Bahrain gave us an indication of who's going to be the setting the pace in 2010, but there are still a lot of unknowns as the field prepares for round two in Australia this weekend.
So with Melbourne approaching fast, itv.com/f1 checks out what we know about all 24 contenders' form following the opener.
1. Jenson Button (GB) - McLaren
Championship position: 7th, 6 points
Button's first race for McLaren unfolded pretty much as most pundits expected: he didn't do a bad job, but he was overshadowed by Hamilton. He disappointed in qualifying as the car was so far from being to his liking he thought it had developed a problem, then showed better pace in the race. It wasn't a bad performance, but he needs to make sure that finishing several places behind Lewis doesn't become a habit.
Last five race results: 7th / 3rd / 5th / 8th / 5th
(most recent first)
2. Lewis Hamilton (GB) - McLaren
Championship position: 3rd, 15 points
McLaren had a curious Sakhir weekend. It had seemed serene and upbeat through the build-up and practice, then was suddenly a second off the pace in qualifying and declaring that it had always expected to struggle in Bahrain and was in damage limitation mode. It seems the team got things wrong on Saturday, but in the race Hamilton was right on the lead pace, and that bodes well for Melbourne.
Last five race results: 3rd / R / 3rd / 3rd / 1st
3. Michael Schumacher (D) - Mercedes
Championship position: 6th, 8 points
He made light of it - joking that seventh on the grid was the same place he had started on his F1 debut in 1991 - but a quiet sixth place and a weekend spent behind his young team-mate wasn't what anyone was expecting from Schumacher's hotly-anticipated comeback. And so the speculation swirled: did the current technical rules simply not suit his style? Did he need more time to adjust after so long away and not being in his Ferrari comfort zone? Had he simply lost it? Only one thing is for sure: a seven times world champion doesn't come back to racing just to finish sixth...
Last five race results: 6th / - / - / - / -
4. Nico Rosberg (D) - Mercedes
Championship position: 5th, 10 points
Very few of Michael Schumacher's team-mates have ever outpaced the legendary German throughout a grand prix weekend. But that's exactly what Rosberg did in Bahrain. The trouble is, if the world decides it happened because Schumacher's great talent has withered with age, then it's not going to do much for Rosberg's reputation. In any case, his more pressing concern was that Mercedes didn't produce the pole and victory challenge he anticipated after flying in practice.
Last five race results: 5th / 9th / R / 5th / 11th
5. Sebastian Vettel (D) - Red Bull
Championship position: 4th, 12 points
Will Vettel end up cursing the 13 points he dropped to that pesky spark plug in Bahrain? Given the strong tradition of the man who wins the opening round going on to win the championship more often than not, having a victory under his belt already would be a huge boost. On the plus side, there's plenty of evidence that Red Bull is the team to beat, and his driving was flawless at Sakhir, so catching up the lost ground is utterly possible.
Last five race results: 4th / 1st / 4th / 1st / 4th
6. Mark Webber (AUS) - Red Bull
Championship position: 8th, 4 points
Webber was right up with Vettel until Q3 in Bahrain, where the German got everything just right and took pole, and the Australian made a small but crucial error and only managed sixth. It was downhill in the race too, and ultimately just four points to show for his efforts. If he is to mount his own title challenge Webber needs to get back in the hunt quickly - and taking the home podium, or win, he has so often been denied when be a great start.
Last five race results: 8th / 2nd / 1st / 17th / R
7. Felipe Massa (BRA) - Ferrari
Championship position: 2nd, 18 points
Beating Alonso to second on the grid was a glorious way for Massa to announce that he was back in F1 and back to his best in Bahrain. But losing out to his new team-mate in the race could be an ominous sign that Alonso is establishing himself as Ferrari's number one, if that one-off result becomes a trend. Ferrari prides itself on its equal approach these days though, so there's no chance of Massa being forced into the background yet.
