Race Day
Sunny skies, the sound of 19,000rpm, 11 teams, 22 drivers, 58 laps, 307.574 kilometres of the 2007 Melbourne GP. And I loved every bit of it.
As is usually the case, my heart-rate was up before the lights went out. Months had passed since I had witnessed this moment of the GP weekend. The culmination of winter testing, practice sessions, qualifying sessions all amalgamated right here in this one spectacular moment as you wait - eyes fixed on the little red lights above the start/finish line - for the beginning of the first race of the new F1 season.
So much has changed. The grid looks almost entirely different to last years. Rookie drivers, seasoned veterans in other cars, new colourful liveries, Bridgestone as far as the eye can see, my favourite driver sitting in a red car, my favourite team now working with a double world champion.
A day when Kimi Räikkönen, at the helm of the Ferrari F2007, in front of over 105,000 people, would take a dominant victory for the Italian squad - in doing so, making him the first Ferrari driver since Nigel Mansell in 1989 to win on his debut with the team. It was a victory long overdue for the Finn, who went without a win in the lackluster McLaren last year and it set the benchmark for the development and the competition this year.
However, McLaren have thus far answered back, cementing their position as the strong second placed team behind Ferrari with Fernando Alonso coming home with a 2nd place position and the rookie, Lewis Hamilton, running a solid race to pick up the final podium position for the Woking based squad. This excellent result on what was a refreshingly reliable weekend for McLaren-Mercedes means that they are currently leading the World Constructors Championship with 14 points to Ferrari’s 13.
Nick Heidfeld for the BMW Sauber team would eventually cross the line in 4th position. A fantastic result for the BMW team, showing leaps and bounds in performance after the winter testing season. He drove a solid race and brought home valuable points for the team.
Renault, surprisingly ended in the 5th position with Giancarlo Fisichella piloting the R27 across the line, salvaging what I thought from the outset, was going to be a dire weekend for the former World Constructor title holders. His team mate was not so lucky - Heikki Kovalainen back in 10th and making numerous mistakes on his race debut. Team boss Flavio Briatore expressing great dismay in his performance. Things can only go up from here for the rookie to the Renault squad.
Massa salvaged what could have been a horrible race - both for him and for Ferrari after a gearbox problem prevented him qualifying yesterday - and an engine change relegated him to the back of the grid today. The Brazilian made a stellar drive from last on the grid to 6th at the chequered flag.
Nico Rosberg sealed an encouraging 7th for the Williams squad - his team-mate, Alexander Wurz was not so lucky, narrowly avoiding a serious accident when David Couthard attempted an overly-optimistic move down the inside, which resulted in the Britons’ car slicing over Wurz’s Williams - mere centimeters from his helmet.
Toyota, surprisingly, finishing in the points with Ralf Schumacher closing out the Top 8. A good result for the Japanese outfit, especially considering where the pre-season testing had them showing.
…Race Results…
If anything is certain, 2007 is going to be a fresh, unpredictable season.
Only 3 weeks to go until Malaysia! 
Welcome back F1.
