(Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
Nico Rosberg topped the time sheets in both practice sessions for the opening Formula one race in Melbourne, he completed 55 laps over the two sessions and clocked a best time of 1:26.053.
Development
Interestingly, Rosberg's best time was over a half second quicker than Lewis Hamilton's pole lap last year. However, Lewis would have been carrying race fuel when he set his qualifying time in 2008.
It's amazing that, despite all the regulation changes with engine rev limits cut from 19,000 rpm to 18,000 rpm and the loss in aerodynamic down force, that the F1 teams haven't lost anything in terms of performance.
Diffuser Three
The top three times set in the the second session were set by the three teams with the controversial rear diffuser; Williams, Brawn GP and Toyota.
A point to note is that none of these teams are using KERS, and therefore might have had an advantage in better weight distribution.
Meanwhile, the other seven teams that didn't exploit the diffuser loop hole were struggling due to low rear grip.
Early Conclusions
Although it's hard to tell what each team was using the practice sessions for, with some carrying on development work, others going for set-up and some doing long runs for race simulation, I think we can draw a few early conclusions.
McLaren was as poor as I feared, particularly evident in the second session when Hekki finished in 17th and Lewis in 18th.
BMW and Ferrari weren't as strong as many had predicted, however, the Williams drivers were the unexpected pace setters.
Brawn GP proved that its winter testing pace was genuine, and Toyota also might just have finally produced a race-winning car.
Visibility
It was quite hard to tell who was using the soft compound tires while watching practice, as the green stripe around the tire wall wasn't always visible from every angle, and is much harder to spot than the white stripe used on the grooved tires last year.
I think the FIA should ask Bridgestone to try out different markings to designate which tire is in use, as it's not that obvious right now.
The FIA also needs to come up with a way of showing which cars are using KERS, rather than having to rely on a press release from the teams beforehand.
If anyone has a good idea, feel free to post a comment.
Overtaking
As I watched the cars and drivers in the braking areas, there was a lot of movement going on. This might just be the characteristic of the Melbourne track, as it is notoriously bumpy.
But I think the new regulations are going to make it harder to overtake, as in the braking areas drivers aren't going to have the confidence due to the cars handling and the work rate they're having to put in.
Track Temperature
One final observation I would like to make is that, in the last half-hour of the second practice session, drivers weren't able to improve their times, and were generally struggling with their cars.
This was due to falling track temperature due to the time of day, which was affecting the grip levels of the tires.
However, this is the same time of the day the race will be run on Sunday, so it could be something to think about in determining race strategy.
Qualifying
Looking towards qualifying tomorrow, I would be very surprised if there wasn't either a Williams, Toyota, or Brawn GP car in pole position
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