BMW has made some huge strides and, crucially, the team still has the same consistency and reliability which it has had for the last few seasons.
Mario Thessien has got two good drivers in
Nick Heidfeld and
Robert Kubica and both are 'egging' each other on. BMW might need a bit of luck on its side at the moment to pull a win off, but the Swiss-based squad is definitely making progress - and that is going to be a concern for
Ferrari and
McLaren, although more so for the latter.
McLaren-Mercedes seemed to be third best in Bahrain but I am sure Ron Dennis' men will come back.
McLaren has to bounce back because, if it doesn't, it will be on the back foot in terms of performance. They need to be strong and could be stronger this coming weekend.
Hamilton, himself, has a point to prove because he did have a bit of a lacklustre event by his very high standards earlier this month. I am sure he will come back with a vengeance though.
Heikki Kovalainen, meanwhile, is building his way up to producing an outstanding result as well. He is very solid and is doing a great job.
Behind those three teams, there is a close battle between
Williams,
Toyota and
Red Bull Racing and, while I'd love to see Williams break away from those two, I am not sure it has got the resources to maintain that level of competitiveness throughout the season.
Williams really deserves to make some progress as they have worked very hard over the last few years. It has definitely got a car which is more reliable - and also more agile - so
Nico Rosberg should really exploit its potential.
RBR should be the bigger opposition because of what it has got going for it package wise but, saying that, Toyota has been a big surprise. I couldn't see the Cologne-based operation making much out of this season pre-Australia but, so far, it has shocked many of us down the pit-lane. It has been strong in qualifying and has had some good results.
After those three, we have
Renault and
Honda, and both are a bit further back, although that could change in Spain.
It is going to be interesting to see whether the powerhouses have been able to maximise that time spent back in their wind tunnels and getting some more development done. If either has made strides, it is going to be very tough for the likes of Williams, Red Bull and Toyota because they will then have another one or two teams to contend with.
I would expect some progress, but I am not sure it will be as much as they would like. It will, however, be evident.
Fernando Alonso will definitely be hoping for something a little better this time out and he will - like any driver in his home country - give 110 per cent.
