Bulls Eye

An interesting GP, though it is becoming so obviously true that we DO NEED more overtaking in F1. I did believe that Catalunya would yield more quality overtaking simply because the tracks are marginally broader and there are curves where drivers take so many different lines at every curve. But eventually, it was a multi-billion dollar F1 car parade and I had something else better to do for the evening...

Hence the late post...

Catalunya is one of those rare circuits which test a car so completely. Shaped like a bull's head, she's got elevations and high-speed corners which only the bravest of the brave can take on without stepping off the gas pedal.

We now obviously know that its a two way battle between Ferrari and Renault, no matter how much Ron Dennis prattles that he's got new engines and the best driver. Raikkonen was fast, but he just couldn't match the might of the Scuderia or the Les Blues. In the end, it was a couple of Ferrari and Renault sandwiches.

Alonso was great, it just did not dawn upon me that it was a 24 year old kid under the helmets and not Alain Prost. I find a similarity in their professor-like driving styles, though people would say that its way too early to compare.

Schumacher was brilliant as usual, and I'd say that he doesn't look or drive like he's a day over thirty. He's back, and last year's blip was evidently due to ageing on Ferrari's technology part rather than his part.

What did surprise me was Massa's consistency. At a super-fast track like Catalunya, little did I expect the Brazilian to finish the race, leave alone come fourth. Pretty impressive performances from both him and Fisichella, though I'd like to see them race for themselves rather than for their more illustrious team-mates.

On car performance, I would say that the Renault appeared a bit more faster than their Maranello rivals. Only slightly, and I wouldn't be surprised if Scuderia pull up by Renault's side in a couple of races after Monaco, considering the quality of their improvements from race to race.

Montoya was driving a paltry race, and his misery was put to an end when his traction control gave way and he beached himself on a chicane. A sad performance for the McLaren team, the team is obviously missing Adrian Newey.

Talking of Adrian, his presence at Red Bull does not seem to have improved their standard of racing. Too early, one might argue, but they atleast should be a notch better than their so called 'B' team - STR.

On to BAR - Button had yet another excuse for his performance. The excuse - 'Barrichello was too slow'. But if he was too slow, why couldn't Button overtake him? Or better, why couldn't he put himself ahead of Barrichello during qualifying?

Williams - they promised initially, but now I am sure that they're not up to the mark, and the dream of a privateer team competing with the manufacturer's for the top slot has gone kaput. But ofcourse, that doesn't mean that Webber and Rosberg haven't been driving well. They did well, though I believe that both of them are being wasted in a team that just wouldn't be able to compete (on money) in the long run. And to think that Nico's signed a five-year deal...

Toyota - the usual. Ralf qualified well, and so did Trulli (much to the anguish of those behind him). But they're one lap wonders who just can't keep a pace throught the race.

BMW had a decent race, though it was absolutely ridiculous that Jacques had to start at the back of the pack because of an engine-damage situation during transportation. Heidfeld was good, and I see no reason why the Bavarian team can't be title challengers in a few years time.

Midland, Aguri - I heard they raced, can someone confirm that for me?