Technical Review: Australia 2005

With the 2005 season seeing new rules for the design of the car, from the way it's operated to the running order for the weekend, the politics and mixed conditions over the race weekend tested just about every one of those rules. In many cases there have been some cheeky interpretation of rules designed to extend engine and tyre usage.

With the race completed a picture of each team's competitiveness is still not clear, but Renault's pace cannot be denied, as with Ferrari's race pace. Surprising was the performance of Sauber and Red Bull, while McLaren's lack of race pace leaves us no closer in deciding if they will threaten to win the Championship.

Pitstops

Even with tyre changing subject to time penalties, the sight of pitstops with only three mechanics was not borne out on Sunday. Mechanics were posted at each corner of the car in case tyres changes were required. As the mechanics were effectively redundant during the cars two pit stops, they instead checked the tyres for condition and wear. Wear is now measured quickly by a sequence of holes in the tyres surface, each being slightly deeper so the less holes visible then the higher the wear.