It was a topsy turvy world in Melbourne on Friday during the first day of practice of the new season as many of the weaker teams from last year turned the fastest laps, while the champions struggled along at the back of the field.
Winter testing may have set the scene, but it was still very bizarre to see it confirmed: After several teams on Thursday made formal complaints against the design of the rear diffuser on the Toyota, Brawn and Williams cars, the six drivers of these very teams finished in the top seven spots – with only Mark Webber in a Red Bull breaking up the party by finishing in fourth.
Nico Rosberg in a Williams set the fastest time of both the morning and evening sessions. Rubens Barrichello, in a Brawn, set the second fastest time of the day, and Jarno Trulli in a Toyota set the third fastest time.
Lewis Hamilton was right near the back of the pack in the second session. But during the press conference afterwards, Hamilton insisted on saying he was happy with the day’s work… and then said the car had, “a general lack of grip everywhere through the track. We still have a long way to go. There’s no quick fix, it’s going to take some time.”
Needless to say, the atmosphere at the other teams is not that good. After the race stewards ruled that the cars’ rear diffusers were legal, several of the teams gave notice of an intention to appeal the decision. That means that the results of Sunday’s race, and perhaps next week’s race in Malaysia, will not be declared official until the appeal has taken place.
Mario Theissen, the director of the BMW Sauber team, pointed out that even if the other teams changed their diffusers they would probably not be as good. F1 cars, of course, are conceived and designed as a whole concept, and not just hammered together with disparate parts.
It was only a Friday practice day, but it really confirmed what many people already believed and that might best be summed up from that song by Bob Dylan: The loser now will be later to win … and … The first one now will later be last….
But how long will this state of affairs last in the dog eat dog world of F1 where only a handful of the same teams have dominated for so long?
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