I'm absolutely stoked by the arrival of the F1 season in Melbourne this weekend.
The first qualifying session of the season naturally draws a great deal of curiosity. This has never been more true than now. Winter testing has fallen under such strict regulation that even the teams are left unclear as to how they will measure up against each other.
Therefore, it was with ever heightened anticipation that I sat down to watch qualifying for Australia.
I spent the next hour or so border lining fits of excitement, disappointment, surprise, and skepticism. In the end, all proved well as the session ended suggesting that we have a much closer battle ahead than witnessed in 2011.
For anyone who noted Q1's five fastest, the result was probably surprising. Granted Q1 rarely proves to be the real measure but given the mix of new faces in that lineup, the season looks bright.
I'm crushed that Ferrari truly appear to be in trouble. I was hoping all of that preseason banter was just a bluff . . . but that beast looks scary. Scary in the sense that it appears to have absolutely no grip nor readily identifiable personality. It appears way too twitchy . . . and without warning prone to flip at once from understeer to snap oversteer.
It boggles my mind how Ferrari can produce an aerodynamic marvel of a road car in the F12, yet year after year struggle to produce a single seater of equivalent impact. Of course, I can only hope I'm being a bit dramatic, but despite his immeasurable skill, Fernando has appeared to be at a loss so far this weekend.
McLaren look very strong. I don't want to contradict my opinion that this will be a close year, but if I had to guess where the 2012 driver's title will land, it will be at the feet of one of the McLaren drivers.
I'd made an off the cuff prediction following practice that Schumacher would make it onto the front two rows of the grid and I was thrilled to see that happen. I can only hope that Mercedes have found true form that is free from the scrutineering clouds that are gathering around their rear wing. It would be fantastic to see Rosberg and Schumacher fighting at the front . . . and for certain to see both of them on the podium throughout 2012.
Romain Grosjean delivered beyond my expectations and has looked very quick all weekend, whereas teammate Raikkonen has been off the pace. I was gutted by his premature exit in Q1. In fairness, Kimi has apparently suffered from issues with his power steering this weekend. I've no idea whether Lotus resolved the issue prior quali . . . but this was not how I hoped he start his first race back in F1.
I'm thrilled to see Hulkenberg back on the grid and expect quite a bit from both he and Paul di Resta in the Mercedes powered Force India this season.
One of the surprises today was Williams. Both Maldonado and Senna ran higher up the order than I expected and this makes me incredibly curious as to how that chassis will perform in the coming year.
Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo were both very impressive . . .
To wrap-up this entry: Red Bull. Poor Seb wound up one spot behind Webber on the 3rd row!
Red Bull hopefully have a fight on their hands this season. Obviously, it is way too early to count anyone out, but it would be nice to see Vettel have to fight his way through the field for a change. It will be interesting to see if Webber can earn a podium in his home race.
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