BMW, meanwhile, are very much F1’s coming force, with a podium in every race of the 2008 season so far, as well as a fastest lap for Heidfeld in Sepang and pole position for Kubica a fortnight later in Sakhir. Just how much progress they have made over the intervening weeks will be fascinating to see, with
Ferrari tipping Kubica as a potential challenger for the crown and
McLaren conversely insisting such a performance cannot be sustained. BMW themselves are keeping relatively quiet, clearly intent on doing their talking on the track.
Behind the 'big three', against all pre-season expectations
Toyota are increasingly marking themselves out as the best-of-the-rest, following Jarno Trulli’s stellar performances in Australia, Malaysia and Bahrain. Once
Timo Glock gets fully into the groove as well, the big budget Japanese concern will have two drivers capable of regularly fighting for points, which could just put fourth position in the title chase beyond the reach of
Williams and
Renault et al.
Red Bull Racing’s
Mark Webber recently claimed that in his view Williams and Renault are in fact racing with one arm tied behind their back this year [see separate story –
click here], the outspoken Aussie suggesting that neither
Kazuki Nakajima nor
Nelsinho Piquet – rookies both – are able to perform consistently at the highest level like their respective team-mates
Nico Rosberg and
Fernando Alonso are.
Indeed, it looks set to be a close scrap between the three teams season-long, with Renault promising Alonso a heavily-upgraded R28 for his home outing – a race he won back in 2006, to a rapturous reception from his partisan supporters – Williams aiming to fight back after dropping off the pace in the wake of Rosberg’s Australian podium success and RBR seeking to leapfrog both of them with its Adrian Newey-designed RB4 driven by a pair of experienced hands in the shape of Webber and
David Coulthard.
