In less sandy climes, smoke settles faster, and after the points table shake-up caused by Sepang, the dust settled quickly enough for us to start acknowledging this season's incontrovertible facts.
Numero Uno, the Renaults are faster. By a mile. They've always been fabulous starters off the line, but from what the two season openers demonstrated, these cars are very efficient on fuel, and can make their engines last. So far, they have shown impressive reliability indeed, and both their drivers are riding high. So high, in fact, that the boys in blue currently seem to only be competing against one another.
Secondly, this is going to be a year where the gloves are off. Team orders be darned, a bunch of talented drivers are defiantly shaving seconds off their more experienced 'Number One' teammates, and the competition is hotting up.
Felipe Massa led an inspired charge from the back of the grid to bring his Ferrari ahead of Michael Schumacher; Juan Pablo Montoya has -- believe it or not -- more points than his McLaren-mate Kimi Raikkonen; Nico Rosberg qualified his Williams just ahead of Mark Webber; Christian Klien's work with the Red Bull is considerably better than David Coulthard's; and, in possibly the most unpredictable dynamic of the year, Jacques Villenueve actually seems to be driving level-headedly and getting his BMW into the points, better than Nick Heidfeld.
But first, the race: Sepang began awfully for Ferrari, what with a jiggly rear-wing under investigation, and both engines replaced, meaning ten spots down the grid, with Massa right at the back. Fernando Alonso was slotted in eighth, after inadvertently qualifying with too much fuel, but his teammate was right in the front. The two McLarens promisingly took row 3, while row 2 was for the Williams cars: an astonishingly fast Nico Rosberg followed by Mark Webber.
Darn, it was boring. Well, at least it seemed soporific after the obviously overtake-filled Bahrain. Here's a really quick recap: Alonso overtook four cars into the start, Fisichella uncharacteristically dominating the proceedings by flying ahead and setting an endless stream of fastest laps. Michael struggled up, but not fast enough, and while it looked like he was on a one-stop, he finally limped to sixth after an inexplicable last minute stop that seemed too long. Kimi? Oh, he left the race really early, after being hit by Christian Klien. Button manfully finished third, with Juan Pablo bringing the remaining McLaren upto four. And rain was a tease, promising some chaotic action but eventually staying away from things altogether. Fisi picked up his third career race win, and deserved to: his weekend all the way.
But while the race didn't provide much on-track excitement, the implications Sepang presented us with are huge indeed. 2006 now looks set to be one of the most closely-contested seasons in recent history. Even as we were already marvelling at the four top teams -- Renault, Ferrari, McLaren, Honda -- close enough to give us nothing much to choose from, qualifying sprung a surprise with the two Williams cars looking blindingly fast. Also, Villeneuve made it look like the BMW isn't a pushover either. Add to that the fact that both Toyotas almost made it to the points (Trulli finished ninth), and you have to acknowledge that this is pretty much anyone's season.
It's far too early to make season predictions, but the Constructor's looks good for Renault right now, heading the table with 28 points, looking at the form their cars are showing. Still, the championship is wide open, and both McLaren and Ferrari -- currently a joint second with 11 points -- will surely respond. Let's see if Honda can make any inroads, and it'll be a more than academic battle between Williams and BMW. So, so much at stake over the Constructor's this year.
And then there's the Driver's World Championship, and this one's a free-for-all. Fernando Alonso, defending world champion, has 18 points. Michael Schumacher, the man who believes in 'one more title' is tied with Jenson Button at second place, with 11 points. Giancarlo Fisichella's just won a race, and is in third with 10. Juan Pablo Montoya, with 9 points, inches ahead of Kimi Raikkonen (6) to take fourth place.
What does this mean? Well, that Alonso has to keep his nose clean and keep things steady; we know he can soak up the pressure, but the Spaniard ought drive with caution and minimise risk, things more than slightly opposed to his style of carefree precision. Jenson Button can fight with constant podium finishes, but he'll really need a win or two to actually make a serious bid at the title. Schumi needs to keep plugging away, gathering as many points as possible and pull off a few spectacular wins to earn himself the top spot. He's used to heading the points table, and once he's up there, he'll be hard to dislodge. But can he make it up that high? Fisichella is in with a shot, but has to keep fighting off his teammate, a task easier typed than done.
Which brings us to Kimi Raikkonen, last year's almost-champ. Now this is a completely uphill battle. The McLaren, despite its new (and somewhat Midland-evocative) livery, is showing off its notorious lack of reliability, and the Finn must feel the pain. This is a season where absolutely every single point counts, and Kimi is far, far behind. This is a year when consistency will bring forth the greatest rewards, but his car doesn't really allow him that secure confidence.
Raikonnen will need to pull out something remarkable to close in on the leaders. But that's another fascinating factor about the season ahead of us: Kimi can do.
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