Despite widespread predictions that there would be rain today, both the GP3 and GP2 events took place in bright sunshine, even if it was noticeably cooler than usual.

Therefore, assuming that the weather gods don't have any surprises up their sleeves, it would appear that there are only two things that will prevent a Red Bull whitewash this afternoon… unreliability or over enthusiasm on the part of its drivers.

In Malaysia, Webber, who had taken pole with a superb lap on the Saturday, totally let his guard fall at the start of the race, allowing his teammate through from third to take the lead and head off into the distance. Today, if he is to convert pole into a win he will need to ensure that Vettel in unable to repeat the move.

Ignoring the freakish conditions of Shanghai, in Malaysia Red Bull appeared to have sorted the unreliability that had plagued it in the two opening races. However, F1 is a sport in which nothing can ever be taken for granted, and other than watching one another, surely both Webber and Vettel will be keeping an eye out for the slightest hint of a technical problem.

With such a clear advantage over the opposition, surely this race is for Red Bull to lose, and while we may well be facing an afternoon of total monotony, as in the days of the Schumacher/Ferrari steamroller, it up to the opposition to catch up.

Despite claims that McLaren had made progress, clearly it isn't enough and Hamilton did well to get within 0.834s of Webber's pace when the rest of the big guns were nearer to a second off the pace. The 2008 world champion appears more at one with his car than his teammate, however, both have a massive fight on their hands if they are to remain in the fight for the 2010 title.

A Herculean effort from Alonso also, who will no doubt be spurred on by the partisan crowd. Slowly, but surely, the Spaniard is establishing himself at Maranello, and performances such as yesterday's will further endear him to the Italian team which has been looking decidedly lacklustre this weekend.

As Michael Schumacher makes obvious progress in the heavily updated Mercedes, it is interesting to watch the British media twist things around suggesting that the team is working in his favour and to the detriment of his teammate. The seven-time champion has made no secret of his need for a car that suits his driving style and having been given it, now that the long-haul races are out of the way, he is beginning to deliver. Having got him sorted, sort of, the team will now surely concentrate on making both drivers happier and thereby more competitive.

Robert Kubica continues to impress, the Pole pulling out all the stops to finish ahead of Rosberg and Massa. Sadly, it is unlikey that Renault will be able to match the spending of its main rivals therefore, as the season develops, he will have to dig ever deeper if he is to keep pace. That said, there is increasing speculation that he has already signed a deal with another team, in which case he should use the months ahead to hone his skills. Teammate, Vitaly Petrov, though clearly talented, continues to make things difficult for himself.

It was good to see Kamui Kobayashi get into the Top Ten, even if the Japanese youngster was running on fumes. Despite the sponsorship deal with Burger King Spain, it is unlikely that the seriously under-funded Swiss team has found true pace, far less cured its reliability issues. That said, we do wish them the best of luck and hope that Peter Sauber can resolve the many issues that his team faces.

If Force India is disappointed not to have at least one car in the Top Ten, Williams will be even more disappointed to have qualified thirteenth and eighteenth, a situation not helped by Rubens Barrichello claiming that the various updates are a waste of time.