Formula 1: Ferrari Off To A Flyer

The grid was jam packed with 24 vrooming F1 cars. And with the new rules in place this year (read Formula 1 News: Rules Changed Again), the first 10 places were assured of getting points for the efforts. So there was a lot to race for, since this year, every single point might become crucial at the end of the season, both for drivers and teams.

The start of the race was understandably chaotic, as the drivers were raring to go after nearly 4 months. Besides, fuel tanks were quite heavy for the first time since refueling is not allowed now. Both these reasons resulted in nudges all around and the track seemed like a bunch of guys who didn't know what was actually happening. But things got back to normal faster than a blink of an eye, and Vettel took the lead. In fact, Vettel lead for more than ¾ of the race, only to experience a failing exhaust, which let 3 cars overtake his RB6 to the finish line.

The podium places were occupied by Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa (both Ferrari), and Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes). 7 of the 24 cars did not manage to finish the race. Of all the new outfits on the grid, only the 2 cars from Lotus managed to finish the race, which is something they will be happy about, leaving the other new teams with a lot of thinking and work on hand. The legend, Michael Schumacher finished a respectable 6th, and he will be quite happy with it, considering he has come out of retirement to race again.

Let us have a look at the driver and team standings after race 1

Driver Standings

Position	Driver	Team	Points
1	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	25
2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	18
3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren-Mercedes	15
4	Sebastian Vettel	RBR-Renault	12
5	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes Benz GP Ltd	10
6	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes Benz GP Ltd	8
7	Jenson Button	McLaren-Mercedes	6
8	Mark Webber	RBR-Renault	4
9	Vitantonio Luizzi	Force India-Mercedes	2
10	Rubens Barrichello	Williams-Cosworth	1

Constructor Standings

Position	Team	Points
1	Ferrari	43
2	McLaren-Mercedes	21
3	Mercedes Benz GP Ltd	18
4	RBR-Renault	16
5	Force India-Mercedes	2
6	Williams-Cosworth	1
7	Renault	0
8	STR-Ferrari	0
9	Lotus-Cosworth	0
10	BMW Sauber-Ferrari	0
11	HRT-Cosworth	0
12	Virgin-Cosworth	0

Now even though Ferrari seems to have got a head start, we cannot underestimate the capabilities of MCLaren, Mercedes, and Renault. One thing is certain, this year has the making to be one of the most exciting seasons of Formula One. So see you in a couple of weeks time in Australia.