Race to be more important than qualifying in 2011

The first race of the season is just around the corner and with it everyone will be able to see the result of the new regulations, and more specifically the new Pirelli tyres and the return of KERS system. But what do the drivers think? Button, Rosberg and Alonso are guessing that they will have a considerable impact on the race.

According to Jenson Button everyone will be shocked with the amount of overtaking in the Australian Grand Prix. This situation will be caused by drivers struggling to look after their tyres in the closing stages of the race.

So for the McLaren driver the secret to win the race will be to properly nurse the Pirelli tyres. Strategy will also play an important role.

"For me the last stint is important to look after the tyres - the first two or three not so much because the important thing, as everyone knows, is to stop one lap before everyone else.”

“If you do that you will overtake them because you will put new tyres on and go three seconds per lap quicker. It will be an interesting one. The main thing is who is going to be brave enough to stop the earliest, because you might think you have made a lot of ground up after the first stop, but you could lose it all again on the last stop or last stint,” explained Button.

That’s why Rosberg also thinks that the race itself will be very important this year. While last year qualifying was so important, the Mercedes driver thinks that some drivers may even “compromise a bit on qualifying to concentrate more on the race.”

“Because of the degradation the tyres have and the pit stops and everything, and moveable rear wing, there is more possibility of overtaking so that could be quite different to last year.”

"If there is more overtaking it is just good for the sport, good for the fans and everyone has more fun and nobody asks why is there more overtaking?" he said. "Could be from the tyres, from the wing - maybe everything helps but in the end it doesn't matter, as long as there is more overtaking.”

Alonso is also preparing the fans for a new Formula 1, where teams will have to be more strategic during races, especially because of the introduction of the Pirelli tyres.

"There are many things to learn to test with these tyres, for sure there is a new way of doing the races in terms of strategy, so a new Formula 1 starts here in Melbourne in terms of strategy that we need to learn from here to keep for the coming races," he said in the Thursday press conference."

"It is a new tyre compared to last year, a new way of approaching the weekend and the strategy. It is something we have been practising all winter, hopefully okay and hopefully more fun for the spectators," added the Ferrari driver."

Let's wait and see. And you might want to leave us your prediction of who will win the season opener. It's Autoviva's F1 Competition