Last five race results: 2nd / - / - / - / -
8. Fernando Alonso (ESP) - Ferrari
Championship position: 1st, 25 points
We had wondered for years what Alonso could achieve in a Ferrari, and his victory first time out confirmed his rivals' worst fears about how tough to beat the Spaniard would become in a red car. It was a slightly fortuitous win, and Ferrari looks like it has ground to make up on Red Bull and little room for error with McLaren and Mercedes close behind. But right now Alonso is riding high.
Last five race results: 1st / 14th / R / 10th / 3rd
9. Rubens Barrichello (BRA) - Williams
Championship position: 10th, 1 point
It hasn't been unusual to see a Williams finish 10th in recent years, and with that position now a scoring one, the team still took a point home from Bahrain. But given its strong times at the end of testing, that wasn't the result Williams was hoping for, especially as Liuzzi's Force India beat Barrichello fair and square. Melbourne has often been a happy hunting ground for the Grove squad recently, though, so don't judge Williams yet.
Last five race results: 10th / 4th / 8th / 7th / 6th
10. Nico Hulkenberg (D) - Williams
Championship position: 14th, 0 points
A poor first race doesn't ruin a career, but a lot of great drivers' debuts are never forgotten. Hulkenberg is desperate to erase his first F1 race from his memory though - a quiet qualifying performance preceded a costly early spin in the race. He is better than he looked in Bahrain, but F1 judges its newcomers quickly and mercilessly these days, so he needs to do better in Melbourne.
Last five race results: 14th / - / - / - / -
11. Robert Kubica (POL) - Renault
Championship position: 11th, 0 points
Kubica proved Renault remains a dark horse contender with some quick practice times and a straightforward passage into Q3. Unfortunately the first corner incidents meant his race was spent playing catch-up - which he managed well until his tyre grip was used up. With little expectation of a title challenge this year, the mission is to regain respectability for Renault, and that certainly looks achievable.
Last five race results: 11th / 10th / 2nd / 9th / 8th
12. Vitaly Petrov (RUS) - Renault
Championship position: 21st, 0 points
Petrov was off the pace in qualifying in Bahrain, but was doing a sensible job in the race - leaping up to 11th on the first lap and then staying close to the points battle. A heavy leap over a kerb then upset his suspension and ended his maiden GP. With a less glittering CV, Petrov isn't under the same pressure to became a superstar as Hulkenberg, so can carry on learning in peace.
Last five race results: R / - / - / - / -
14. Adrian Sutil (D) - Force India
Championship position: 12th, 0 points
Where Sutil would have ended up had his race gone as planned was one of the key questions from Bahrain. The only man starting in the top ten with hard tyres, many predicted he would pop up in the lead as others pitted, and could have made great progress up the order before changing his tyres. However the first corner mess amid Webber's oil smoke spoilt his race, as yet again Sutil found himself at the centre of an incident.
Last five race results: 12th / 17th / R / 13th / R
15. Tonio Liuzzi (I) - Force India
Championship position: 9th, 2 points
Liuzzi wasn't quite as quick as Sutil in Bahrain, but he did come away with his first points for Force India. It was a quietly impressive performance too, as the Italian snuck through the turn one mayhem and then had the pace to edge away from all his rivals for the 'best of the rest' spot outside the top eight. That result could be the springboard for Liuzzi to really prove his worth in F1.
Last five race results: 9th / 15th / 11th / 14th / 14th
16. Sebastien Buemi (CH) - Toro Rosso
Championship position: 16th, 0 points
Someone was always likely to get squeezed to the back in the ultra-tight midfield battle when the season commenced, and despite its perky testing form, it was Toro Rosso that ended up down the order at Sakhir. Buemi was very strong in Melbourne last year though, so could certainly get back into the points this weekend.
Last five race results: 16th / 8th / 7th / R / R
17. Jaime Alguersuari (ESP) - Toro Rosso
Championship position: 13th, 0 points
Alguersuari was closer to Buemi's pace in Bahrain than he was for most of last year and generally looked more at home in F1 with a full winter of preparation behind him. But as the one driver from an established team to join the newcomers in the Q1 cut-off wilderness, he also showed that he still has a lot of improving to do.
