Pit Stop
It took a while, but at last the 2011 Formula One season is under way. The lights that go out on the grid on Sunday won't be in Bahrain, but in Melbourne. It's a shame that Bahrain had to be cancelled but as one reporter put it, there's no point having a F1 race when you can't even drive to the end of the road.
The Australian Grand Prix should finally answer some burning questions that have been occupying petrolheads all winter.
There are a couple of changes that could well turn the sport on its head. First, there's a new tyre supplier. Pirelli have been testing their rubber all winter to try in effect to make the tyres worse than last season. They have been under orders from the FIA to increase the amount of tyre degradation in a race. This should certainly make the races unpredictable as drivers try to preserve the rubber. Those drivers with the smoother style like Jenson Button will benefit. It will almost certainly mean more pit stops, which should add more excitement.
Perhaps the most radical new innovation is the movable rear wing. It may not sound that revolutionary, but trust me, it is. Whether it will work or cause chaos is another matter entirely. The idea is that drivers chasing another car can open up a gap in the rear wing, giving them less drag and more speed.
The use of it though will be tightly controlled. It can only be used if the chasing car is within a second of the one in front. It can only be used on one designated straight. Race control will decide whether it can be deployed, and if it can, a light will illuminate on the driver's steering wheel. It cannot be used in the first two laps of a race or for two laps after a safety car deployment.
There have, understandably, been critics of the plan. They claim it will be too complicated and possibly dangerous. Others feel it is too artificial and against the spirit of racing. Some drivers feel they are becoming less racers and more button-pushing passengers.
Perhaps we should give the experiment a go. It's no more artificial than the Kers boost system which makes a return this year. And at least somebody is trying to address the problem of a lack of overtaking. It may be that two closely matched cars just swap places every lap, but time will tell. The 600-metre overtaking zone in Melbourne is on the start/finish straight and it will be worth keeping an eye on it.