Mark Hughes: Trackside View

Not a cloud in the sky Saturday morning, pa system chatter mingling with far-off helicopter rotors.

Standing at the new section of track at the end of the lap, distant mountain tops peeping over the grandstand. The old track is still there, dusty grey contrasting with the black rubbered-in layer of the new twists and turns.

The new chicane half way down the hill at the end of the lap has taken all the sting out of what used to be a formidable final turn. But it's created an intriguing technical challenge.

A medium-speed right-hander leads the cars downhill to the left-right of the chicane. Using all the track width at the top of the hill leaves you unable to get fully back across for a good entry to the chicane. Where do you make the sacrifice?

That it's a point of debate is illustrated by the diametrically opposed approaches of the Toyota drivers: Jarno Trulli makes a dramatically fast exit from the top curve and just accepts the shallow chicane entry it forces upon him, whereas

Ralf Schumacher eases off before that top curve is finished, then dramatically cuts across to the other side of the track to give himself a wide chicane entry.

The cars look caged here, hemmed in with too much power for their surroundings. Nico Rosberg is experimenting with a variety of lines on the ever-evolving new bitumen. The Hondas come past like saloon cars, all soft and rolly.

Nick Heidfeld makes a super-fast exit from the top curve, triggering the BMW's front end to momentarily surrender its grip, a brief but big understeer armful of lock but no lift of the gas. This is what a car looks like when its front wing airflow has just stalled.

Lewis Hamilton is sweeping majestically on the esoteric outer limits of grip, sweeping across for the full width of track, daring the McLaren to lock a wheel as he approaches the chicane and launches it over just the right amount of kerb, all flowing momentum.

A few seconds later David Coulthard does a passable imitation in a Red Bull that looks more hooked up than it's been all season.