So there we have it. Fernando Alonso and Ferrari back on the top step of the podium after an impeccable 49 laps of the Bahrain International Circuit. Alonso did not put a wheel wrong for the entire race and was duly rewarded for his performance. The reward for the patient viewer was to witness a jubilant Alonso, relishing in his maiden Ferrari win on his debut for the Maranello Massive. It was a tremendous achievement and a standout addition to an already impressive CV for the Spaniard. But that is clearly not enough to stave off the barrage of criticism that F1 once again faces from the public for the lack of excitement generated by 24 drivers, 12 teams and 49 laps of the BIC.  

Bernie Ecclestone has urged F1 not to hit the panic button over the Bore-rain Grand Prix, as many have referred to last weekend’s race. The reason that there has been such a furore over Bahrain is because of the genuine excitement and build-up that there has been heading into this new season. People involved in Formula 1 are passionate about their sport. Just as football pundits wax lyrical about the beautiful game, F1 aficionados are desperate to talk proudly about their sport and the excitement that it produces. So after a winter of talking up the 2010 season as ‘set to be the best F1 season yet’ based purely on the addition of new teams, the presence of four world champions on the grid, Jenson vs. Lewis at McLaren, the ban on refuelling, a new Korean circuit, the return of Canada, etc. etc., Bahrain was a massive let down. Everybody was watching, not just the die-hard fans, so the post-race analysis has been doubly brutal.   

Bahrain is not indicative of a 19-race Formula 1 season and does not, in my view, provide the same excitement that Albert Park in Melbourne always delivers as the season opener. The lengthened circuit configuration was given the big thumbs down by drivers and the new regulations for this year forced drivers to be more cautious in their racing. The removal of refuelling from the races means that Formula 1 is about playing the long game rather than stringing 49 qualifying laps together. Admittedly, Bahrain felt like a very long game indeed, but that is not necessarily a result of the new rules. As one seasoned observer correctly remarked on Monday, one race does not a season make.

 The ban on refuelling was brought in as part of a raft of cost cutting measures for this season and has served only to remove a strategic overtaking opportunity from the races; it has not changed the fact that some circuits are just not designed to produce a racing spectacle for modern day, aerodynamically advanced F1 cars. Bahrain is one such circuit. And there are many others.

Some people have suggested that Bridgestone, official tyre suppliers to Formula 1, should bring ‘edgier’ tyres, rubber that might perform differently over 30 laps depending on the driving style or car’s handling. Why on earth would Bridgestone want to do that? All that would result from that scenario would be the Japanese brand trawled through the mud on a Sunday evening/Monday morning for being the reason why driver X failed to win the race. That is not why Bridgestone, a premium brand in the tyre industry, has invested over ten years of its resource into Formula 1. The company has already announced its withdrawal from the sport at the end of this season, so perhaps this is an idea to put to Bridgestone’s successors.

German TV broadcaster RTL brought in an average of 10 million viewers for the Bahrain race, DOUBLE the number who tuned in last year. The Michael Schumacher effect accounts for a large proportion of that renewed interest. Will these people be switching off because Michael ‘only’ finished sixth, or ‘failed’ to produce a thrilling show. No, they will come back because they know that there is a chance of seeing their hero return to his glory days.

Alonso won, so the Spanish fans are happy. Ferrari won, so the Italian fans are happy. They won’t necessarily have enjoyed the show, but they were not too fussed considering the result. And in the UK, if there had been a McLaren 1-2, would the tabloids have focussed on the dull race or the fact that Lewis had beaten Jenson (or indeed vice versa?)

So what exactly needs to be changed in F1? In the short term arguably nothing. Let’s just see what the next few races hold and keep the panic button on ice for the time being.