Brought to you by TJ13 Courtroom Reporter & Crime Analyst:Adam Macdonald (@adamac39)

Debate was sparked up within the TJ13 ranks about the effect of the titanium blocks fixed to the underside of the car.  Photographers will be happy with some stunning pictures afforded, TV broadcasters as well, but at times to me it seemed like too much.  One of the TJ13 crew commented on how his child was more interested in the cars because of the sparks, which can only be a good thing and a potential answer to getting another generation interested in the sport.

What are your thoughts TJ13 jury?

Perfect Podium

Blueaxe Racing improved 35 places to sit in 16^th place as we approach the European leg of the season.  A correctly predicted podium made for the bulk of the points and with a little more luck the day would have been even better – most notably with Vettel.

On the up

A 58 place jump to 56^th place was enjoyed by Mistera’s Muppets, again mostly coming from the podium prediction.  A race where going against the expectation was rewarded, luck was on the team’s side as Ricciardo’s engine held on just about long enough for the points. Good momentum for the team before Spain.

The only way is up

Just 31% accuracy meant a fall for Sinner in Bahrain.  Only one maximum score and whole host of misfortune means Spain cannot come soon enough – chance to reconvene when F1 reconvenes in the Catalonian countryside.

Nobody saw it coming

I, like many others, had predicted a stronger Lotus finish, although I had passed over one crucial factor – Pastor Maldonado.  How he managed to start in the grid slot behind where he was supposed to be is beyond me.  His pit stop was impressive where he jumped the fellow South Americans Massa and Nasr, but overall it was another disappointing race for him.

A lot of positive predictions for the Renault runners, which were probably foreseeable in the tough desert conditions.

Food for thought

If either Red Bull has a failure free practice in Spain, they will face a penalty for the race.  What a sorry state of affairs for the Milton Keynes team, with their Faenza sister not faring much better.

McLaren are set to bring big upgrades to the Barcelona race, which would bode well for them scoring their first points of the season.  Alonso’s 11^th place was promising, so will anyone be brave enough to put him or Button in their Spanish GP top 10?

Remember when…

The thinking behind switching to a night race was logical.  An evening race would be better for fans around the world for broadcasting schedules, better for engineers (and the cars) working in the heat of the desert and better for locals who wished to attend the race, as Sunday is a working day in Bahrain. Attendance improved last year to break the record, which has happened again this year.  How many people are reported to have attended Sunday’s race?

(Answer will be posted in the next Predictor summary)

Last question’s answer

The question was: The Chinese GP has been noted for how it has failed to capture the interest of the Chinese people.  How many people were reported to have attended in its inaugural year in 2004?

Answer: Reportedly, there were 260,000 attendees at the 2004 edition, which even grew by 10,000 at the second edition of the race. However, since then race attendances have fallen dramatically.  Still some work to do to grow the popularity of the sport in the world’s most populous country.