi wings debacle doesn’t stack up against this weekend’s revelations, with murmurs of exclusions this falls in line with Spygate. In summary Pirelli are allowed to request the involvement of teams for a 1000km tyre test and they invited Mercedes for one after Barcelona, when the other teams packed up the Silver Arrows hung around.

Why Red Bull and Ferrari have protested is that Mercedes used a current car (Ferrari reportedly used a 2010 spec in Bahrain) and that Pirelli did not extend the invitation to any other teams, and the latter point has the FIA issuing a statement that hints at this being taken further. What is clear at the moment is that this won’t be a quick process.

3. Just like buses

Apart from Vettel’s description, “Usually you expect two silver arrows in front of you and there were two buses today…” it was in fact the first time appearance of the safety car, it took until the sixth race for it to get out of the pit lane. But it should come as no surprise, around the relentless and unforgiving Monegasque streets there is an 80% chance that the safety car will be called into action and today the drivers saw it twice.

The first call out was due to a suspension failure on Massa’s car that saw him recreate the accident from the third free practice which declined him the chance to contest qualifying. Ploughing into the barriers at Ste Devote he triggered a raft a pit stops but it was the double stacked Mercedes that changed the outcome of the race, Hamilton hung back from Rosberg too much (then running 1-2) and gifted Webber a podium and Vettel yet more points.

The second was created by a clumsy move by Chilton on Maldonado whose Monaco luck seems to be lacking in recent times, as the rookie moved back onto the racing line at Tabac his clipped the Williams’ driver who was launched briefly in the air. This resulted in a head on crash which brought the Tecpro barrier across the track, with the race red flagged there was no need to worry about tyres that were threatening to become marginal.

4. From first lap nutcase to idiot

After the Japanese Grand Prix last year Webber branded Grosjean a ‘first lap nutcase’ after his T-boned him and forced him to rejoin the field at the back, this not being long after his race ban the Australian suggested he needed ‘another holiday’. After the race concluded in Monaco it was the turn of the younger Australian, Ricciardo, to make his opinion known about the Frenchman. “I didn’t want to waste the energy yelling ‘screw you, what the hell were you thinking?’ I just said ‘you’re an idiot’, and that was it.” Claiming he didn’t need to pressure the stewards into handing out a penalty, Grosjean has been served with a 10 place grid drop in Canada, he also didn’t need to elaborate with his engineers after the collision going into the chicane. “You can probably guess the driver…”

5. Kiss with a fist

Grosjean wasn’t the only driver to come under fire from his fellow drivers, Perez wasn’t making many friends amongst the former world champions around the streets of the principality. His team principal, Whitmarsh, may come to rue the day he encouraged Perez to become more aggressive  after the Chinese Grand Prix, because since then he’s garnered negative press for his driving style.

He came close to Button during his favourite overtaking spot at the chicane, but later praised the Mexican for his great move when later questioned by the media. Alonso was forced to relinquish his position to Perez, after the red flag, when he missed the chicane to avoid colliding with the new McLaren driver. He initially protested but played fair during the red flag period when he went over to Perez to shake his hand.

Raikkonen on the other hand wasn’t quite so complicit, when asked later by the press if the drivers were going to talk to Perez about his behaviour, he replied in what can only be described in typical Kimi fashion. “Maybe someone should punch him in the face.”

6. Mildly entertained

Amongst Tyregate, Perez and Grosjean there was some actual overtaking that happened on track and not in the pits, shocking. Both Force India drivers made ground on other drivers with some opportunist moves, Sutil took a sleeping Alonso around the hairpin to go from 8th to 5th when he needed a good result not marred by technical issues. Di Resta carved his way through the field from 17th into the points with a 9th place finish.

7. Alls well that ends Vettel

Although Vettel purposely laid down a storming fastest lap late in the race, against his team’s wishes, for nothing ‘but satisfaction’ he made it clear he wasn’t going to go for the win and uncharacteristically let Rosberg streak into the lead. Even though both Raikkonen and Alonso scored points, Vettel stretched his lead out nonetheless which will only make a small section of the sport happy.

