F1 Barcelona - The Race

Sorry the post is late but life has been hectic over the past 2 weeks. So off we went to Barcelona for the first European race of the season. The front end of the grid is becoming the form cars for 2009 with Red Bull, Torro Rosso with a Ferrari for a change up at the front.

Albeit concerned about the KERS cars off the grid the 2 Brawn's were off but this time Rubens went into turn 1 in the lead closely followed by Jenson. Then came carnage behind them as Trulli went off onto the grass and came back across the track in front of Sutil and Bourdais ran into, or climbed over the back of Buemi. So we lost 2 Torro Rosso's, a Toyota and a Force India.

This brought the safety car out whilst they cleared up the debri. Then a pattern started to emerge as Rubens was off away at the front followed by Jenson, Vettel, Webber and Massa. It seemed they were all on 3 stoppers which Ross Brawn had confirmed was the quickest strategy.

With plenty of scraps down through the field the first pit stops arrived and in they swooped. All done and status quo resumed. Barrichello, Button, Vettel, Webber, Massa and the rest. Apart from a few scraps in the mid field the status quo remained until the second tyre stops.

The pace that Rubens had been running now seemed to go away on the third set of tyres and in the meantime Brawn had swapped Jenson to a 2 stop strategy rather then Rubens' 3 which went down like a lead brick with Rubens. However, the 2 stop strategy was still the right one.

So now Jenson took over the lead hotly pursued by Mark, Rubens, Felipe and Sebastian who was, for him frustratingly stuck behind the Ferrari. Unfortunately Lewis had a bad afternoon and really wasn't at the sharp end all day.

Nick (Heidfeld) and Nico (Rosberg) were always in the points and drove a good race throughout. In the heat of battle Kimi went missing with electrical problems so off to the garage for his shorts and an ice cream, Kovalinen only lasted 7 laps for the gremlins took over so that made the 6 retirements of the day joining the first 4 on lap 1.

So the run to the flag was on and after Mark's (Webber) final pit stop Rubens took over P2 and was never to lose it behind Jenson.

Felipe had fuel problems in the latter stages i.e. lack of and was told by the pits to slow down so as not to run out prior to the end. It appears the refuelling rig, banned for 2010 didn't dispense the correct amount of fuel and to bring him in for it would have taken any chance away. As it was he finished 6th after letting Sebastian and Fernando through.

That was at least a pleasant sight for Sebastian as he had been looking at the Ferrari double diffuser all afternoon so can tell the pits all about it, ha ha.

So yet another 1,2 for Brawn and Jenson's 4th win of the season, the 2 Red Bull's took 3rd and 4th with Fernando, Felipe, Nick and Nico making up the top 8 points positions. Rubens recorded the fastest lap at an average speed of 202.484 so at least something for his day out at the office.

So now it's off to Monaco for all the razzle dazzle and what hopefully will be a thrilling race. So many thrills with La Rascasse, Lowes, the tunnel and the swimming pool complex at what should be a great event as usual.

I remember watching a program about Jackie Stewart saying that when he came out of the tunnel into the then different chicane he could smell the grass every time he went past, wow. There was evidently a patch of grass on the harbour side to the left of the first part of the chicane and he could smell it with each circuit.

Monaco here we come.