"How was your move for you?" - Robert Kubica, bedding himself in at Renault, ambles into the paddock alongside Ferrari new boy Fernando Alonso as Saturday's practice session begins in Bahrain
Virgin's Timo Glock (left, alongside Hispania's Bruno Senna) livens up Saturday practice as his front left wheel gambols off into the distance early in the session
Defending drivers' champion Jenson Button stands in the garage of his new team, McLaren, and stares into the distance from a comparatively lowly seventh after third practice
And what Button sees in the distance is the rear end of Fernando Alonso's Ferrari, as the Spaniard sets out his stall for 2010 with an exquisite final practice performance to go fastest so far
He may have been there and done that in the world of Formula 1, but 41-year-old Michael Schumacher is still going into the season with his eyes wide open to the threat from his junior rivals
Title dark horse Sebastian Vettel ponders the merits of pushing the car after finishing final practice fifth-fastest, behind both the Mercedes of Schumacher and Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber
Michael Schwho? Alonso takes a wander down the pit lane and casts a nonchalant finger in the direction of the seven-times world champion's garage having outclassed him in final practice
Much has been made of Bahrain offering a flying start to the season for somebody, but the organisers may be taking things a little far
Qualifying begins and, for all Schumacher's efforts, Mercedes team-mate and fellow German driver Nico Rosberg (above) continues to hold roughly a half-second advantage over his vastly experienced rival
By the skin of his teeth, McLaren's Button squeaks into the final qualifying shoot-out - but both Williams drivers are Q2 casualties, while none of the debut teams' drivers make it out of the first session
Vettel produces a blinding final qualifying lap to whip the first pole position of the season away from under the noses of Ferrari duo Alonso and Felipe Massa
Schumacher, who had already mentioned the need to "raise his game" following Friday practice, heads into Sunday's race two places behind team-mate Rosberg on the grid
Vettel may have snatched pole but, with Red Bull widely believed to be less impressive over race distance, there is cause for optimism from Ferrari duo Massa (above) and Alonso in second and third
Thumbs up for Force India's Adrian Sutil as well, who becomes the surprise package of qualifying, scraping into the top 10 - but on the harder tyre compound, which could benefit him at others' expense in Sunday's race
McLaren's Lewis Hamilton takes on board some fluids, and takes on board his car's niggling lack of pace up against his Red Bull and Ferrari rivals, as he qualifies fourth
And a word for Karun Chandhok, who - at last - makes his way out onto the track, nursing a volatile Hispania around the Bahrain circuit to record a deeply unspectacular, but nonetheless laudable lap time
Quiet moments alone are a rare commodity as a Formula 1 driver. Fernando Alonso, above, is not having one of them as a cluster of photographers move in on his tranquil patch of paddock grass post-qualifying
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