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Conclusions From The Chinese GP | Planet F1 | Formula One | Features | Race Features...

All credit to the newbies for delivering precisely what was asked of them. Their tyres are perfect because their perfection has a distinct limit which is then immediately followed by a sharp drop-off. The result is wonderfully varied racing.

The only downside is a potential exploitation made particular obvious by the details of Mark Webber's charge from 18th to 3rd, which highlighted how little a driver can lose from a disastrous qualifying session so long as he has a fast car and has kept plenty of new tyres in reserve. Having only used the standard number in Friday's practice sessions and then just one set of prime tyres in Qualy One, the Aussie was able to blitz through the field on Sunday propelled by three different brand new set of options. Had the race carried on for a couple more laps, he might even have won.

Tellingly, the majority of Webber's passes were not made in the DRS zone but in other areas of the track where his fresh rubber offered such a grippy advantage. Fresh tyres are the current king of 2011 and a host of teams - but particularly Ferrari, Renault and Mercedes - must all now be wondering whether they would be better off not running in Qualy Three in order to keep back another set of tyres, or sets, for Sunday's race. The gain achieved from fresh tyres currently far exceeds grid position.

That type of exploitation was also half the story of Hamilton's weekend, with the Englishman only making one run for pole position in Qualy Three so that he had one more set of new tyres for the race than either Vettel or Button. In the final reckoning, that strategy was probably a decisive factor in his win.

Whether such a loophole is good for F1 is debatable. It certainly isn't good for Saturday's spectacle. One topic that ought at least to be discussed during F1's upcoming three-week sabbatical is whether an extra set of option tyres should be set aside for the ten cars that make it through to the final round of qualifying. Otherwise, it could literally become a non-event