1. Alonso, the cream that rises to the top

@alo_oficial twitter feed

There’s that phrase again, and it’s one that definitely relates to Fernando Alonso. Time and time again, against the odds and in spite of a less than spectacular car Alonso finds himself at the sharp end more often than not, and this was demonstrated with his usual finesse throughout the 2012 season. The Ferrari looked strong all weekend for both drivers and with Massa having out qualified Alonso regularly this season it was of no surprise the Spaniard rectified this here. After an electrifying start that has now become a significant part of his repertoire, he challenged Hamilton immediately and once he secured the lead he went largely unchallenged  for the race, leaving the fighting for other drivers.

There was also a Finnish cream that rose well too, Raikkonen is keeping Vettel in close quarters, the German only has a 3 point lead that in the current climate can disappear all too quickly. Lotus are the only team to have scored in each race, but it is Raikkonen that is capitalising.

2. Tough Weekend for Webber

Perhaps the quote that Webber will best be described by is not the now infamous not bad for a number two driver from Silverstone 2010, but ‘If he didn’t have bad luck, he’d have no luck at all’, and if people ever doubted that this race weekend proved it. Short fuelled in qualifying in Q2 he found himself left languishing out on track as the rest of the field pursued faster times. For a short while he was inside the magic top ten, but as the contenders shot out for a second go he was left in 14thplace. Inevitably he didn’t have enough fuel for a sample and he was demoted to the back of the grid.

Come race day the team took the opportunity to optimise the car up for a full assault on the pecking order, with a new gearbox he started from the pit lane and within a few laps he was closing in on the points. However a collision with Vergne sent him back to the pits which got him a new front wing and a fresh set of rubber. The right rear departed him on lap 16 and was last seen making a dash for Vettel’s car. As he heads to Bahrain he will be carrying a somewhat harsh 3 place grid drop for his tangle with Vergne, seen by many as a racing incident, further calling into question the stewards inconsistency regards penalties.

Although in comparison Webber would have jumped at the chance of a fourth place finish, Vettel’s adventurous strategy didn’t quite work out for him in the end, although was a mere 0.2 behind Hamilton at the finish line. Red Bull may be keeping a British stiff upper lip about their troubles from Malaysia and vehemently denying fractures, but it might by that third time was the charm and the vultures are truly out.

3. Ricciardo stakes a claim

It hadn’t gone unnoticed that Ricciardo seems to be the frontrunner for Webber’s seat if/when he decides to leaves (Porsche rumours were doing the rounds again after Webber’s difficult weekend), despite Vergne outscoring him by 6 points last year. He started out the year with two tough DNFs but bounced back here to take a very respectable 7th after qualifying in the same position. The smiley Australian showed a glimmer of what could be unlocked from the STR8, and Vergne did too but his tussle with Webber shut down the possibility of improving his station. This of course won’t just be enough to take the seat from Webber, Vettel won in a Toro Rosso and although that would be a monumental task to the point of impossible, a few more top ten finishes will be needed. Especially when the name of Raikkonen and Hulkenberg are circulating.

4. Mercedes, not quite there yet

Maybe not, but it was close enough to secure the second podium in a row. Although Hamilton was unable to keep hold of his brilliant pole position, he did enough and kept Vettel at bay to take the last step and provide yet more proof that he move to Mercedes was correct. Brawn himself on the radio said to Hamilton that they were not quite there yet, but Hamilton must have looked at McLaren’s season and thought that it was enough at the moment. Rosberg suffered an anti-roll bar failure that forced a retirement upon last year’s glorious winner.

5. McLaren have something to smile about

Granted they haven’t be able to sneak off with a piece of silverware as of yet, but in China the warmer temperatures gave them a chance to have a better look into what they are capable of. Button was of course the greatest victor out of the team, just over half a minute behind race winner Alonso, but double figure points were of great consolation to the team who came to China with just 4 split evenly amongst their drivers. Button was easy on his tyres and even managed to lead the race, but starting on mediums compromised his ability to challenge for the podium, or more points.

Perez’s clash with Raikkonen left the Finn with a damaged front nose and himself with less than perfect handling. But it gave rise from comments from the team that suggest they believe he might not quite have the fighting spirit as of yet. “I think he’s been very polite so far this year, he needs to toughen up. He’s been generous in allowing people past him.” That is not what you want written on any report card.

