Strewth it’s hot down here. Today’s 37-degree heat might have been good news for the bikini-clad pit babes, but it was tough for the drivers (and the journalists).
The class of 2008 wasn’t worried about the 50-degree cockpit temperatures; the drivers were concerned about track temperature. The asphalt was 20 degrees hotter than at any point during last year’s Australian GP weekend and it played havoc with Bridgestone’s tyres.
The softer of Bridgestone’s two compounds was destroyed so quickly on the scorching track surface that the fastest times were set on the harder, and theoretically slower, medium compound rubber. With the drivers obliged to use both types of tyre in the race, there could be some frills and spills as a result.
The race winner will almost certainly be driving either a McLaren (Lewis Hamilton, Heikki Kovalainen) or a Ferrari (Kimi Raikkonen, Felipe Massa). It won’t be local hero Mark Webber, whose second place this afternoon was a low-fuel publicity stunt. Sad for the Aussie crowd, but true.
McLaren’s MP4-23 could be a match for Ferrari’s F2008 over a single lap in qualifying, but the F2008 remains the benchmark over long runs. For that reason, Ferrari are favourites to win the 58-lap race.
One of CAR’s sources at the Scuderia admitted that, fuel-corrected, Raikkonen holds a 0.2 second advantage over his team-mate around Albert Park, which points to F1’s self-proclaimed ‘Iceman’ repeating his victory from last year.
There’s something different about Kimi this year. He seems more relaxed and he looks lighter, and as a result fitter, too. He’s also sporting a new tattoo on his left forearm. You want to know what it says? Come on, it’s Kimi we’re talking about here: imagination isn’t his forte. It says ‘Iceman’.
Come back to CAR Online on Monday for Tom Clarkson’s round-up of the first race of the 2008 F1 season. Our man is currently Down Under and will be bringing you all the news, insights and gossip from this weekend, and reporting live from the other 17 races.