Too early to judge success of F1's new formula

The headline writer in a Melbourne newspaper was probably pleased when 'Yawn Of A New Era' appeared above a Formula One story last Sunday morning. It seemed a justifiable snipe at F1 based on the evidence of a new qualifying routine that had lacked the eleventh-hour adrenalin surge of the old system. By mid-afternoon on race day, however, the sub-editor ought to have felt serious discomfort as a dramatically unpredictable race prompted rash claims that the sport had been reborn.

The truth lies somewhere in between. The lead may have changed hands six times but, as ever, the moves took place in the pits rather than on the track. Assertions that processional racing had finally given way to wheel-to-wheel combat needed to be qualified by the observation that the early laps were run on a damp track; a classic ingredient that has transformed many a dull race in the past.

If next Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix is held in the dry and produces the same level of uncertainty, then the sport's governing body can begin to accept praise for a raft of changes, the full effect of which might not be accurately assessed until the season is into its third or fourth race.

The only certainty so far is that the revised qualifying format has been a mixed blessing. With drivers restricted to just one flying lap, the penalty for a mistake was demonstrated by Kimi Raikkonen when a moment on the grass dropped the McLaren to fifteenth on the grid. Under the previous system, a driver had four chances to produce a clean, quick lap, the last one often being a nothing-to-lose affair since a place on the grid had already been established. Now, the single lap has the dull qualities of a winning team abandoning powerful attack in favour of defensive tactics before the final whistle.

The need to carry enough fuel for the first phase of the race, while further reducing the on-the-edge nature of qualifying, at least had the desired effect of shaking the dice and having race numbers fall in unexpected places on the grid. By choosing to run with a small amount of fuel, the Sauber team enjoyed the benefit of qualifying Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Nick Heidfeld in fourth and seventh places. The hope was that Ferrari had done the same as Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello claimed the front row with apparent ease.

A precise answer was difficult to establish on race day during damp conditions at the start as tyre choice became yet another variable. Broadly speaking, the wet-weather Bridgestones used by Ferrari offered more grip than the Michelins run by McLaren-Mercedes and Williams-BMW. But the balance suddenly shifted as the Michelin dry-weather tyres proved better suited to a track that was drying rapidly, a state of affairs that had Raikkonen and David Coulthard changing tyres early on even though it dropped the McLarens to the back of the field.

In a race of see-sawing fortunes, Ferrari and Jordan then came to McLaren's aid when the wreckage from the crashed cars of Rubens Barrichello and Ralph Firman caused the introduction of the safety car that bunched the field and allowed Raikkonen and Coulthard to catch up. That was the start of Coulthard's flawless drive to victory in conditions that favoured the Scot's experience over this team-mate's thrilling exuberance.

These were the circumstances Coulthard had hoped for, particularly when Michael Schumacher's struggle highlighted a weakness mentioned by Coulthard on these pages two weeks ago. Coulthard insisted that the world champion is suspect under pressure, the only problem being that Schumacher's speed usually keeps the opposition at arm's length. But not in Melbourne. Having been brilliantly rebuffed by Raikkonen, Schumacher later found himself sliding wide and running along a kerb with enough force to break the mountings for the aerodynamic barge boards behind the front wheels.

The ensuing damage not only wrecked his chances but also ended a record run of podium finishes. More important, Schumacher is not leading the championship for the first time since September 2000, a welcome novelty that tended to distort reason when drawing conclusions after the race.

The ensuing hyperbole welcoming a new era conveniently overlooked the painful fact that the Ferraris had opened an 11-second lead in just three laps. It's true that the wet-weather Bridgestones were at their best but, equally, the new rules were playing into Ferrari's hands as the Saubers and Olivier Panis's Toyota, having enjoyed artificial supremacy during qualifying, were delaying the rest of the field and allowing Schumacher and Barrichello to make an all-too familiar escape.

Any feeling of smugness the headline writer may have had was soon to be wiped out as Schumacher and Ferrari began to dither and Raikkonen and the Williams-BMW of Juan Pablo Montoya took turns at leading. Raikkonen was unlucky when an incorrectly calibrated speed-limiter on his car had the Finn exceed the pit lane limit by 0.67mph, a tiny but crucial error of preparation that forced a drive-through penalty and cost Raikkonen his maiden victory.

Ferrari suffered a blow by their exceptional standards and the hope - albeit a slim one - has to be that last Monday's positive newspaper stories are worth more than mere fish-and-chip wrapping.