SETTING THE SCENE.

It's time for my 'Setting the Scene' feature where I choose an image from the last race that summarises the race day for me. I'd like to apologise for leaving it so late this time round but I had to find a worthy picture and fit time into my busy schedule to do so, so that you get the best post possible! And here's my choice;

Isn't this picture really touching? I chose it because the Spanish Grand Prix marked Sir Frank William's 70th birthday and a win for his team was the best possible present he could have received. The reason I have chosen a picture of Sir Frank with Adrian Newey and Christian Horner of Red Bull Racing fame is that, during the race, we saw a Williams car lapping the Red Bull of Mark Webber. Now who amongst us expected to see a Williams lapping a Red Bull this season? Not me, that's for sure!

I hope you all enjoyed the Grand Prix as much as I did and, after such an unpredictable and crazy race, the one thing we currently know for certain is that Monaco is going to be, in a word, incredible!

Aqsa, @aqsasformula

MALDONADO SHINES UNDER THE SPANISH SUN.

Pastor Maldonado took a pole to chequered flag victory in Barcelona today, despite many thinking he wouldn't be able to take the win. This marks Maldonado's first victory, a Venezuelan's first victory and the first victory for the Williams team in eight years. And what better way to do it than with not one but two world champions right behind you?

Fernando Alonso enjoyed a great start; something he's becoming well known for, and took the lead from Pastor in the run to the first corner. This led to a few more laps of domination before Pastor began to cut down the lead. A successful 'undercut' from the Williams team at the first round of pit stops allowed their driver to reclaim the lead. Fernando may not have won in front of his home fans but shouldn't be disappointed at all. Whilst a win may have been on the cards, he did well to finish second and fend off Kimi Raikkonen's advances. The updates Ferrari have introduced have obviously improved their car's performance and as development in F1 never stops who knows what this team, who had been written off a couple of months ago, could achieve in the future. Alonso is now level on points with championship leader Sebastian Vettel and has proven his raw driving ability. His teammate Felipe Massa finished 15th and is now a staggering 59 points behind Alonso in the standings.

I mentioned above that Kimi Raikkonen was getting close to Alonso in the final stages of the race and, if he had a few more laps, there's no doubt that the Finn, on newer tyres, could have taken second place. Sadly, it was not to be two 2nd place finishes in a row for him but if he can keep this consistency and Lotus keep pushing forward Kimi will definitely be a contender for a race win in the coming races. His Lotus teammate Grosjean did well to finish in a comfortable fourth despite a few close contact moments in the race. These two drivers are making races much more exciting and it is great to see another constructor establish itself as a front runner this year.

The constructor leading the rest in the standings at the moment is, however, Red Bull Racing. A fairly poor race judging by their usual standards saw Vettel finish 6th and Webber finish 11th. Both had to stop for new noses which cost them some time at pit-stops and Vettel also received a drive-through penalty for failing to slow down for a yellow flag. Taking this into consideration, he did a great job to finish where he did. He would have lost about 16 seconds compared to those who finished around him and managed some sensational overtakes on Button, Hamilton and Rosberg in the last few laps to pick up 8 points and retain his Championship lead.

The big story yesterday was, naturally, Lewis Hamilton's exclusion from qualifying but today he clawed his way through the pack to finish 8th overall. By running on a two-stop strategy, the only driver to do so, he ensured his tyres didn't give up on him and as a result finished in the points. Speaking to the BBC, Hamilton made his thoughts on other people's opinions on his driving style quite clear and his humble approach to what he had achieved showed we will be seeing a new Lewis this season. So far he has made no reckless mistakes but he must make this continue throughout the remaining 15 races. McLaren will also need to reduce their human error if they are to challenge for either of the world titles. Jenson Button finished behind Lewis in 9th in a race that was quite difficult for him. He continued to complain of grip issues today and it is crucial he finds a set-up he is comfortable with for the next race in Monaco, where traction and grip are crucial.

Michael Schumacher and Bruno Senna had a collision that ended both of their races but neither was going to accept the blame. I guess Senna should be glad Schumacher took his anger out on his steering wheel. The stewards have said they'll investigate the incident after the race but I think it will just be classed as a racing incident.

Sadly, following the celebrations the Williams team had earned after the race, incredible scenes caught by TV cameras showed a fire breaking out in their garage. There have been injuries reported, although not definitely confirmed, and my prayers are with all those that were present. Initial reports suggest a KERS-related explosion caused the fire but that is also to be confirmed. My praise goes out to the brave mechanics and team personnel of all the teams caught up in the incident.

I don't think I've even covered all the great moments that the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix brought us because there was so much going on. Although the weather remained calm and sunny, varying strategies, cars out of position and magnificent overtakes all contributed to another thrilling Grand Prix. We have now had five different winners from five different teams in the first five races of the season and could a Lotus win next time out make this six from six out of six in Monaco? We will just have to wait and see.

