Historically the Scuderia have enjoyed a strong package around the Sao Paulo venue and they have probably handled the bumps of the circuit a bit better in recent years than McLaren. However, on present form you would also say Ron Dennis' men should turn up and be on the pace too. The cars are pretty similar and I think the driver will be the one that makes the difference.

Massa just didn't really have the drive and the desire in the last grand prix to make things count - at least it looked that way. He was outpaced by his team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, whereas Hamilton was right on it. Psychologically then, in my view, Lewis holds the upper hand in all the areas.

Of the rest, on present form Renault will probably be the closest to the top two teams, as opposed to BMW.

The Regie have made some great strides and definitely have some more horsepower in the back of their car. It seems to be suiting Fernando Alonso very nicely and Nelson Piquet Jr has been a little bit stronger too.

Alonso is the kind of guy who would relish an opportunity to take a win away from the likes of Raikkonen or Hamilton. He will be trying very hard to make that count. Ultimately I think they are still a bit behind in performance stakes but they are getting a lot closer and if something does go on at the front of the pack, a Renault-Alonso package should be quite well placed to take advantage of it.

Can we say Renault is really back?

In terms of progress and consistency made, you would have to say yes. They are there now in every grand prix and they are delivering. Not the last one, but the two before, they have got two wins under their belt and a number of other grand prix teams that would love to be able to say the same thing.

It is something they have been working on to try and make sure they keep the services of Alonso and you would have to say at the moment it has clicked. There are still some question marks to be answered but the signs are very promising for 2009.

As for BMW they could yet steal second in the constructors' and that is something they will be looking to achieve if they can get both their cars up there and score a good handful of points.

It would need a strong performance from BMW and from about halfway through the year, they seem to have slowed down in terms of progression on the '08 car. They have focused on 2009. But even on that basis they have still made some great strides. For them even if they finish third in the constructors' that will be a great achievement. The team can take a lot from 08.

Toro Rosso can also look back on the year with a lot of satisfaction. The former Minardi squad has had some great races, especially with Sebastian Vettel.

Sebastien Bourdais has been trying to do his best too, but he has been hindered slightly by a number of different things being put in the way of him having a result to shout about.