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Motorsport News: Russ Bonds Weekly Report

King versus King

It was the Sunday every Formula 1 fan has waited for - the 2006 season opener at Bahrain. Whats more, the race actually lived up to everyones expectations - even mine.

It would seem that all the off season preparations, the new rules, the 100 page notepad you need to follow qualifying, and the race itself, all lived up to the pre race billing. Just for the record, reigning Formula 1 drivers champion Fernando Alonso came out on top by the slimmest of margins over... wait for it... Michael Schumacher.

"Yeah, it will be very interesting. There are four teams fighting for victories at any circuit at the moment: Honda, McLaren, Ferrari and
The 2006 season opener at Bahrain actually lived up to everyones expectations, with continual passing throughout the race. (Photo: AutoSport Press)
Renault, and I think any of them can win races, and this would make the start of the season, especially, very, very interesting," commented Alonso after the race.

To be honest, Schumacher looked to have it well in hand until the two kings came out side by side on Alonsos final stop. Alonso held on for the win, but in a sense we all won.

"Yeah, you know
The two champions battled to the end, but Alonso and his Renault came out victorious over Michael Schumacher and his Ferrari. (Photo: Renualt F1)
in 19 or 18 races, however many its going to be (Schumachers uncertainty referring to the cancelled Belgian Grand Prix - Ed.), all points are very important and if you lose or gain two points its not really so important at this stage," Schumacher said of his second place effort. "I would have liked to win but then there is only so much you can do for it and this time it was Fernando. As you see, we have four very competitive teams on the grid and its a long
Raikkonen and Coulthard (shown) only stopped once for fuel and new sets of tires. (Photo: Red Bull F1)
year."

All of us that are fans of Formula 1 now have something to look forward to for the rest of the year. It will be the boy king [Alonso] versus the undisputed king [Schumacher] for the remainder of the season.

Having said that, dont count out Kimi Raikkonen in his McLaren, who came from last (thanks to a spectacular accident during qualifying) to finish third; and that performance leads me into my first observation of the weekend.

You see, most opted for two stops - remember tire changes are allowed again this year -
What we have is a great start to what will probably be the best F1 season in recent memory. (Photo: Renault F1)?
except for Raikkonen and David Coulthard, who one stopped the race. My question is that the tires are now softer because they dont have to go the full distance, so they should be faster, yet Raikkonen made the most out of his long stint, in fact, he did his fastest lap just two laps before his first stop - on old tires. Of course he was low on fuel and therefore running light, but whats up with that?

Raikkonen could challenge for the championship if he gets some luck, or in the least has less bad luck than last year. Many feel that the Hondas of Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello are threats. I dont think they
Nico Rosberg put on a surprising display in Bahrain, exposing his own talents to F1 fans and showing the power behind Cosworths new V8. (Photo: Willams F1)
are. Barichellos car has to be perfect or I think he just goes through the motions, and Button just doesnt seem to be able to put it all together for some reason - and just for the record, Im fine with that.

So, what we have is a great start to what will probably be the best F1 season in recent memory - and its about friggin time.
One other thing did catch my attention about Bahrain, and that was the performance of Nico Rosberg. Sure he knocked his nose off in the first corner, but what a fantastic drive back through the field to finish seventh. He had pace the whole race, and proved that he belonged in that seat. Plus he earned a little respect
American F1 rookie Scott Speed kept positive despite not enjoying as good a day as Rosberg. (Photo: Red Bull "Toro Rosso" F1)
along the way.

You see, early on BMWs Nick Heidfeld tried to pass David Coulthard, and soundly shoved him off the road on the exit. Sure enough, some laps later, after the stops, Heidfeld shows up on the rear wing of DCs Red Bull again, this time DC goes to extraordinary lengths to not let Heidfeld through. Rosberg on the other hand caught DC in the late going, passed cleanly - even though it took three corners to do it - and gave the veteran driver some room. It looked good on Rosberg, and for a rookie to start earning respect this early on in a season is good form.

"I really enjoyed myself today and the final result was a good outcome," Rosberg said. "Unfortunately I made a mistake at the first corner, expecting that Heidfeld might leave
Canadian Jacques Villeneuve was running strong until his engine expired toward the end of the race. (Photo: BMW Sauber F1)
me more room and the incident put me right back. However, it was a super effort by the team and I really enjoyed fighting my way up, particularly battling with Coulthard. The final result - seventh place - and the fastest lap of the race is more than I could have hoped for in my first race. Today was a great start and Im looking forward to the next race."

I personally think Rosberg will be on the podium by mid season, and he looks to be the next big thing in Formula 1.

At the other end of the grid, the Toro Rossos looked nothing like reincarnated Minardis. The rev limited V10s had everyone scared by their straight line speed, and many thought they were sandbagging, and were going to pounce on race day.

Scott Speed - who was giddy with enthusiasm on the pre grid, did a good accounting of himself in
Is Alonso the champion of champions? A season-opening win proves hes fast once again, but it looks to be a long and exciting 2006 season before we know for sure. (Photo: Renault F1)
his first GP.

"Im pleased to have got through to the checkered flag in my first Grand Prix without making any mistakes," Speed said. "The balance of my car was not quite right during the first stint, but we were able to fix that at the first pit stop. After that, I think our pace improved and was good."

Speed looks to have it - speed - and to be honest, his car is not that bad. In fact, they could be much better off in Malaysia this weekend as I expect many of the V8s, the new Cosworth which is said to spin higher than 20,000 rpm, to expire a little early under the strains of a hot weekend in Malaysia.

Finally, French Canadian Jacques Villeneuve actually has a car that could see him on the podium, and that would be a welcome sight for his many fans. Villeneuve was running strong until his BMW exploded, but still he seemed content with his weekend. His actual
Jimmie Johnson overcame the odds to win his second race of the year in Nextel Cup. (Photo: Patrick Dorsey)
qualifying time for 11th on the grid was 10th fastest, so Ill have to check my 100 page notepad on how that actually happened - I believe I saw something about it on page 86. 

"My start was not particularly great, but I managed to find my way through the first few corners and to stay out of trouble there," Villeneuve said. "The race set-up was fine and I settled into a good rhythm. I overtook Coulthard and stayed in front of Raikkonen for quite a while. Then all of a sudden I started to lose power, and that was it."
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