F1: Ferrari hot in Bahrain

Philippe Massa was in a miserable mood after the first two races this season: Australia and Malaysia had both gone so badly that he questioned his own ability. He flew back to Brazil from Malaysia and disappeared into the bosom of his family - the same family that flew with him to Bahrain, whether to provide moral support or to make sure he turned up is not entirely clear.

But what a difference an hour and a half can make. From second in qualifying, he raced past Robert Kubica before the first bend and, metaphorically at least, never looked back. A perfect drive, a perfect car and a perfect race strategy put him ahead of Kimi who, unusually, complained that his car wasn't up to scratch.

The win puts him up to 10 points so far this year - enough for sixth but still four behind Hamilton. Kimi may have moaned about his car - but he's still extended his championship lead and is nine points ahead of Hamilton.

But the story of this year's championship appears to be that of the dark horses:

Even BMW did not expect to have a car on pole in Bahrain - their first ever - and they were almost as surprised to have their man Kubica on the podium for two successive races. Now Kubica is on equal points with Hamilton but technically ahead due to better finishes.

Heidfeld is, incredibly, second with 16 points. Combined with Kubica's results, this now places BMW at the top of the constructor's championship, ahead of both Ferrari and McLaren.

Jarno Trulli, now devoid of the cloying influence of Ralph Schumacher, is turning into a star: he is getting more out of the Toyota than even Toyota think he should be able to. One suspects that now Crashmaker has gone, the team is actually listening to Trulli and it's paying off and he's just two points behind Massa.

It might seem strange to talk about Honda in the same breath as these other teams - but in Bahrain, Barrichello proved that the Honda is as good as the Renault (not a huge accolade, to be sure, but compared to the 2007 season where it was as much use as a not-very-well shaped log that's a huge improvement). But Button, who had a series of mishaps and retired due to damage had the fastest car on the track for a while. Unfortunately, Honda has concentrated on going faster (necessary) but judging by the lack of decelleration as Button came alongside Coulthard in a tight right-hander the slowing down bit is still something of a challenge). But the most impressive thing about Honda's Bahrain race was invisible: it was that the dreadful aerodynamics of 2007 appear to have been overcome. The car went well in a straight line and around corners on a track that is badly affected by fast low level wind that changes direction rapidly and provides a unique challenge in set up.

And the final surprise? Fisichella in the Kingfisher, sorry, Force India, car. It (or, rather, its Ferrari engine) held together, the car was stable and quick in a straight line and around corners. He finished 12th. That was ahead of Hamilton.

Yes, you can read that again, if you wish.

Hamilton's day was rubbish. He wasn't ready for the start and got left behind. Then he ran into the back of Alonso and wiped out his front wing. By the time he struggled back to the pits a change of strategy put him onto a one-stop (plus the forced stop) strategy and he came out dead last. He battled with everyone - compared to the end of last season where as a championship contender he watched others wave him through as he did a recovery drive, at this point in the season, he gets no favours. Surprisingly, he seemed to think he was entitled to them, shaking his fist at drivers who had had the temerity to race him. As Hamilton was bottled up behind car after car, Alonso took his pit stops as required and Hamilton never even got close to the back of the Renault again finishing out of the points in a day that he will not easily forget.