Jules Bianchi

*gap to overall fastest lap [1:30.199]

It was another satisfying race from the young French driver in which is comfortably out performed his teammate at another circuit he has no experience at, last year at Force India his Friday test driving duties commenced in China. So before he took to the circuit for the first free practice he had no real life experience compared to his team mate who raced his last year on the GP2 season opener, a valid reason for being a little off the pace. But it wasn’t required, Bianchi showed his quality again to prove that his form in Australia was far from a a one off. Almost a second quicker than Pic in qualifying he was just two tenths off the pace of Bottas, a sign that he is out performing his machinery where Chilton was over a second behind. During the race it was apparent that Caterham had made some ground on Marussia, but Bianchi kept himself ahead of them both easily. To think he almost missed out on a seat this year.

- Bianchi was fined €2,800 for speeding in the pit lane in FP1, clocked at 74kph

Valtteri Bottas

The Williams the Finn is running is not the one he was test driving last year at the same circuit, last years car was capable of winning and if reports are to be believed the team is casting a nostalgic eye over it with a possibility of bringing components back. How very McLaren of them. While his team mate fondly remembers his win during his off and KERS failure Bottas clawed his way from the back of the grid after a poor opening lap to just miss out on the points, but he was the only rookie not to be lapped, a silver lining for the Finn. Definitely an improvement from his last outing, what has become clear is that this driver certainly has the skills, now he needs a car to show it off in.

Max Chilton

What Chilton has to do this year is keep tabs on Bianchi and not let him scamper off into the distance, because if he’s not careful he won’t do enough to warrant attention for 2014. Some of the gaps aren’t exactly representative of outright pace, for example in qualifying a small off widened the gap between him and Bianchi, so it is certainly not all doom and gloom. However, after a less than perfect start to his race on Sunday he only managed to show flashes of good pace before having to settle for being the last driver across the line and being lapped twice. It was another tough weekend weather wise, so with hopes that the rain will leave China alone, it will be great to see Chilton and Bianchi go head to head in the dry.

Giedo van der Garde

After spending practice there or there abouts with Pic, the gap widened slightly in qualifying where Pic took top billing within the team by around six tenths, but gaps can be deceiving and it’s more like half that. Even those he started at the back of the grid it didn’t mean he stayed there and he spent the latter stages of his race in a tussle with Chilton which he won on lap 31 with a help of the British driver pitting. Nevertheless it was an important hold for Caterham in the inter-team battle with Marussia. When Pic had his incident in the pitlane with Vergne it gave van der Garde the opportunity to finish ahead of his team mate but he was unable to take advantage of the mishap.

Esteban Gutierrez

With Hulkenberg able to start the race this time around Gutierrez had some direct competition on track, and with the German performing as Sauber expected he left his young Mexican team mate in the shadows somewhat. Throughout practice on Friday and Saturday they stayed fairly close to each other but some thought more could have been given by the rookie in qualifying, nevertheless his quiet race was compounded by Hulkenberg’s exciting battle with Raikkonen. His objective this year, like any other rookie, is to prove himself capable of giving his team mate a hard time on track, however for Gutierrez he’s going up against someone tipped for future championship glory.

Super Seven Moments

1. Webber vs. Vettel

It’s not a short subject so please read thoughts on this aspect of the race here.

2. Rosberg vs. Hamilton

It wasn’t just the two Red Bull drivers tussling over team orders on race day, Mercedes found themselves in the enviable position of battling over the last step of the podium. But as per the rules team ordes are allowed and therefore they can be enforced, but as can be seen from the incident above it isn’t a black and white matter. Similar to Vettel, Rosberg also asked for some assistance in getting past him team mate ahead, but whereas Red Bull lost control of the situation Mercedes kept their drivers in line, with Hamilton ahead. Rosberg asked on two separate occasions for Hamilton to be told to move over, and twice he was told ‘negative’.

Brawn made it abundantly clear to Rosberg that the most important objective was to have a double points finish. After Rosberg explained he could go faster, Brawn replied, “Negative Nico, negative. Lewis’ pace is what we are asking him to do. He can go a lot faster as well, so please be in control as well. There is a massive gap behind and nothing to gain in front. I want to bring both cars home.” Rosberg would have had to suppress his racers instinct to follow orders, but he did and remained magnanimous in fourth place, but was sure to send a barbed warning for the future, “Remember this one.” Like Vettel Hamilton conceded that his team mate should have been in his place, but without a win in the balance their relationship should weather this well, but it just goes to show that Rosberg isn’t going to be a walk over.

