Bahrain Grand Prix Qualifying

[MikeLane]

Bahrain Grand Prix

Felipe Massa bounces back for Ferrari but Robert Kubica for BMW takes Pole.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

Bahrain Grand Prix
Sakhir
Round 3
Apr 5, 2008

By Mike Lane
F1 Correspondent

The circuit is one of the new circuits built in 2004 and offers overtaking opportunities with its’ varying width at the end of different straights.

It is 5.412 km (3.33 mls) long and with it’s position in the desert and the combination of sand and potential for wind, it offers the drivers a challenge, particularly this season with the new rules banning traction control etc.

This is the last of the races before Formula One returns to Europe and the chance to take stock at the various team factories.

This is a challenging circuit where wear and general degradation of the rear tyres can be a particular problem.

The lap record is held by Michael Schumacher with a time of 1:30.252 secs, set in 2004.

QUALIFYING

In Saturday’s qualifying session the circuit was dry but there was some wind to unsettle the cars.

After Friday’s practice during which Lewis Hamilton damaged the right side and rear of his car in the 2nd session, it was going to be interesting if he could bounce back.
Hamilton rode the kerb a little too much on the downhill exit to turn 7 and when the car snapped sideways it launched him across the gravel and sideways into the barrier.

During the first qualifying session (Q1) Hamilton was the first to set a competitive time amongst the front-runners with a 1:32.750 min.

Meanwhile Takuma Sato, in the Super Aguri, ended his hopes when he ran off on the straight just after the last turn. It was an odd incident, which saw him spin across the track to the inside and come to a halt.

As a result the session was red-flagged whilst the car was removed. When the session restarted, Massa in the Ferrari was quickest with a 1:31.937 min, whilst Jarno Trulli in the Toyota showing a strong performance in second place.

At the end of this first session the following drivers were eliminated, David Coultard, Giancarlo Fisichella, Sebastian Vettel, Adrian Sutil, Anthony Davidson and Sato.

As we entered the second session, Massa continued to dominate the pace and to demonstrate his determination to put Malaysia behind him.

Early front-runners were Massa, Heikki Kovalainen, Kubica, Hamilton, Raikkonen and Trulli.

As the time expired for this session there was a frantic attempt by drivers to avoid elimination but those who failed were Mark Webber, Rubens Barrichello, Timo Glock, Nelsinho Piquet, Sebastien Bourdais and Kazuki Nakajima.

Massa set the fastest time with a 1:31.188 min and about one second separating the top eight places.

This session is the fastest session with teams running the lightest fuel loads and Massa was in great form with a half second lead over his nearest rival, Kovalainen, in the McLaren.

As we entered the final session to decide grid places for tomorrow’s race it should be noted, that following the steward’s decision to penalise drivers for slowing down at the end of qualifying in Malaysia to save fuel, a new rule is now in place.

Drivers must now maintain a minimum lap time here of 1:39 min to ensure safety for drivers still on a hot lap.

In this session (Q3), drivers carry their race fuel and so strategy is all important.

With five minutes to go Hamilton posted a 1:33.651 min lap but this was quickly improved upon by first, Kubica and then Massa.

As the session closed there was a frantic end with drivers trying for that important pole position and Robert Kubica snatched it with a great final lap of 1:33.096 to give BMW Sauber their first pole position in Formula One.

The grid order at the end was:

Kubica, BMW Sauber
Massa, Ferrari
Hamilton, McLaren
Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari
Kovalainen, McLaren
Trulli, Toyota
Nico Rosberg, Williams
Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber
Jenson Button, Honda
Fernando Alonso, Renault.




At last BMW Sauber have broken through to take a pole position, but with Heidfeld in eigth place it remains to be seen whether Kubica was running light on fuel.

Another great qualifying performance from Trulli seems to confirm an improvement in this year’s car, whilst Button’s 9th place may indicate the Honda team under Ross Brawn’s direction is at last going the right way.

All in all this was another interesting qualifying session and looks set to provide a great race on Sunday.

Mike Lane, F1 Correspondent - Home Base - England


…………………………………………………………………………………………..