Yet another F1 season has screeched to a halt. After burning rubber on tracks across the world, the racing world?s top guns have parked their high-powered racetrack monsters for the winter. The year?s big winners have been praised to the skies and the others have been left dreaming about what might have been.

It seems like just the other day when we were discussing the impending season ? whether Ferrari?s dominance would be challenged, whether the season would reveal a successor to Michael Schumacher and whether it would be Bridgestone or Michelin tyres to the fore? Formula 1 fans discussed whether Minardi would be able to get off the last row of the starting grid and if the modern Axis power (Schumacher-Ferrari, Germany-Italy) would be ground to a halt.

All our burning questions were answered as the season progressed. This time, a new dimension was added with the inclusion of two new circuits at Bahrain and China, both rather unlikely venues.

So, just how did things pan out for the teams and the drivers? Formula 1, 2004 started Down Under at Melbourne. Jenson Button set the wags talking with an impressive qualifying position (fourth) in the British American Racing (BAR) Honda, and Renault?s Fernando Alonso was quicker than the rest of the field during the race, both finished way behind Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello. Alonso took the final podium position, followed by the Williams-BMWs of Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya, Button, teammate Jarno Trulli and the Scot David Coulthard, who was lucky to take the McLaren-Mercedes to the eight hand final points position thanks to Aussie Mark Webber`s Jaguar developing gearbox problems. Kimi Raikkonen was a DNF (did not finish). So at the end of the day, it was Axis ? 1, Rest of the World ? crumbs.

The battleground then shifted to Malaysia which saw a bit of a tussle between Schumacher and Montoya with the German crossing the finish line just five seconds ahead of the Colombian. Jenson Button gave the BAR Honda team its first podium finish, staving off a challenge from Ferrari?s Rubens Barrichello. Trulli finished fifth, Coulthard was sixth, Alonso seventh and Brazilian hotshot driver Felipe Massa got the last point in his Sauber, a car thought by many to be a Ferrari clone cum test-bed. Although the Michael versus Montoya skirmish raised visions of a tough season ahead, once again, the result left the Axis with a win to its credit.

Next up was a new track in a part of the world more accustomed to camels than F1 cars. The sandy conditions had more than one driver worried but the outcome was not very different from race one ? Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello in a Ferrari one-two result and a winning hatrick for the German driver and Ferrari. Then came Button, Trulli, Takuma Sato in his BAR, Alonso, Ralf Schumacher and Webber. The end result: the Axis won again.

At the unofficial Italian GP at Imola in San Marino and the fourth race of the season, come raceday, Button took off and led the race for nine laps. Then Michael Schumacher and the Ferrari think-tank took over. Button kept at it (even though he later claimed that the wind had changed making things difficult for him) and finished second, ahead of Juan Pablo Montoya. Alonso sped past Ralf Schumacher to claim fourth place and Trulli took the fifth spot. Once again, the Axis came out on the top.

Sunny Spain was the next stop on the F1 calendar. While the Spanish crowds turned up in large numbers to cheer their countryman, Fernando Alonso, one determined German had other ideas. Having tasted four straight victories, Schumacher was on the brink of equalling Nigel Mansell?s record of five straight wins. But things didn?t look that encouraging when at the start, Trulli made a quick getaway. However, that only lasted till the first pitstop after which Schumacher took control and managed to equal Mansell?s record. Next past the flag was Barrichello and Trulli had to console himself with third place. Alonso came in fourth and Sato in fifth. Leaving Spain, it was five victories to the Axis with the Rest of the World continuing to pick up just the crumbs.

But just when F1 watchers were beginning to think that nothing could stop Schumacher, the tables turned. Being a street circuit, the Monte Carlo track is a difficult one. And it was here that Schumacher?s plan of setting a new record was shot down by none other than Juan Pablo Montoya ? that too, in the safety car period brought on by Alonso?s crash into the barriers. While accusations were being hurled by both camps, Trulli went about his task of driving and went on to win the race. Barrichello came in third and was the villain of the piece (at least as far as Ferrari fans were concerned), Montoya was fourth.

Finally, after six big races, the Rest of the World had registered a win. Was this then the turning point? Not very likely if Schumacher had anything to do with it.

My favourite car accessory

Shahnaz Husain
beauty expert

I like to travel in complete comfort and at the same time I must be in touch with my work. It?s not unusual for some of my business meetings to be conducted in my car, and thus, it is imperative for me to have my presentations at hand ? at the switch of a button. Thus, the seats of my Mercedes E220 are fortunately fitted with television monitors which can be hooked onto the laptop.

When I am conducting business with associates even as we commute, I like to run the Shahnaz Group presentation on the television. The presentation gives complete information on what the group?s activities are in different countries, about its presence in Selfridges in London, the Shahnaz range of products and even our herb farms.

Since this runs on the television monitor, it helps us save time and clients are updated about the Shahnaz group?s activities worldwide even before we get to the venue we are headed for. The television is a boon and thus a favourite accessory.

I am a music buff and find that the best way to relax is by listening to soft and soothing music. Therefore a music system is a must-have accessory for my cars. If the television is a necessity for my work, the other gizmo that I can?t do without is the six-CD changing CD player, which helps me unwind with music of my choice. I only listen to Jagjit Singh?s ghazals when I am travelling. Car accessories can actually make commuting a pleasure.

As told to Samita Bhatia