As ever, there are a number of major factors to consider this afternoon as we look forward to the German Grand Prix.

First off, there is strategy. As ever, there are question marks over who was and who wasn't running light yesterday. The applause in the Renault garage following Fernando Alonso's lap seemed to indicate that the Spaniard was running heavier than many of his rivals.

Then there is the start, without assistance from his teammate Juan Pablo Montoya, Kimi Raikkonen will have to take on Alonso, not to mention Button, Fisichella and Michael Schumacher on his own. Though with the Colombian starting from the back of the grid at least the Finn doesn't have to worry about being taken out by his own teammate.

Then there's luck, and Kimi hasn't had a lot of it here at Hockenheim. Wing failure, engine failure, s, driveshaft failures and start-line accidents, you name it, Kimi has experienced it here, indeed, the McLaren driver has yet to finish a Grand Prix here.

Finally, there's the weather. Around fifty minutes before the start of the race, Pitpass editor Chris Balfe phoned photographer John Marsh (Redzone Images) to ask what the weather was like. "It's overcast, but I don't think it's going to rain," said John. Ten minutes later he phoned Chris back to announce that the first raindrops were beginning to fall.

Luck, strategy, the weather, the main World Championship protagonists starting from the front two rows of the grid, we could be in for something special this afternoon. Let's hope so.

Other than Kimi and Alonso, there are several drivers who will be keen to add to their points tally this afternoon, most noticeably Jenson Button, Giancarlo Fisichella and Michael Schumacher, while Takuma Sato will be desperate to open his 2005 points account.

One cannot help but feel that the grid positions of the two WilliamsF1s flatter to deceive, especially as this is BMW's home race. However, who knows, maybe the new aerodynamic package is paying off.

Starting from ninth on the grid is Jarno Trulli, and if recent events are anything to go by, anyone who is stuck behind him after the first corner is in for a long Sunday afternoon.

At the back of the grid, Juan Pablo is sure to be seeing red-mist, in addition to the rear of Tiago Monteiro's Jordan, and it's safe to say that we should see the Colombian on a real charge today.

As the car wait on the grid for the warm-up lap the air temperature is 24 degrees C, while the track temperature is 31 degrees. It remains overcast, with a very real threat of further rain, following the shower that hit the circuit thirty minutes ago.

As the cars head off on the warm-up lap, one cannot help but notice the swathes of empty seats in the grandstands. Is this down to Schumacher's lack of success this year, the after-effect of the United States Grand Prix, the disenchantment with the politics or have the fans simply got fed up with F1?

Button actually gets sideways as he takes his slot on the grid.

The last car slots into place, they await the lights.

Raikkonen makes a great start as does Alonso, while Michael goes very wide. Further back Sato appears to have had a moment as Montoya makes up a couple of places. Coulthard and Massa are also hot to trot.