For now though, it's congratulations to Williams and Pastor Maldonado- a great win after a great race.

Aqsa, @aqsasformula

(Image 1: BBC Sport, Images 2,3: dailymail.co.uk)


UPDATE: Schumacher will receive a 5 place grid penalty in Monaco for running in to the back of Senna. He will have to eat his words after criticising Senna after the race.

Caterham have released a statement saying four of their team members have been injured. 3 have respiratory problems and one has a hand injury. Wishing them all a speedy recovery.

Furthermore, apparently the incident in the Williams garage was not caused by a KERS issue but by an electrical problem instead.

A JOB WELL DONE FOR LEWIS. (OR NOT!)

My God, what a qualifying session that was! Just like the others before it this season, qualifying in Spain threw up some many unexpected grid positions and I'm finding it quite difficult to digest it all!

Looking at the front row Lewis Hamilton will be starting from the coveted pole position, despite not being fastest during the practice sessions. He was, however, consistently fast through all three qualifying sessions and, going in to Q3, seemed like the man to beat. This wasn't the big surprise of the day though. Pastor Maldonado is the man responsible for shocking and delighting Formula 1 fans the world over as he got his Williams car on to the front row; he'll be starting in 2nd. He experienced a hugely contrasting qualifying to his teammate Bruno Senna, who failed to make it through to Q2. As a result, he will start 18th on the grid.

Fernando Alonso didn't disappoint his home fans and proved that the updates Ferrari have introduced have been useful. Well for Alonso anyway as his teammate Massa starts in 17th. The Spaniard qualified 3rd; his best performance all season and where better to do it than in Spain. Fernando is a consistently great starter, see Spain 2011, so look out for him when the lights go out- he could climb his way in to the lead before the first corner. Lewis Hamilton will need to be on the throttle and get the best start possible if he is to avoid losing the lead. Maybe those folks at Red Bull can give him a drink to wake himself up...

Speaking of Red Bull I am definitely surprised at the grid positions Vettel and Webber achieved. They'll be starting from 8th and 12th respectively; something no one expected after they looked so strong on Friday and in FP3 on Saturday morning. Webber admitted that it was a team error that led to him not making it to Q3 as they thought his time would be safe enough to take him through. Sebastian Vettel, who was my pick for pole yesterday, did run in Q3 but didn't set a timed lap. This means he starts ahead of Schumacher and Kobayashi who didn't set timed laps either. All these drivers will benefit from fresher tyres, a factor which has proved to be crucial in how the race plays out. They may not be starting as high up as they'd like to but they must not be written off yet.

Experiencing a similar fate to Mark Webber is the pole-man's teammate Jenson Button. Interestingly enough, Hamilton had tipped Button to get pole position in Spain! Jenson complained of oversteer and then of understeer in his continuous battle to get to grips with his McLaren and despite seeming quite content with the set-up on Friday, Button just couldn't drive the McLaren as well as Lewis. He will be having words with his engineers tonight, I'm sure. Another note on McLaren; you probably noticed Lewis stopping after his flying lap. No confirmation has yet been given on what the problem is or what effect it will have on his race tomorrow but we do know that it is a technical issue.

Lotus seem to be getting better and better with their drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean qualifying 4th and 5th. They were in contention for the top slot but shouldn't be too disappointed with these positions. This pair are most definitely proving themselves to be the comeback kings! Starting behind the Lotus duo will be Sergio Perez. An impressive performance from the Mexican and his Sauber team means they have a great chance of picking up a lot of points on race day.

I told you it would be difficult to digest everything but I think I've covered the main points. There will be so much going on at the start of the race and so much to look out for throughout. Who will benefit from having newer tyres and who will suffer as a result of not? Can Fernando take the lead before the first corner? Can Maldonado convert a strong Saturday into a good points result tomorrow? And can Red Bull and Jenson Button bounce back from their lacklustre performances today? Could we have five different winners in five races?

There's no doubt about it; the unpredictability this season is set to rise and you'll only have to watch the race tomorrow to witness that! I'm sure everyone enjoyed qualifying as much as I did and I'm positive that all 66 laps of the Spanish GP will have us sitting on the edges of our seats. Expect more from me on the race tomorrow but until then, enjoy the rest of your Saturday! I can think of a couple of people over in Spain who definitely will!

Aqsa, @aqsasformula

(Image 1: BBC Sport, Images 2,3: dailymail.co.uk)


UPDATE: As I mentioned Lewis Hamilton stopped immediately after completing his timed qualifying lap with no reason given as to why! We now know that it was because the car didn't have enough fuel to drive back to the pits and give the required 1 litre fuel sample to the FIA. As a result, Hamilton and McLaren spent a lot of time with the stewards who have decided that there were no "technical issues" to blame, as Martin Whitmarsh suggested, and that Hamilton must be penalised. The penalty they chose is to exclude Lewis from Qualifying and he will therefore start the Spanish GP from the very back of the grid. Now doesn't that make things a lot more exciting and tense? It is definitely a harsh penalty but the rules are clear. Another thing that is clear; McLaren must sort out these issues that can and must be avoided if they are to contend for the Championships this year.

