It’s that time of year again when I’m acting like a little school boy as I can’t hold back my excitement for another F1 season to begin.

It’s my task to try and predict how everyone will get on in the races, but as this is the first race of the season I can only really predict the result of the race based on pre-season testing.

Fernando Alonso has been on fire during testing so I can’t see beyond an Alonso win. Not only have Ferrari looked fast on low-fuel but they have been fast while doing race stints. Alonso looks as though he has the bit between his teeth at Ferrari and judging by pre-season he looks at home already. Felipe Massa has also looked good since returning from his crash at the Hungarian GP. While I believe he will be up there because of his two previous Bahrain victories, I don’t think the Brazilian will win because it will take him time to get used to actual racing again.

Mercedes could be a good tip for success in Bahrain. Although the German outfit have had an indifferent pre-season you can guarantee Michael Schumacher is thinking about nothing else but winning on Sunday, while Nico Rosberg has looked fast at times in testing. Ross Brawn has got something up his sleeve with the new updates including a possible triple-decker diffuser so this could give Mercedes a huge boost in performance. Does this remind you of a year ago anyone?

However, McLaren and in particular Red Bull have performed better in testing.

Red Bull have carried on their impressive form from last season in testing. Mark Webber has looked very fast, while Sebastian Vettel seems to be doing all he can to let Schumacher know he is now the best German driver. The car hasn’t changed a great deal but then again no radical changes needed to be made as they were far the best team at the end of last season. I wouldn’t be surprised if both Webber and Vettel get on the podium.

With McLaren it is slightly different. The new slot on the rear wing has increased their straight-line speed and this has meant McLaren have always been near the top of the time sheets. However, Button has looked a bit average as he is still getting used to the car while Hamilton is looking his usual fast self. Button may have won here last year but I can see the World champion finishing as low as 8th, whereas Hamilton will be in contention for the podium.

Midfield

Williams and Sauber both impressed during pre-season testing and I could see them both getting in the points. Williams did a good bit of business with Mercedes in swapping Rosberg for Barrichello. The 37-year-old has looked good with some consistent driving in testing while Niko Hulkenberg has looked super fast after winning the GP2 title. I wouldn’t be surprised if the German scored some big points.

Sauber have showed great pace in testing and I think this could set them up nicely for qualifying. I think they may move back a bit during the race but you can be sure that Kamui Kobayashi will be battling for every position with his aggressive driving style.

Renault, Force India and Toro Rosso have been steady during testing but I really fancy Robert Kubica to be up for Bahrain. The Pole has a point to prove and he knows if he wants to join a big team next year then he has to lead Renault to some sort of success. Kubica will be in contention for the points, but judging by pre-season then Force India and Toro Rosso haven’t moved on a great deal. Adrian Sutil and Jamie Alguersuari are ones to watch this season but I don’t think their cars are good enough to be in contention for some points in Bahrain.

Back of the field

The newcomers Lotus, Virgin and Hispania are going to struggle badly and I can’t see them beating the likes of even Toro Rosso. Lotus and Virgin have struggled badly during testing with reliability issues and I’m sure they won’t be happy with the lack of miles under their belts.

However it could be worse. Hispania have had bad financial struggles and two rookie drivers who haven’t done one lap of testing yet. The signs don’t look too good and I think they will be even further back than Lotus and Virgin.

Join me and Victoria on Formula1FanCast.com’s Fantasy League Formula 1 2010. Our league is called Formula1Fancast.com and the league pin is 722. Try and beat us if you can, but be warned we’re good!

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