3. Curse of the Pit Lane

Several teams had trouble getting their men though a pit stop without a problem, Force India must be the first to be mentioned as both of their drivers suffered the most, especially so after showing great promise before the lights went out. Frustration bore out after their captive wheel nut system had issues in the first round of pit stops in which Force India had stacked their drivers, with Sutil first in di Resta was stationary behind him for around 15 seconds, an age in Formula One (Sutil [lap 6]: 37.833, di Resta [6]: 43.713) . It happened during the second stop and the team decided then to retire both cars on safety grounds (di Resta [20]: 123.124, Sutil [22]: 89.401).

Pic also suffered when Toro Rosso released Vergne too early from his pit box, the Caterham driver was pulling into his box when Vergne collided with him, both drivers consequently required new noses. Although this cost the elder Frenchman time he still scored Toro Rosso’s first point of the season which begins the march to what seems to be the empty seat at Red Bull in 2014.

Hamilton and Button as found themselves involved the in the pit lane action, as explained later…

4. Where art thou Ferrari?

The signs were incredibly promising at the start of the race, it seemed likely that Vettel was going to find himself mugged by two horses at the start and he almost was. Alonso clashed with Vettel on turn two during the opening lap and damaged his front wing, but even with one end catching on the track surface he kept himself ahead of a punchy Webber.

It seemed common sense to bring him in after he nursed it through the rest of the lap, however Ferrari decided to keep him so they could combine a new nose with fresh tyres. The kicker is that those who were involved in that decision couldn’t see the shower of sparks he was creating, confusing when Button was warned about Alonso. Massa then was left as the lone pony and couldn’t quite put up the challenge expected, but he hauled in enough points to finish the weekend ahead of his team mate.

5. Hamilton returns to McLaren

Yearning for the familiar Lewis? No, when the pressure is on to hit your pit box right instincts take over spending six years at the same team your instincts remember those six years. Hamilton pulled into the McLaren slot and had to be waved on so he could find the Mercedes mechanics, cue mirth and laughter from the McLaren garage and his girlfriend. He won’t be making that mistake again, especially as McLaren are finding things a little tough out there.

6. Button returns to Silverstone

Things were looking brilliant for McLaren, the hotter weather seemed to suit them as they took a step forward in performance and it was happy faces all around. Button started well and he was running in fifth with his eyes firmly set on a podium finish, until a pit stop saw fit to dash his hopes. In 2011 at Silverstone his front right tyre wasn’t fitted properly and he was forced to stop in the pit lane exit, this time it was the same tyre but he only got a hundred feet away from his team. At least Perez scooped up two points.

7. Team Orders, Last Orders?

It’s something Formula One as a whole will perhaps have to look at in terms of audience perception. Team orders have been part of the sport since its inception, but in an age of Hawkeye (Tennis), replays (rugby) and court cases over match fixing fans want a  transparent  fight. It was why team orders were given the okay in the first place, so to ban them again would involve covert codes, oddly timed pit stops and the like to creep back in. It’s a line the sport will dance upon and around forever.

He’s behind you

The race started wet and all drivers started the race on intermediates, but as the track dried quickly the first part of the team’s tyre strategy was to measure when the best time to switch to slicks was. Vettel was pitted first and as it transpired that was too early, and when they called Webber in he was able to capitalise on this and made it work to his advantage as Vettel had to work a little harder. Having the Mercedes duo duelling and managing fuel levels behind took the heat off, but it was after the final pit stop that tensions began to rise.

Webber just squeezed himself into the front of Vettel who was charging down the straight as he left the pits, and after a bit of nip and tuck Webber prevailed. But then on lap 46 Vettel challenged Webber for the lead and with some serious wheel to wheel racing it was Vettel who came out on top this time around turn 4. He then shot off into the distance in true Vettelian fashion and swept to a victory that matches Sir Jackie Stewart’s total. So why the controversy?

From Webber’s point of view he had his engine turned down and had been assured twice that Vettel wouldn’t challenge him, so to find himself with wing mirrors full of his team mate would have been a shock.

