Technical analysis: China and Bahrain

Technical development would normally be minimal during the opening flyaway races, but 2009 no normal season. Craig Scarborough investigates the latest innovations as the biggest teams try to chase down the early pace setters

China and Bahrain were the last of the opening flyaway races, so little technical development would normally be expected at these races. However, the shift in performance from McLaren, Ferrari and BMW-Sauber leading, towards Brawn, Red Bull and Toyota, and the FIA's clarification of the legality of the double-deck diffuser, forced teams to push updates through as quickly as possible.

The new trio of leading teams was developing its cars to further raise the bar, while the chasing pack made every effort to close the gap. The rate of technical development for the last two races was as high as ever as each team tries to learn its way around the new rules.

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