The Pirelli motor sport manager, Paul Hembery, said over the last weekend that he did not think the tires this year were creating an unpredictability that was bad for Formula 1.  And I must say, I agree.  I think there is more sense to what we are seeing than meets the casual glance.  For instance, aside from the tires, another thing that is making the difference is teams that did not depend on the devices -like blown diffuser - are now profiting by the rules that got rid of it this year.  We have seen Williams now winning a race, and the Sauber almost won, and has had had better results.

Lewis Hamilton celebrated his third pole position of the season yesterday before being demoted to the last spot on the grid after he was penalized for failing to drive his car all the way back to the garage.  A team member had failed to put in enough fuel to provide a sample at the end of the qualifying session.

Given that on only one occasion since 1991 a driver at the Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona has won the race after starting farther back than the front row, it is more than just highly unlikely that Hamilton will not win the race.  He also failed to win the other two races for which he scored pole this year.

Still, how likely is it that Pastor Maldonado, who now starts from pole, will bring the Williams team its first victory since 2004?  Fernando Alonso, the local driver, starts second in a Ferrari.

Lewis Hamilton took his third pole position of the season Saturday at the qualifying session for the Spanish Grand Prix.  Hamilton has not yet won a race, but the pole position gives him a good chance in Sunday's Grand Prix.  All but one of the races in the history of the Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona have been won from the front row, and all but one in the last ten years was won from pole position.

The series has returned to Europe for the first time this year, after having its first four races in countries as diverse as China and  Bahrain.

For the first time in years the Formula 1 teams will do in-season testing, in Mugello starting tomorrow.

Testing had ceased for a while in order to help reduce costs in Formula 1. But now it has returned as it was impossible for teams among other things to try out new drivers.  It will be interesting to watch the testing and think about how despite it not being a race, we will be watching to see who comes out on top as the European season begins again.

Testing should get more attention than it does, as we generally forget it is still a competition, and still dangerous like any race.