Hamilton defeated double world champion team-mate
Fernando Alonso en route to the runner-up spot in Sakhir last year, whilst Kovalainen narrowly missed out on a points finish in ninth. The two Silver Arrows stars will perhaps have to watch their backs rather more than look ahead of them this time around, however, with the threat of
BMW seemingly getting stronger by the race.
Qualifying penalty or no,
Robert Kubica had the legs of both
McLaren drivers in Sepang, and thoroughly deserved his second place, matching that achieved by team-mate
Nick Heidfeld in the season curtain-raiser Down Under a week beforehand. Both drivers have demonstrated they have the capability to win if the car is up to it, and whilst BMW are continuing to play down their expectations in the short-term, there is little doubt that rather than just two teams duking it out for glory, before long we could be seeing a three-way tussle at the top.
Behind the leading trio,
Williams seemed to emerge as 'best-of-the-rest' in Melbourne, with a superb showing from
Nico Rosberg earning the young German the maiden rostrum finish of his increasingly impressive
F1 career. Though the Grove-based squad endured a nightmare weekend in Sepang, the common paddock consensus is that – contrary to most of the teams – Australia rather than Malaysia better demonstrated Williams’ true potential, and Rosberg will no doubt be keen to add to his points-scoring account again in Bahrain.