From Vettel’s point of view he had a chance to take a win and he took it. And herein lies that controversy.

Team orders are legal and a part of the sport now, something we’re going to have to get used to if we haven’t already. They were issued to Vettel to hold station, or as Red Bull puts them ‘Multi 21’, but he chose to ignore them, or as he explained to the media he was mistaken in what he heard. It’s easy to see both sides of the argument; both drivers wanted to win, one was told he was going to and the other one decided he wanted to instead.

Flipping Vettel the bird

However a chasm has been ripped open down the middle of the team and one they have three weeks to try and fix well enough to have both drivers line up together in China. It’s happened before but this time the stakes are higher and Webber wasn’t afraid to lay it out for anyone to see. Unless you’ve been living under a rock since the season started Webber is the oldest driver on the grid and it seems that he is being readily ushered out to make way for a Toro Rosso graduate with repeated mentions of his age. What was the most telling aspect of Webber’s post race interview was that in those last laps he had a lot on his mind, and hoped that time Down Under in the surf would be medicine enough.

Vettel offered his apologies to Webber soon after the race, explaining that he heard the call but there was a disconnect between what he heard and his subsequent actions. He also said that he wished he could undo the situation, so one could then counter he had the option to give the place back during the race, but with victory in sight what true competitor could manage that? Here we could divert into two separate reactions to his apology, firstly why should his apologise? He’s a racer, he’s employed to push hard and to challenge for championships. He’s hardwired to win. Then on the other hand he’s part of a team and he ignored a direct order from his employers. Or reactions could equally be a mixture of all of those, but one thing is now abundantly clear, although it always has been, Vettel is willing to do whatever it takes to win and Webber has to respond positively to that.

Of course Webber himself is no stranger to ignoring team orders, during the race at Silverstone in 2011 he admitted he failed to react properly when he was told on numerous occasions to ‘maintain the gap’.  Webber’s defiant response was, “I ignored the team and I was battling to the end.” No public apologies were offered at the time, but with it being a little further into the season and with Vettel having a considerable lead the situation wasn’t quite as open as it is right now.

At least amongst all of this Horner remains the same, he lays the responsibility with the drivers and firmly places the team first. About

Happy campers

Webber in Silverstone he said, “The message was quite clear to him, what the team expected of him – not what I expected, what the team collectively expected.” And about Vettel in Malaysia, “He had made it quite clear what his intention was by making the move. He knew what the communication was. He had had the communication. He chose to ignore it…He put his interest beyond what the team’s position was.” Even Dr Marko was remarkably even tempered about the situation, explaining that the team lost control.

At the end of the day Red Bull have left Malaysia with the maximum amount of points and have leapt to the front of the constructor and driver standings, which ordinarily would be a fantastic result, today it was anything but. What Webber has to do now is to put it firmly behind him and not let it being a weight on his shoulders that drags him down like is has in the past. Rather he needs to channel his fight from Silverstone in 2010. Vettel also has some bridges to mend, and not only with Webber, he has to prove himself a team player to his team and to the public too.

Their team mates are their first benchmark, and this year the rookies are not up against widely experienced men, Gutierrez and Bottas have partners with two seasons under their Nomex where as the Marussia duo of Bianchi and Chilton are on equal footing of zero and van der Garde’s garage buddy Pic has one season with the aforementioned Russian outfit. However, under the ultimate pressure of their debut each driver made it to the finish line, albeit they all were lapped at least once.

Jules Bianchi

*gap to overall fastest lap

Even though he has benefit of being in a backmarker team and the anonymity that brings on track, being a familiar name will mean he still have the expectation to perform well. For the first three laps he made up an impressive seven positions. Aided a little by the first round of pit stops he spent three laps in a unexpected 12th place, not a bad place to get yourself into on your debut.

Something team principal John Booth agrees with, “Jules drove a fantastic race and quickly left the Caterhams in his wake to focus on the midfield pack in front.” Focusing on the midfield in a Marussia, Bianchi has already set the bar high for himself and he’s also raised it for his team mate Chilton. It is also worth noting that Bianchi’s fastest lap was the fastest of all the rookie drivers and a mere 0.045 off the defending champion Vettel’s best effort.

- No further action for Bianchi after he passed the entry bollard at the pit lane entry on the left instead of the right.

