Bahrain Grand Prix Under Attack

Bahrain GP 2010

After one of the most exciting F1 pre-seasons in living memory the first race of 2010 was something of a disappointment. If the Grand Prix was telecast after midnight in your local timezone it was very easy to fall asleep for ten laps and wake up to discover that Alonso had unexpectedly moved into the lead. Trust me, I know.

However, it might not be as bad as it looked (or didn't look if your eyes were closed).

WAS THE BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX ACTUALLY BORING?

Yesterday's race certainly wasn't a classic but how did it compare to other recent Formula One events? Well, there were 20 overtaking manoeuvres in Bahrain, and that doesn't include changes in position on the first lap or Vettel falling backwards due to his mechanical misfortune. Interestingly, that's more than every other previous race at Sakhir except the 2006 event making it the second most overtaking-filled Bahrain Grand Prix of all time. It's also well above the 2009 average of 14 manoeuvres per race, so if you measure the excitement of a Grand Prix on the amount of overtaking alone, the race was very good.

The reason that Bahrain disappointed many fans is that the 2010 grid has the potential to deliver so much more. This is going to be an incredible year in Formula One history with four teams containing the very best drivers in the world fighting for victory. Michael Schumacher has returned to the sport, Jenson Button has created a British McLaren dream team, and Fernando Alonso is up against Felipe Massa at Ferrari. We're in for a fantastic season.

With that in mind, the first race of 2010 was going to be a letdown if it was anything but a thriller because the potential was there for something quite special. Any Grand Prix would have struggled to live up to the pre-season hype.

Bahrain was also being compared to the usual opening round of the Melbourne Grand Prix which features a far more interesting circuit with much more character and excitement. The empty desert and its wide run off areas were always going to be less spectacular than the fast incident prone layout of Albert Park.

It's also worth remembering the Grand Prix could have been a beauty had Vettel not suffered an engine glitch. If the quicker Ferrari's were forced to pass Sebastian on the track for the lead with ten laps to go, the entertainment value of the weekend would never have been called into question.

Perhaps it wasn't such a boring race after all, and our views on the spectacle are all about perspective.

WHAT IMPACT DID THE REFUELLING BAN HAVE?

The new regulations pushed all of the leaders onto the same one-stop strategy and that prevented them from using fuel stops to jump each other as they would've in the past. That might have been a shame but it didn't take away overtaking manoeuvres that would otherwise have happened on the track.

On the positive side, teams will likely adopt different strategies in the coming races as they learn more about the risks and benefits of trying something different.

Although the racing on track was not always that great, the new regulations may actually have helped some of the drivers stay close together. Different cars are now faster at different stages of the race and that spread and compressed the field over the course of the Grand Prix. Had the circuit been more conducive to overtaking there might have been some great moves between the leaders who were closely bunched.

CAN THE RACES BE MADE MORE EXCITING THIS YEAR?

It's important not to over-react in a misguided effort to improve ‘the show' but there are some changes that could make F1 more exciting without introducing anything artificial like mandatory pitstops. Team principals have suggested using softer tyres that will make two stops necessary during a race, and this will also make tyre wear more of an issue. Others have suggested removing the need to run both compounds since this would give the drivers more strategic freedom. Another suggestion is to run two compounds that are far apart on performance to create a bigger difference between cars on different tyres, whilst some have suggested bringing the compounds closer together so there is not such a penalty running the harder option in qualifying.

Getting rid of the rule that forces drivers to start the race on the tyre they qualified on would also be a good idea. Whatever the case, the only way to change the racing this year is to change the tyres. Any decision to do this lies with Bridgestone and they're unlikely to introduce anything that reflects badly on their product (like soft tyres that wear out quickly) during their final season of F1.

CAN THE RACES BE MADE MORE EXCITING NEXT YEAR AND BEYOND?

In order to improve the racing in the longer term the cars will need to be redesigned. The 2011 ban on double diffusers will help a lot, but the Overtaking Working Group will need to reduce downforce even more. The slimmer front tyres were a step in the wrong direction this year so more emphasis has to be placed on the balance between aerodynamic and mechanical grip.

The Bahrain Grand Prix organisers would also be well advised to use the older version of the Grand Prix track for next year's event. The tight sequence of bends that were added into the 2010 race may have provided an interesting challenge for the drivers, but they spread the field and removed the old turn seven as an overtaking opportunity. Quite why they expected anything different is a mystery.

Perhaps the easiest idea of all is to start the season in Melbourne.

Posted by Martin Porter. - Follow him on twitter @mpondaweb.

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