King versus King
It was the Sunday every Formula 1 fan has waited for - the 2006 season opener at Bahrain. What's more, the race actually
lived up to everyone's expectations - even mine.
It would seem that all the off season preparations, the new rules, the 100 page notepad you need to follow qualifying, and the race itself, all lived up to the pre race billing. Just for the record, reigning Formula 1 driver's champion Fernando Alonso came out on top by the slimmest of margins over... wait for it... Michael Schumacher.
"Yeah, it will be very interesting. There are four teams fighting for victories at any circuit at the moment: Honda, McLaren, Ferrari and Renault, and I think any of them can win races, and this would make the start of the season, especially, very, very interesting," commented Alonso after the race.
To be
honest, Schumacher looked to have it well in hand until the two 'kings' came out side by side on Alonso's final stop. Alonso held on for the win, but in a sense we all won.
"Yeah, you know in 19 or 18 races, however many it's going to be (Schumacher's uncertainty referring to the cancelled Belgian Grand Prix - Ed.), all points are very important and if you lose or gain two points it's not really so important at this stage," Schumacher said of his second place effort. "I would have liked to win but then there is only so much you can do for it and this time it was Fernando. As you see, we have four very competitive teams on the grid and it's a long year."
All of us that are fans of Formula 1 now have something to look forward to for the rest of the year. It will be the 'boy king' [Alonso] versus the undisputed king [Schumacher] for the remainder of the season.
Having said that, don't count out Kimi Raikkonen in his McLaren, who came
from last (thanks to a spectacular accident during qualifying) to finish third; and that performance leads me into my first observation of the weekend.
You see, most opted for two stops - remember tire changes are allowed again this year - except for Raikkonen and David Coulthard, who one stopped the race. My question is that the tires are now softer because they don't have to go the full distance, so they should be faster, yet Raikkonen made the most out of his long stint, in fact, he did his fastest lap just two laps before his first stop - on old tires. Of course he was low on fuel and therefore running light, but what's up with that?
Raikkonen could challenge for the championship if he gets some luck, or in the least
has less bad luck than last year. Many feel that the Hondas of Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello are threats. I don't think they are. Barichello's car has to be perfect or I think he just goes through the motions, and Button just doesn't seem to be able to put it all together for some reason - and just for the record, I'm fine with that.
So, what we have is a great start to what will probably be the best F1 season in recent memory - and it's about friggin' time.
It was the Sunday every Formula 1 fan has waited for - the 2006 season opener at Bahrain. What's more, the race actually
 |
| The 2006 season opener at Bahrain actually lived up to everyone's expectations, with continual passing throughout the race. (Photo: AutoSport Press) |
It would seem that all the off season preparations, the new rules, the 100 page notepad you need to follow qualifying, and the race itself, all lived up to the pre race billing. Just for the record, reigning Formula 1 driver's champion Fernando Alonso came out on top by the slimmest of margins over... wait for it... Michael Schumacher.
"Yeah, it will be very interesting. There are four teams fighting for victories at any circuit at the moment: Honda, McLaren, Ferrari and Renault, and I think any of them can win races, and this would make the start of the season, especially, very, very interesting," commented Alonso after the race.
To be
 |
| The two champions battled to the end, but Alonso and his Renault came out victorious over Michael Schumacher and his Ferrari. (Photo: Renualt F1) |
"Yeah, you know in 19 or 18 races, however many it's going to be (Schumacher's uncertainty referring to the cancelled Belgian Grand Prix - Ed.), all points are very important and if you lose or gain two points it's not really so important at this stage," Schumacher said of his second place effort. "I would have liked to win but then there is only so much you can do for it and this time it was Fernando. As you see, we have four very competitive teams on the grid and it's a long year."
All of us that are fans of Formula 1 now have something to look forward to for the rest of the year. It will be the 'boy king' [Alonso] versus the undisputed king [Schumacher] for the remainder of the season.
Having said that, don't count out Kimi Raikkonen in his McLaren, who came
 |
| Raikkonen and Coulthard (shown) only stopped once for fuel and new sets of tires. (Photo: Red Bull F1) |
You see, most opted for two stops - remember tire changes are allowed again this year - except for Raikkonen and David Coulthard, who one stopped the race. My question is that the tires are now softer because they don't have to go the full distance, so they should be faster, yet Raikkonen made the most out of his long stint, in fact, he did his fastest lap just two laps before his first stop - on old tires. Of course he was low on fuel and therefore running light, but what's up with that?
Raikkonen could challenge for the championship if he gets some luck, or in the least
 |
| What we have is a great start to what will probably be the best F1 season in recent memory. (Photo: Renault F1) |
So, what we have is a great start to what will probably be the best F1 season in recent memory - and it's about friggin' time.