Hamilton's penalty means Pastor Maldonado gets a surprising pole position for Williams. He is also the first Venezuelan to ever get pole. Well done to him and the team!

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT.

The Spanish Grand Prix weekend is officially underway, people! Teams and drivers completed FP1 and FP2 in Barcelona today and once again we have some varied results. The three week break that separated Bahrain and Spain, with a little in-season test thrown in between, allowed the teams to update their cars and add improvements to their pace and aerodynamics.

Let's begin with looking at our frontrunners. Jenson Button and McLaren topped the timesheets after second practice followed by Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull. Both of them were significantly faster than their team mates but Mark Webber believes that was due to them setting a flying lap on the soft, 'option' tyre. Hamilton finished in fourth, which is still a promising position, but Webber was much lower down in the pack; he finished 7th overall. Mercedes' Nico Rosberg also had a positive session by finishing third fastest. These three teams are your usual contenders for pole on Saturday but which one of these drivers will take it? Only Lewis, Sebastian and Nico have sat on pole so far this season but I'm sure Jenson will be hungry for that grid position as well. It has been a long time since he's experienced life at the very front of the starting grid.
'Who do I think will get pole?' I hear you ask... I'm going to go with Sebastian!

One of the teams who brought much needed updates to firstly Mugello and now to Spain is Ferrari. No one expected Ferrari to be challenging the likes of Red Bull and McLaren this early on in the season but we had hoped to see them with increased pace, particularly in qualifying. They had mixed fortunes in practice today finishing fastest in the first session but eleventh in the second. Of course, we will have to wait for qualifying tomorrow to how much of an impact their updates have had to their underlying pace but I do think it will be a struggle for them to reach Q3. Hopefully, they are on an upward learning curve and can improve further as the season continues. But for now they have a qualifying session to deal with and Fernando Alonso will be eager to give the home fans something to cheer about at his home Grand Prix.

This has been a fairly brief summary of the practice sessions but the most interesting thing to look out for tomorrow will, of course, be the battle for pole position; as far as I am concerned anyway. Last year it was far more exciting to look at how the grid lines up behind Vettel but this year the excitement in the top-10 shootout has been restored and it is quite hard to call it. Look out for the McLarens, Red Bulls, Mercedes' and Lotuses and keep an eye out for what Ferrari and Alonso can manage.

Let me know who you're backing for pole position, I've told you my prediction above, by commenting or tweeting me! I'll see you back here tomorrow for a run-down on Qualifying and what we can expect from the race.

Aqsa, @aqsasformula

(Images: dailymail.co.uk)

BRING ON BARCELONA.

I think my last post gave you an idea of just how excited I am for the Spanish Grand Prix and as promised here is my preview to the race. In just a week's time I'll be getting ready for the race to begin and what a race it promises to be.

The Circuit de Catalunya will play host to the F1 world and, considering how much knowledge and experience the teams have on the track, it will be the first circuit that may give us an indication as to how the teams stand. The opening round of fly-aways is over, as is the in-season test in Mugello, but no-one involved in F1 is any the wiser as to how teams compare in performance. Spain will hopefully answer some of our questions and doubts.

Last time out Sebastian Vettel took his first win of 2012 in Bahrain and I'm certain that acted as a confidence boost to him and his Red Bull team. He won the race in the way he knows best- a pole position on Saturday to race win on Sunday. Any critics of RBR were silenced and the team proved they did have pace in both qualifying and the race. Many have looked to tyres as the reason for Vettel's win but Red Bull had pace throughout the race weekend. Battling with his friend Raikkonen at the end also proved that Vettel can race wheel-to-wheel whilst taking good care of his rubber. This is something all drivers will have to master and gaining a balance between tyre management and pace will be crucial in determining how the season plays out. Should Vettel manage this in Barcelona, the way he did in Bahrain, I think he could be the first man to take two wins this season.

Speaking of tyres, Michael Schumacher criticised Pirelli after the Bahraini Grand Prix. He said that he doesn't think tyre management should be a deciding factor in race classification and this statement has been met with mixed responses. I personally believe that Pirelli have done a great job with their 2012 tyre range and learning how to treat their tyres is another skill drivers will have to learn. In my opinion, it will set the more intelligent drivers apart from the rest and who doesn't want drivers and teams to face more challenges during the race? Well, Schumacher clearly doesn't but sorry Michael; majority rules!

