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| Bahrain is the fourth round in this year's calendar |
Mercedes jumped to the top of the times and positions in China with a solid win, after many have written them off due to their tyre management issues. No doubt, the all-German team have made progress and seemed to have redeemed their problems. At least under cold and mixed conditions. Whether they can replicate their performance this weekend remains to be seen, as hot weather generally means higher tyre degradation. The Bahrain International Circuit has quite a few long straights, so their double DRS system will definitely come in handy during qualifying.
McLaren were left playing catch-up in qualifying in China, but came alive during the race. Obviously, the car is among the fastest, and with Button famous for his smooth rubber management, they have just as much to look forward to as Mercedes. Hamilton will most likely perform well during qualifying, as he always does, but his racecraft needs some more polishing. He'll at least be glad to start the race without a gearbox penalty this time.
Lotus were slightly behind McLaren in China. That is, until Kimi Raikkonen's faulty strategy proved to be an unsuccessful gamble, as he was running 2nd until the final 10 laps, only to be rocketed to the back of the field due to blistered tyres. Grosjean finally got his first points after a solid run during the race. If the team can sort out their car's updates, and improve on their pit stops, they have a chance to snatch a podium, and possibly even challenge for a win.
Red Bull have been playing "the average team" game for a while now, and will most likely be looking for a podium slot, at least for one of their cars. Rest assured, Vettel would definitely like to be in that car. The RB8 is fast at times, but underperforms during qualifying, which will be a disadvantage during the race, as there are not many chances for overtaking. Webber seems to enjoy his new exhaust layout, and apparently gives him a boost, so the team might apply the same design on Vettel's car, whether he likes it or not.
Ferrari are obviously feeling skeptical heading to Bahrain. After a miraculous win in Malaysia under mixed conditions, the Italians were left disappointed with 9th best in China under dry conditions. With rain almost completely out of the question this weekend, Ferrari will most likely continue to struggle until the European season kicks off and they implement the "B" version of the F2012. Massa is still kicking the dust off his car, as he's the only driver among the older teams not to score a point. The clock is ticking, Felipe.
Sauber were lightning quick in qualifying last weekend, but lost the performance during the race. Kobayashi had a bad start and Perez could do no better than 11th, leaving him out of the points. The C31 is impressive on a one lap run, but the team surely need to sort out their racecraft if they wish to stay ahead of the others. \
On form
Nico Rosberg displayed a stunning performance as he took his first win last weekend. He will be looking to replicate his speed in qualifying and manage his tyres as best as possible to stay ahead of the others. The Mercedes has got the pace, but so far we've only seen it perform well in cold conditions.
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| Rosberg celebrates his maiden win |
Out of form
As mentioned above, Felipe Massa's clock is ticking. And it's ticking fast. He has yet to score a point this season, while Alonso has a total of 37 next to his name. And with ongoing rumors regarding Perez testing with Ferrari between the 1st and 3rd of May in Italy, Felipe now needs a stunning performance, or he might as well start packing.
One to watch
Michael Schumacher has been plagued by bad luck recently. After Grosjean took him out in Malaysia, his pit crew failed to attach a tyre on his car during one of his pit stops in China. A real shame, since the veteran was running to beat his team mate for a win, and a podium at least would have been possible. He'll be looking for a trouble-free weekend this time around.
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All in all, we are finally set for a proper run under dry and warm conditions, which might suggest who is the fastest at the moment and whether the power distribution will bounce from team-to-team in every race. The Bahrain Grand Prix has never been particularly exciting in any season, but there's much to look forward to this time around.
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