Valtteri Bottas

His team mate Maldonado may have labelled the car undriveable and had voiced his misery about the car he has been given this year, understandable considering he won a race last season, and beached his car in the gravel but Bottas saw the end of the race. By the end of the first lap he had made up three places and by lap five he was up to his highest position of 12th which he matched on lap 20, but after three pit stops he spent the rest of his race in a solid 14th.

Although he was lapped it was still a promising display despite the troubles the team have found themselves in, and one the team was happy with. Bottas himself was pleased with his performance, but admitted a mistake in on lap 4 lost him places, “I had a good start from my grid position and it felt great to be back racing again…A small mistake a few laps in cost me some places though.”

The race statistics above are hard to compare as Maldonado’s race finished on lap 24, so naturally Bottas’ fastest lap would be better than his team mate as he had less fuel and the track was rubbered in. Bottas had a few travels off the track at the same turn Maldonado eventually finished his race at,  but to make it to the end after a rain-disrupted weekend is an achievement in itself. However with his team declaring he’s not like a rookie, he has a lot of work to do over the year to outperform his car to prove them right.

- Bottas was fined €2,800 for speeding in the pit lane in FP1, he went over the 60kph limit by 13.8kph.

Max Chilton

Like his team mate Chilton also made up places on his first lap and like the others in part that was helped by the slow starting Toro Rosso’s, namely Ricciardo who was last by the second lap and with Hulkenberg not starting the race. However he mixed it up with the Caterham duo throughout the races and with an over take on van der Garde on lap 46 he ensured that Marussia started the year ahead of their closest rivals.

He finished the race a lap down on Bianchi, but having to make an unscheduled stop for a new front wing after a collision with van der Garde on turn two. If this weekend is indicative of the rest of the season he’s got to keep up in touch of Bianchi who comprehensively beat him, though the French driver has spent valuable time with both Ferrari and Force India. This said Chilton left Australia positive and encouraged by the team’s overall performance, and after the way he recovered he should be.

Esteban Guiterrez

He leaves Australia as the top rookie, having finished higher than the other four and having made up the most positions by the end of the race, however comparisons are unable to be made between his day and his team mate’s as the fuel system on Hulkenberg’s car failed an out before the race started. He swept his crash and spin in Q1 under the carpet and prgressed well on the day, which begs the question how much better he could have done with a better qualifying. Along with Bottas and Bianchi he was only lapped once. By lap four he managed to get himself into his race ending position of 13th, but after a pit stop on the following lap he found himself dead last, however he swiftly made that up and eventually spent two laps just inside the points at the halfway point.

Great things are expected of Hulkenberg and eyes are on him to produce some Perezesque results, and Gutierrez hasn’t escaped the pressure just because he’s fresh out of the box. It was his fellow countryman that was on McLaren’s wishlist last year and whether he likes it or not he’s being drawn up against him too.

- Gutierrez was fined €800 for speeding in the pit lane in FP1, he went over the 60kph limit by 3.4kph.

Giedo van der Garde

In the former stages of the race van der Garde stayed ahead of Pic and found himself in 14th, but with an early clash with Chilton he spent the rest of the day doing battle with the Briton rather than him team mate who stayed ahead from lap 13 onwards. Van der Garde kept Chilton honest but he lost a position to him on lap 46 which left Caterham behind of a seemingly improved Marussia. In spite of this van der Garde would have been pleased just to have made it to the end after a testing weekend which saw him end his first day Down Under in the gravel and lose his nose in qualifying. Top priority for him and the team now is to ensure that Marussia don’t build on this early momentum as the battle to finally score a point reaches boiling point.

Super Seven Moments

1. Lotus on Top

Once testing commenced Lotus was looked upon as having great pace on the long runs and it was hoped they could show this in race trim, and by the cool hands of Raikkonen they looked very competitive indeed. A well executed two stop strategy that thankfully didn’t resemble the two-stop seen in China last year when in the final laps the Finn disapeared down the rankings and off the podium. He seems under no stress on track which was confirmed when he claimed it was the easiest win of his career and he made it clear he was taking it easy, only punching in a fastest lap with a couple in hand to cover the chance of late rain. A Raikkonen that feels at home is a happy driver indeed.

