So yesterday I went over to my mom’s house and hung out with my brother. He recorded the first round of Formula 1 in Bahrain. For this year there have been some changes in Formula 1 and I am conflicted about some of them. The big one that every one is grumbling about is the no refueling rule that has been instated. These cars weigh 1300 pounds and this means that they are all starting the race with approximately 300 pounds worth of extra fuel weight on that little chassis. This makes the going very slow for most of the race. On one hand, it makes for lightning fast pit stops, on the other; it makes for slower driving…. I’m not sure I like that but we’ll see how strategies are effected. Tires are narrower, why? There seems to be no logical reason for this. Also, you have to start every race with the same tire you qualified on. I will go on record as saying I actually like this rule. It should make things interesting the first time the weather on race day is questionable. Will people be qualifying on wet tires on a sunny qualifying day? We’ll see….

At any rate, I like this track. It’s got slow spots and it’s got fast areas. Dust can be a problem though.

There were a few big stories at the track and you can’t get around the big one. Michael Schumacher has returned to Formula 1 to pursue an 8th World Championship. This time he’s running with Mercedes which is where he started.

Another story (that has been overshadowed by the return of Schumacher) is the return of Filipe Massa after his horrific accident mid season last year. For those who don’t know, he had a piece of debris from the race track cut right through his helmet. His car then T-Boned a wall at 170mph. His status as a living being was in question, let alone his driving career. Massa took second place in this weekend’s race. Congrats!

Ultimately, it was Fernando Alonso (old photo) who would take the first place spot in his debut with Ferrari. It was a Ferrari 1-2 to kick off the season. I can’t wait for the next round…