Round and round and round and round and round....

It's winter. You'd probably noticed that though.

So apart from snow causing everything to grind to a halt at the first sign of a flake or two, and Slade being on the radio all the time, it also means there's no F1. You'd probably noticed that too. You're really quite observant, aren't you?

Anyway, immediately after the last race of the season in Abu Dhabi, the teams stayed on for a first spot of testing, and largely to try out the new Pirelli tyres they'll all be racing on next season (assuming they make it to the first race - I'm looking at you, Hispania). I say teams, because there were a few exceptions on the driver front, notably Button and Hamilton, who scarpered pretty sharpish and left Paffett to the McLaren. Ominously, the fastest driver was Alonso...

Lotus had the honour of being the last team to run a fresh set of Bridgestones, before it all went quiet and everyone nipped off to the pub.

So now we have a big old wait until the 4 testing sessions of 2011 spring into life, with the car launches before that. Spain gets the lion's share, with the first session at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia 1-3 Feb, before Jerez gets a go 10-13 Feb. The Circuit de Catalunya is next up 18-21 Feb, with the final session being in the days before the first race in Bahrain, 3-6 March.

Less than 2 months to go then, before we all start trying to read things into the fact that one car or driver seems strangely fast. Remember Sauber last winter? Precisely...

Even though it usually means diddly-squat, I still can't wait.

(This-afternoon's tunes courtesy of Irish scamps The Undertones' "True Confessions")

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