However Grosjean couldn’t share the joy, he took a single point after a wholly uneventful race, which back last year would have been welcome in this season is simply won’t do. Word is that he was late to receive the upgrades Raikkonen had since Friday and had two laps in FP3 to optimise his car. Like half the grid, when you’ve got an on form team mate, you have to make sure you don’t fall into the shadows.

2. The Bull Caged

It seemed today was a foregone conclusion when both Red Bull drivers took the front row, but with a now standard tardy start for Webber he ended the first lap in 7th place. However Vettel did pull out a his usual front of the pack gap so that was to be expected, until Ferrari decided to spoil the party. A brilliant start from Massa saw him slot himself into second place ahead of his team mate and Hamilton. And despite a tidy race from Vettel, it was the exuberant display of superiority and power we’re used to. Webber however spent the race racing di Resta and in the low point scoring positions, but as ever there was a little more to it than simply one of his starts. A software issue prevented him from resetting his clutch after the warm up lap and was without KERS for between 10/20 laps.

Could this Red Bull be fast but fragile? Or do they prefer things a little warmer?

3. McLaren Honest in Defeat

It was made abundantly clear by Martin Whitmarsh and his drivers that McLaren were going to have a tough weekend. After revealing that their pace in Jerez was due to a suspension component being fitted wrongly on the car, which does beg the question, why not leave it that way? It gave them a lower ride height which suited the track and retaining that set up would have only been a stop gap. Perez made up positions after a good start and looked set to repeat his early 2012 performances, Button also looked set to do the same but as the race stretched out they remained uncompetitive and had to watch the likes of Force India comprehensively beat them on pace, lap after lap.

There have been loud rumours that the team would revert back to last years car, however for a team with the capability to develop like McLaren it would be foolish. Not only that they would have to spend time getting it to pass FIA tests. But it was not all lost for the British outfit, Button clung onto ninth place despite a little late lap pressure, but Perez couldn’t quite close the gap to Grosjean to secure a double team point score.

4. Force India Fabulous

Qualifying outside the top ten certainly worked well for Sutil today, starting on the medium tyres left him in the leading position on two separate occasions through the pit stop phases. The returning German who had spent last season off the grid for his widely reported indiscretions in China during 2011, but has returned in a similar form to Raikkonen, with only a hint of rust. He kept Vettel at bay and managed to pull away while the current champion was the start of his very own train. However, tyres were his demon force today as his strategy saw him slip down the timing screens in the last ten laps into the clutches of di Resta. However after such a sterling performance it was fitting that Sutil stayed ahead of his team mate and retained seventh.

5. Forza Ferrari

They leave Australia leading the constructor’s championship, which considering how they started the last two seasons is very encouraging. The Massa that was on display here was the one fans fondly remember, fast and fighty he kept Alonso on his toes for the first part of the race, where his outright pace gave him the prestigious first to pit option. However his strategy didn’t quite work out as well as he had hoped and he found himself just off the podium, where Alonso kept Raikkonen company until the flag signaled the end of the first race.

6. Merc-raculous

With Rosberg on a two stopper and the pace he showed through the weekend he could have been a thorn in Raikkonen’s side  in the latter stages of the race, however a mysterious stop on lap 26 ended his race prematurely. However soon after it was announced it was due to an electrical fault with Brawn saying, “We saw a drop in voltage from the battery and that stopped the car.” But for Hamilton, he put himself in a fantastic position and was never out of the points, and with so much pressure on his shoulders to perform he certainly lived up to expectations. A pairing that will certainly bear fruit and a couple of trophies too this year.

7. Williams Where?

Another team with pace issues and drivers unafraid to talk about it, in this team it was Maldonado who commented on the team going backwards to a point more familiar to them three years ago. During testing he said it was the best he had ever driven, now whether this some personal sandbagging is unclear but now he’s labelled it ‘undriveable’. Eliminated in Q1 Maldonado also had an early finish to mirror his 2012 effort, with a spin at turn 1 on lap 24 that had him beached in the gravel. Bottas on the other hand brought the car home, but it was far from the ‘non-rookie’ performance the team were evidently banking on.

