Gary's view – Bahrain Grand Prix
Former Jordan engineering director Gary Anderson reckons a break from racing is just what many of the F1 teams are looking for after mixed fortunes in Bahrain.
Former Jordan engineering director Gary Anderson reckons a break from racing is just what many of the F1 teams are looking for after mixed fortunes in Bahrain.
"The teams have a three week break now before the Spanish Grand Prix. They'll each use that opportunity to go home, analyse exactly where they're at, and plan a decent development of their cars… For some more than others.
One thing's for certain, though: the team that'll come away from Bahrain scratching their heads the most is McLaren.
Ferrari will have most to be happy about after their 1-2 in Bahrain. Felipe Massa started the season with a couple of heavy old races and he was under pressure in Bahrain, but he never put a wheel wrong during the whole race.
He got away well and got past Robert Kubica. For me, that was the 'Make It Happen' moment of the whole race. It wasn't just a case of getting past; he had to do it under pressure, because he could easily have ended up sitting in the wall.
Massa's got as much speed as anybody. He was quicker than Kimi Raikkonen in Bahrain and slightly unlucky not to be on pole. His problem is I don't think he's really got the concentration and focus to see the big picture – and that's when the mistakes come. These cars have no traction control; they've become more difficult to drive. You have to stay focused; you have to have more concentration. At the moment he lacks that a little bit – his little mistakes tend to become big mistakes. But that's not to say it won't come.
BMW Sauber are definitely one of the top three teams now. Over the last couple of months they've learned a lot about how to work with the car, and they're really up for it now. Based on their performance in Bahrain, they might even have nipped past McLaren.
For Williams, Nico Rosberg scored a very necessary point, although I'm sure he would have wanted more.
