Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber hope they can transfer their crushing performance in the showers of Shanghai to the hot and sandy tarmac of Bahrain this weekend, and close the gap to championship leader Jenson Button.
Celebrations on Sunday night in China were curtailed as the Red Bull Racing crew packed up and headed straight to the Middle East. Their ambitions, after that first win, have immediately shifted to the bigger prize - championship glory.
Red Bull's designer, Adrian Newey, has shown that he's still got it, having propelled Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill and Mika Hakkinen to their world titles. With a blank sheet of paper at the start of the season, he has developed the fastest car not to have a double-decked diffuser. Now that the 'DDD' has been declared legal, the team are re-designing their car around this additional aerodynamic part, and are expecting to unveil their b-spec machine in Monaco. "It's not the easiest task getting it to fit the car," explains Newey. "The unique feature of the Red Bull cars is the pullrod rear suspension, which is a good solution when you don't have a double-diffuser. But getting it to work with the diffuser will be more difficult."
Many would suggest 'if it ain't broke don't fix it', but Newey dismisses that philosophy. "There is no doubt that a double-diffuser does give performance."
The Brawns, of course, all ready have a super-efficient 'DDD'. However Button, who finished third last weekend, struggled to get heat into his tyres as the rain lashed down. He found his wheels "shuddering" and the car aquaplaned so much he "just closed [his] eyes and hoped for the best."
Bahrain is about as dry a race as you're likely to get, and that should suit the Brawns well. In qualifying in China, Vettel may have been the fastest on the day but Button's team mate Rubens Barrichello had six extra laps of fuel on board, which should have given him a 0.6 second disadvantage. In fact, he was only 0.3 seconds slower than Vettel's pole time, indicating the Brawn is still three-tenths faster than the Red Bull.
The characteristics of the Bahrain circuit are rather different to the last two venues we've visited. Unlike Sepang and Shanghai's sweeping curves, Bahrain is more 'point and squirt' with long straights and tight corners. It requires a car with good traction that is stable under braking.
Also, safety cars have appeared in every race so far this year. That's less likely to occur in Bahrain, due to the dry conditions and wide run-off areas. So Bahrain should be the clearest indication thus far of where all the cars stand on performance. It may also, after three sensational rounds, be a little more processional. Nevertheless, the Bahrain International Circuit has a couple of decent passing places, specifically at turns one and 14.
Felipe Massa has dominated at this track in the last couple of years, but with Ferrari yet to deposit any points in its account this season, expectations at Maranello are at an all time low. Not since 1981 have Ferrari had such a poor start to the season.
Keep an eye on Nico Rosberg in the Williams, who has had some strong finishes here in Bahrain and finally has a car capable of winning. He just needs to turn that potential into a result. And Toyota, who tested here pre-season, will also be aiming for a podium.
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