This was another interesting GP, though less sensational than the last two as weather played no part. Well that's true as far as the wet stuff is concerned, but In Bahrain, Brawn GP, who emerged as winners in the third of their four GPs, were concerned about the dry stuff. With the air temperature on race day up to 37°C there was concern that this was more than their (under-tested) cooling system could cope with. Indeed, Brawn engineers had to fiddle with the bodywork of their cars. Fears that this might badly compromise the aerodynamics were not realised, sadly for the other teams.

But this isn't like the good old days, when the trusty mechanics would take a fret saw to the bodywork or even leave bits of it off, but 'oles has to be out of sight as they are very closely controlled. 'Oles had been in the news as they were at the heart of the "double diffuser" controversy. Despite intense scrutiny of the specialist media, with their drawings a bit like Escher's never-ending staircase, I am still unable to g.php how these things work.

The air seems to be fed to the various diffusi via gaps. Apparently gaps are OK as they are not 'oles (which are not allowed) as they overlap and cannot be seen through, or something. Rory Byrne was dusted off and wheeled out by Ferrari to say something about how the double diffusers broke a well-understood F1 protocol about gaps and 'oles, which I couldn't follow, However I did like Red Bull team boss Christian Horner's remark that, as a non-engineer, as far as he's concerned if you can get a finger into it, it's an 'ole!

A fascinating fact that has emerged was that in 2007 a bright lad in Honda R&D looked at the new regs. and came up with the idea of the double diffuser, which Ross directed the ex-Super Aguri aero team which he had hired to investigate. Later, in his capacity as FOTA Technical Director, he warned that there was a grey area in the regs. which possibly needed clarifying but Renault and BMW vetoed this, most likely believing they had found something clever.

Bahrain struck me as being like a private circus for the ultra-rich which we'd been permitted to have a peep in at, a sort of automotive "Hello". It was bright, incredibly opulent and totally sterile, devoid of any ambiente, certainly on the TV. I don't know about you, but I just couldn't get any "feel" for the track. I had no idea which corner we were watching or what came next. I'm sure if you arrive by helicopter and spend the whole race in the paddock and pits, then it's fab, but not for the other 99.999% of us.......

The British GP is the chance for most ordinary British fans to see F1 cars live and its future has again been in the news with the circuit owners, the Wheatcroft family, taking legal action against the lease holder for unpaid rent and seeking to revoke the lease. There have also been "hitches" with the planning and finance. Bernie has said it will be a disgrace if the Government doesn't step in to support the race but there is no chance of this, indeed a Govt spokesman has already ruled it out. Given the image, ownership and operation of F1, and the current economic situation, I would imagine that the vast majority of British taxpayers would be violently against any subsidy, especially as much of it would end up in the hands of venture capitalists. Bernie is adamant that the race will not return to Silverstone but be replaced by another Far Eastern, government financed event, possibly in South Korea.

This would be a terribly sad day for British fans but I had to smile when I read Jenson Button's comment on the situation quoted in Autosport. "As a British driver, and motorsport is very British, it would be very disappointing not to race in my home country," he said. "I don't live in the UK, I live in Monaco [our italics] but I'm very British and very patriotic and it would be a disaster". There are those who firmly believe that all this will end up with Bernie owning Donington Park and the rights to run the British GP there.....

This year's Sunday Times Rich List has Jenson worth £40m, which funnily enough is the annual budget the FIA has arrived at for next year's "cost-capped" F1 teams. This will not include engines and things like driver salaries, hospitality etc. Teams who sign up for this will enjoy certain technical freedoms like no restriction on engine revs and moveable front and rear wings. Teams must submit an application by 22-29 May. Not surprisingly both McLaren and Ferrari expressed their unease about this development. Max Mosely then said F1 could do without Ferrari, but then Bernie played "good cop" and said he would protect Ferrari!

Bernie's magnanimity will not be extended to Brawn GP, who will not get the £20m owed to Honda after Flav objected. Neither will the other teams get it as they have not signed a new Concorde agreement. To complete a good couple of weeks for F1's Ring Master, he is also citing the non-signing as a reason to reduce the payout of F1's profits to the teams to 25% rather than the 50% which has been paid in anticipation of the signing. The cost-capped teams and this telly money issue put Bernie and Max well ahead of FOTA in the war to control F1.

One final thing before we get on at last to what is ostensibly the real business - motor racing, McLaren received a suspended three race ban for Dave Ryan and Lewis Hamilton lying to the Stewards in Australia.

All acknowledged that Bahrain was Brawn and Button's best race so far. They were struggling with temperatures and did not have the fastest car. Button was fifth fastest in Q2, slower that Vettel's Red Bull, the two Toyotas and Raikkonen's Ferrari! He ended up fourth on the grid with Raikkonen dropping to tenth and, with Massa eighth, Toyota taking their first ever 1-2. Things looked a little better for the GP as he was carrying more fuel than the Toyotas.

Hamilton had qualified fifth, but his KERS launched him ahead of both Button and Vettel, briefly up into second then third behind the two Toyotas. Button took advantage of Hamilton's move on Vettel to pass the Red Bull too, then he out-braked Hamilton into Turn 1 at the start of lap 2. Crucially, he was now where he needed to be. The Toyotas pitted on laps 11 and 12, Button "did a Schuey" before pitting on lap 15, which gave him the lead after Vettel and Raikkonen made their stops. Toyota then made a catastrophic tactical error of putting their cars onto the harder tyre, which was too slow. Job done for Button and Brawn in another brilliant display of driving and tactical mastery in which everyone did just what was needed. It is interesting that so far there has been no "finger trouble" in a team not accustomed to winning.

Glock ended up seventh for Toyota and Trulli was third, losing second to Vettel at the final pit stop. Hamilton was fourth in an improved McLaren. Barrichello was fifth for Brawn after qualifying there, an three-stop strategy failing to give any improvement. Raikkonen was sixth, breaking Ferrari's duck and preventing this being their worst ever start to a season. He and Massa touched on the first lap and the latter had to stop for a new nose, coming home 14th. Kimi was caught napping by Glock on re-joining the race after a pit stop, but a squirt of KERS got him past. President di Montezemolo was in attendance, which must have really helped everyone.

He has blamed a number of factors for the Scuderia's poor start to the year. No.1 was "grey rules" which were subject to a number of interpretations, Ferrari being one of the teams that made the wrong ones. No. 2 was KERS, which has proved to be an expensive both in terms compromises to car design and in resources which would have been better directed into aerodynamics. This again was a bad choice by Ferrari as KERS is not compulsory. No. 3 was complacency in the organisation.

Ferrari are due an upgrade in Spain, let's hope it moves them closer to the more innovative thinkers in front. One thing is for sure, no matter how much Luca seethes and Flav raves, the new regulations and the variety in their interpretation have made the racing much better.