- 23 Mar 08, 22:48#37023It was a very dull race, but I kind of guessed that after qualifying yesterday. It was clear Ferrari were a cut above the rest.
I think McLaren could have been closer in qualifying had they not have taken off some wing beforehand. In the race, things did not go to plan either. The five-place penalty was just and affected the team, being stuck behind traffic was unhelpful, and the spinner on the wheel causing issues all made for a pretty indifferent day for McLaren. The team have a lot of potential and recent seasons have shown McLaren can develop the car pretty quickly (although I can't see the team replicating quite the same ferocious pace with two inexperienced drivers; this is when you need somebody like Alonso in the team).
What happened to Massa was very peculiar but that there was nothing broken or the car and nothing showing on the telemetry can only indicate he dropped it - again. What James Allen said during the race was interesting as well: essentially that Massa likes to go light on fuel in qualifying in order to lead the race from the front. I wonder why - because he can't overtake.
There were some great drives outside the "big four" (for want of a better term) today. Kubica, Trulli and Fisichella put in great shifts, and Heidfeld was unlucky over the whole weekend, having the speed to get a better result.
Overall, there were some good drives, some who could feel hard-done-by, but the race was like watching paint dry. Bahrain will not be a lot better: it's a Ferrari track and they've tested there whilst nobody else (certainly of importance) did.

Ayrton Senna: WDC 1988,
1989, 1990, 1991
McLaren: WCC 1974, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1998,
1999, 2007McLaren: WDC 1974, 1976, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1998, 1999, 2008