Other drivers who weren't too happy after the Bahrain Grand Prix were McLaren teammates Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton finishing with 0 and 4 points respectively. Pit stop problems were partially to blame for McLaren's woes but it just wasn't their weekend. With both drivers missing from the Mugello test, they will have to adapt to any updates the MP4-27 has undergone and aim for stronger results in Barcelona. The 2012 season is so tight that reliability and pit-stop issues must be eliminated if teams are to maintain a strong title challenge.

Lotus definitely impressed in Bahrain by picking up a double podium with Raikkonen 2nd and Grosjean 3rd.  The team put their troubles in China and in qualifying in Bahrain behind them to gain 33 points in their bid to finish ahead of the rest of the mid-field and become established front-runners. If they carry their strong form over to Spain, they will definitely join the battles at the front of the pack in 2012 and both Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean can enjoy strong comebacks; something I'm sure everyone in Formula 1 would like to see.

So taking all these aspects into account and everything we saw in Mugello, I hope you understand just why Spain and the European leg of the season can't come quickly enough for me. There is so much to look out for and so much to be learnt from the race and with no-one any the wiser as to what will happen during the race weekend, a trend that we're all getting used to, the fifth Grand Prix of the season is set to be as thrilling as the first four.

Will Red Bull stay strong and increase their lead in both championships? Will McLaren sort out their pit-stop problems and return to challenging at the front? Who will successfully manage tyre degradation? All these questions and more will be answered in a week's time during the Spanish Grand Prix.

Aqsa, @aqsasformula

(Image 1: loxlee-loves-engines.com, Image 2: telegraph.co.uk,)

ESPAÑA AWAITS.

With the practice sessions for the Spanish Grand Prix only a week away I can barely contain my excitement! I feel like we have waited too long for a Grand Prix and with all the craziness that this season has brought so far, every race looks set to bring some sort of a surprise. I do, however, think some sort of stability will return to F1 now that the European leg is about to start and teams have had more time to evaluate and redesign their cars. They will have targeted their weaknesses and have a better understanding of how everything is working aerodynamically. That said, me predicting things will become more stable goes against all my previous 'no predictions can be made' predictions. If that makes sense...

Sebastian Vettel is also looking ahead to Barcelona and he said:

“Of all the current GP tracks, Barcelona is the one that we know the most because we have done so much testing there in recent years. That said, the knowledge that you gain at the tests doesn’t always help due to the changing wind direction that occurs there, which can sometimes give you a nasty surprise, especially into Turn 1. But in general, a car that functions well aerodynamically in Barcelona will work everywhere - so it will be an interesting weekend. We have been working on the package for Barcelona at this week’s test, but we will still have set-up work to do there on arrival.”

Well Sebastian, thanks for your insight and I definitely agree with you; it will most certainly be an interesting weekend. 

I hope you are all as excited as I am and if I can bring myself to do so, what with all the excitement coursing through my veins and all, I will write a preview to Spain soon (probably Sunday!). I'll look at the results of teams so far and comment on a few drivers' individual performances and then have a little think about what this could mean for the Spanish Grand Prix.

Have a lovely weekend! And a lovely extended weekend to those in the UK...

Aqsa, @aqsasformula

MUCH ADO ABOUT MUGELLO.

So the testing session in Mugello is complete and, just like the pre-season tests before it, it doesn't really give us much of an indication as to how the pack will perform in coming races and how teams match up to their counterparts.

I think the most interesting news we can take from the test is the major redesign the F2012 has gone under. It's the first big upgrade Ferrari have added to their below-par car and according to technical experts their exhaust exit and rear bodywork redesign could give them about 0.2 seconds in lap time. Ferrari tried to be revolutionary with their package at the start of the season but ended up being further behind their main rivals than they were originally. The team actually seems to be more in competition with the midfield as opposed to the frontrunners- even if they do have a race win under their belts. We will, however, find out soon enough whether their upgrades can make a difference to performance when Formula 1 returns to Europe for the Spanish Grand Prix.

There's not much use in discussing lap times because teams are on different programmes and are more focused on learning more about their cars than setting fast laps. Red Bull were among those trying to better understand the 2012 Pirelli tyres but the team is expected to take an upgrade package to Spain. But if you are interested Grosjean topped the timesheets today in his Lotus, he did the same on Wednesday but had to share the much-coveted(!) top spot with Kamui Kobayashi's Sauber and Fernando Alonso went fastest on the first day in Mugello on Tuesday.

I, for one, am very pleased about the return of in-season testing and hope that it stays for 2013. Not only does it fill time between Grands Prix but it also adds to the excitement and unpredictability in performance, especially with a season as tight as this one, because teams can bring updates with more confidence and knowledge about how they work. Spain can't come fast enough if you ask me!

Aqsa

P.S. I learnt how to make my images bigger... Can you tell?

(Images: BBC Sport website)