Early practice sessions don’t usually mean much – in Formula 1 or any other championship – but with only the first and second practice sessions of the first grand prix of the year done, we’ve got nothing better to go on.

There’s one consistent factor over the two sessions: Nico Rosberg. Williams was among the pre-season front runners, so it’s not completely unexpected, but Brawn was predicted to be ahead by a moderately significant margin.

The time sheets for the two sessions look quite different behind Rosberg. In the first session there were Ferrari, Brawn and McLaren elements; in the second it was Brawn, Toyota and Red Bull.

So it’s pretty clear that the other team to watch is Brawn GP. Rubens Barrichello outperformed Jenson Button in both sessions.

If we give points for the two sessions, the top four is: Rosberg (Williams), Barrichello (Brawn), Nakajima (Williams), Button (Brawn). Which paints an exciting picture for qualifying and the race, to my mind.

The only other driver to finish in the top eight in both sessions was Timo Glock for Toyota.

Force India looks like it’s made the predicted step up, with Adrian Sutil finishing 9th in both sessions. Renault’s best was 10th for Fernando Alonso in P1; BMW’s best was 11th for Nick Heidfeld, also in P1. Toro Rosso looks like being at the back of the field.

And where’s Lewis Hamilton? 16th in P1, 18th in P2. That’s the lowest placed Mercedes powered car in both sessions, behind all the Brawn and Force India cars. Oh dear!