Melbourne Forecast

At the beginning of the year, I sort of vowed to make forecasts of race results for each GP. I did it for Bahrain, and then forgot to do it for Malaysia. So I guess it might turn out to be a random thing.

For Melbourne, it'll pan out like this (at least in GnomeWorld):

Schumacher will start from Pole. Alonso will howl through from the third row of the grid and squeeze through on the first two corners. Fisi will go into the corner third. Rosberg will be in the gravel with Coulthard and Button, Klien will amazingly make it through, trying hard not to get a penalty like he should have done in Malaysia.

JPM will initially run fourth. Kimi will start 12th, having had an engine change. By the end of the first lap he's already seventh.

Webber will qualify well, and run fifth initially. Trulli will also surprise, running seventh behind Massa, but Toyota will screw the strategy leaving Jarno out of the points. Ralf won't have made the third qualifying session and will have a pale race, even further outside the points.

Michael will stop just before Alonso and Fisi, at which point the race is settled, until, shock horror, Alonso's car stops and Fisi inherits the race. Michael 2nd, Kimi 3rd but threatening near the end.

JPM will still be fourth, even though you didn't notice him all race. Webber will be fifth, because he always is in Australia. Massa seemed to lose time in the pits, which is why he was sixth, just ahead of Barrichello who finally seems to be getting used to the Honda. And the final point goes to one of the BMWs. Villeneuve I think.

Sato will finish, Ide will not. I'm not that fussed about the rest of the Red Bull and MF1 guys, so they didn't figure in my mental simulation.

Total fantasy of course, but good fun. Excuse me while I watch the re-run of the first corner..