Elsewhere:

• The weather controlled a large portion of the weekend, with different team benefitting at different times. It also delayed Q2 and Q3 to Sunday morning, but despite a forecast for showers in the race only a few spots appeared.
• Nico Hulkenberg didn’t start the race after his fuel system failed an hour before the race started.
• Daniel Ricciardo retured with an damaged exhaust on lap 41 after a strong race for Toro Rosso, Vergne as well demonstrated great pace.
• All five rookies finished their first race…report to follow.

As today was the final day of testing a dose of good weather would send the teams off in style as they pack up for Melbourne, and it just so happens they got what they hoped for. Mercedes again found themselves at the top of the pile with Rosberg putting is a huge 131 laps and the fastest time seen in Barcelona during both testing sessions. For a team that debuted in Jerez with a raft of issues that had many questioning Hamilton’s decision, this was a welcome leaving present.  Alonso was the only other driver to go sub 1:21 with Button just under a second behind.

Hulkenberg put is a time only a tenth slower than the McLaren and continued to show that the team is still able to cope with tyre degradation, but questions reain over realiability with a technical issue stopped a race simulation. Raikkonen returned to the garage having recovered from his short illness but was faced with another gearbox problem that forced him to miss most of the morning. However the team remained positive and noted the good progress made. Di Resta was very close to the Lotus and with the slightly warmer temperatures gave them more useful data on the tyres.

The Williams duo were out again together and were split by Vettel who has left testing wanting a little more time as not all the boxes have been ticked, one aspect being more consistency with the tyres. Williams however were happy with their realiability and the race trim they had evaluated. Pic got ahead of both Marussia drivers and Ricciardo’s Toro Rosso split Bianchi and Chilton. The STR8, as explained by the team, is a new car and with that they have had a tricky testing season, but a productive one.

With the sun finally prevailing over the rain the track was full of teams taking advantage of the good weather. Hamilton got the most of the day with the fastest time and tallied the second highest number of laps to demonstrate the Mercedes’ improved reliability on his last day in the car before Melbourne. Half a second behind him was Massa on his last day in the Ferrari, whose front left wheel dramatically detached itself on the approach to turn 10 which the team attribute to a front left upright issue.

Sutil made it clear that he wasn’t going to be hampered by a year out of the paddock with a time around 3 tenths behind the Ferrari. Due to the weather for this test the Williams’s duo shared duties in the car today with the updated bodywork they intend to take to Australia, with close times in similar conditions it looks like this battle should be interesting to watch as the season unfolds.

Gutierrez made an attempt to complete a race simulation but his effort was curtailed by a water leak, but he was pleased with the team’s ability to manage tyre degradation, which is no surprise if last year’s success in this area is remembered. Webber’s final appearance on track was delayed by overnight alterations to the car, then issues throughout the day hampered the number of laps. Perez’s final chance to understand the McLaren was spent getting to grips with set up before longs runs and some pit stop practice.

Vergne finished a race simulation without issue which should fill him with confidence. Although Raikkonen was slated to run in the car today a bought of suspected food poisoning Davide Valsecchi found himself literally stepping to the Finn’s shoes (his kit is en route to Australia) and got a chance to try out the car which he concluded to be very good. Grosjean stepped in for the afternoon running. New Maurussia recruit Bianchi sat in the car for the first time after a frenetic day of being in contention for a spot at Force India, losing it and signing to Marussia. Van der Garde rounded out the timesheet with a huge 126 laps under his belt.

The drivers woke to find themselves with a damp track to deal with after a burst of overnight rain, and although Button was ahead before lunch Grosjean set the fastest time overall. He proves himself to be something of a day two specialist, as he also set the fastest time in Jerez on the second day. He triggered a red flag earlier in the day but recovered well and commented on how comfortable he felt inside the car.

Button and McLaren concentrated on aero work in the morning and followed up with testing updates later on, and although he finished second he set his time on the medium compound where Grosjean did his on softs. Maldonado came in third with Vettel and Hulkenberg the last drivers to end up sub 1:24.

Sutil’s first day in the car after his appointment was made official went smoothly as he reacquainted  himself with Formula One machinery following  a year away. Riciardo, Chilton and Van der Garde settled in behind as they battled with changeable conditions that interrupted the whole day. Rosberg and Alonso focused on longer runs today with Rosberg happy to take about the wet running experience in the new car, which felt good.