Last five race results: 13th / R / 14th / R / R
18. Jarno Trulli (I) - Lotus
Championship position: 17th, 0 points
Lotus reached the finish in Bahrain, and even though Virgin looked to be the quickest of the newcomers, it wasn't by much. Tech boss Mike Gascoyne isn't promised any overnight miracles though, so the aim for Trulli in Australia will just be to get to the flag again.
Last five race results: 17th / 7th / R / 2nd / 12th
19. Heikki Kovalainen (FIN) - Lotus
Championship position: 15th, 0 points
His car may be several seconds off the pace and nowhere near the points, but Kovalainen's bolshy wheel to wheel jousts with Glock and Hulkenberg at Sakhir gave his team plenty to smile about, and proved that the determined Finn is giving his all. That's exactly what his hard-working team needs right now.
Last five race results: 15th / 11th / 12th / 11th / 7th
20. Karun Chandhok (IND) - Hispania
Championship position: 24th, 0 points
Chandhok never thought being parachuted into F1 at the eleventh hour with an only-just-rescued team would be easy, but he admitted that his debut was even more of a trial than he had anticipated. No one wants to be shaking down an unfamiliar car in the middle of the first qualifying session of the season, and a second lap crash was the last thing Chandhok or his team needed. He stayed positive though, and will hope to get more mileage in Melbourne.
Last five race results: R / - / - / - / -
21. Bruno Senna (BRA) - Hispania
Championship position: 19th, 0 points
The Senna name and colours are back in F1, and that's a hugely poignant sight even though Bruno has no hope of being anywhere near the pace for some time yet. He did a sensible job in tough circumstances in Bahrain, and when the car was running it wasn't as far adrift of the field as it could have been.
Last five race results:R / - / - / - / -
22. Pedro de la Rosa (ESP) - Sauber
Championship position: 18th, 0 points
Sauber's lack of form in Bahrain was one of the biggest shocks of the season opener. The team insisted its car had just proved ill-suited to the Sakhir track and conditions. Sceptics wondered if its star testing form had just been sponsor-chasing glory runs. Peter Sauber was adamant de la Rosa still had a shot at scoring in the race, but hydraulic problems prevented that.
Last five race results: R /- / - / - / -
23. Kamui Kobayashi (J) - Sauber
Championship position: 22nd, 0 points
Not much chance for Kobayashi to do any of the wheel to wheel heroics, which earned him such a fanbase last year, in Bahrain as Sauber struggled for both pace and reliability. He was evenly matched with team-mate de la Rosa, but had equal reason for frustration.
Last five race results: R / 6th / 9th / - / -
24. Timo Glock (D) - Virgin
Championship position: 20th, 0 points
We now know that Virgin is currently the most fragile of the newcomers, and although technical chief Nick Wirth pointed out that all the winter problems had been resolved, the fact that a string of new ones appeared wasn't much comfort. On the plus side, Glock was the top qualifier among the new teams and was leading their unofficial class when the Virgin broke again - and that's left the team optimistic that when it can swiftly get faster when it sorts its reliability.
Last five race results:R / - / - / - / 2nd
25. Lucas di Grassi (BRA) - Virgin
Championship position: 23rd, 0 points
Di Grassi seemed to bear the brunt of Virgin's technical gremlins in Bahrain, and his F1 debut lasted just three laps. Until he gets some running, it's unfair to judge him, so ignore the gap to Glock in qualifying for now and wait until he's had a fair shot at F1.
Last five race results: R / - / - / - / -
ITV.com/F1's top tips for Melbourne
Winner: Vettel
Red Bull has a point to prove in Australia and will want to underline that it really is the quickest package, that it really can maintain that pace all the way to the flag, and that it's not going to fall back into last year's unreliability hell.
Star performer: Kubica
Renault wasn't far behind the big guns in Bahrain, the Pole has flown in Melbourne before, and it's a track that can favour the underdog...
Disappointment: The racing
Please F1, prove us wrong...
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