What a difference a week makes...

Having visibly struggled to get to grips with both the car and the track and succumbing to two pressure errors in wheel-to-wheel combat in Australia, Felipe Massa has, it seems, brought his 'A' game with him to Malaysia.

There was no evidence at all of the brittle, tense body language at the wheel that was so evident only a few days ago - the Massa that has just taken pole position for tomorrow's race was smooth, fluid, relaxed and visibly very quick indeed. The onboard camera footage showed a driver putting far less energy into his steering inputs than last weekend - his light grip on the wheel and loose arms and shoulders a stark contrast to the shots from Melbourne. Not even Raikonnen had an answer to him today and whilst a difference in fuel loads between the two Ferrari drivers could explain away the time between them, Rob Smedley, Massa's race engineer, seemed very confident that his boy had simply produced a stunning lap when quizzed by ITV as the dust settled.

Massa's performance today was from the top-drawer and gave a firm retort to the criticisms and doubts that have been thrown in his direction by commentators - including myself - after his less than convincing display in Australia. Less than seven days later he has demonstrated once again his enormous strength of character. He may appear boyish, almost cherubic at times, but make no mistake about it, the Brazillian is a tough competitor. One of the most impressive facets in his make-up is his ability to learn and learn quickly. This is what turned him from a ragged, accident-prone rookie, to the smooth, quick and confident race-winner that we saw emerge last season. And, I am quite sure that it is this, coupled with an enormous reserve of quiet determination, that has seen him bounce back from the disappointments of a few days ago.

As for his team, well, it was clear that Ferrari had simply failed to 'extract the maximum potential from their package' - as the saying goes - last weekend. This weekend, so far, they have demonstrated the formidable pace they showed throughout the winter and seem to have a definite edge over the McLarens. The silver cars not only lacked a little for pace today, but seem less stable at the rear than their main opposition. This is a definite disadvantage at Sepang, which calls for so many rapid changes of direction in quick succession. Lewis Hamilton seemed slightly less at ease than his team-mate Heikki Kovalainen and much less confident in the car, not only since last weekend, but since Friday afternoon when he topped the timesheets. In the aftermath of qualifying he mused that perhaps they had gone the wrong way on set-up on his side of the garage today. He must hope that they can overcome this tomorrow. What a difference a week makes...

Apprentice to sorceror?

Lewis Hamilton returned to the site of his F1 debut twelve months on in the kind of devastating form that simply must cause his rivals the odd sleepless night. This time last year Lewis arrived in Melbourne with a watching world wondering what he might achieve. This time, as Lewis himself admitted in the run-up to qualifying, the stakes were immensely higher. There were questions hanging in the air: would the benefit of a year's experience see him step up to another level or would he now falter under the pressure of expectation? Could he provide a level of technical leadership that, for all the problems that came with him, Fernando Alonso, as a double world champion, clearly brought to McLaren? Could McLaren provide him with a genuine title-challenger or would the fall-out from the 'Stepneygate' saga and its impact upon their technical development be clearly revealed for all to see? In short, was 2007 simply a flash in the pan?

Lewis' answer to all of those questions was a simply devastating, controlled pace of a like that is only demonstrated by the very greatest of racing drivers at the peak of their powers. For all the paddock certainty that Ferrari would hold the advantage at this racetrack, perhaps with McLaren snapping at their heels, Lewis was on it from the moment first practice began on Friday. In the afternoon session, as the Ferraris began to lose their way with their race set-up and struggle to get the best out of their hard tyres in the sky-high temperatures, Lewis kept his cool and his confidence began to grow. On one of his quickest laps he held the car in a simply breathtaking slide through Turn 13, aggressive but controlled, utterly relaxed at the limit. The precision and suppleness of his steering inputs viewed from the onboard camera were in stark opposition to the visible tension in the shoulders and arms and hence the comparative jerkiness in those of say, Felipe Massa.

In the first part of the race, he simply drove away from the opposition with a ruthless speed that took one's breath away. Sector after sector, lap after lap he turned the timing screens purple as he set yet another fastest time. And yet, afterwards, he reckoned he had not been pushing too hard - that he had time in hand if he'd needed it. You didn't doubt it.

In answer to those other questions that were hanging in the air before Friday practice, it appears that McLaren have built a quick and reliable racing car. It also appears that Hamilton's input into the development process has ensured that he has a car in which he has complete confidence - he knows where he can put it and how it will react on the limit. Very few drivers up and down the pitlane will have the benefit of that right now. Maybe we can start to draw some more conclusions from that

I don't think for a second that Lewis will have too many Sunday afternoons as easy as this over the balance of the season, but it is certainly clear that with a year's experience under his belt, we are now watching him step up his already formidable game to another level.