2006 BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX, SAKHIR, PREVIEW
The Honda Racing F1 Team makes its racing debut as a Honda
works team this weekend as the Kingdom of Bahrain hosts the
curtain-raiser to the 2006 FIA Formula One World Championship.
The F1 fraternity is set to chart a rather different course
around the globe this year as Melbourne, the traditional home
of the season-opener, plays host to the Commonwealth Games.
So the focus switches to the Middle East and the challenging
Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, where the machinations
of winter testing will finally play out to reveal the class
of the 2006 field. The team's driver line-up of Rubens Barrichello
(No. 11) and Jenson Button (No. 12) will be racing together
for the first time, supported by third driver Anthony Davidson,
who will be looking to emulate his star performances from
the 2004 season as he returns to the Friday testing role.
An intensive winter testing programme with the RA106 and
the Concept car has seen the Honda Racing F1 Team complete
27,000 kms of testing at the Barcelona, Jerez and Valencia
circuits in Spain and, in preparation for the first race,
at the Bahrain International Circuit in February, where the
team spent four days honing its tyres and set-up to the demands
of the arid desert conditions. Since its launch on 25 January,
the RA106 has covered over 14,700 kms and demonstrated encouraging
performance and good reliability.
Rubens Barrichello
"It's really exciting for me to be racing for the very
first time as a Honda Racing F1 Team driver. Since I have
joined the team at the start of the year, it has been a very
intense period of working hard on the test track and with
the engineers. We have covered an incredible amount of laps
and have been able to establish good reliability as well as
improve the pace of the car. For me, our most important test
was in Bahrain last month where we could work on the set-up
of the car in the hot weather we will face this weekend and
also complete a lot of laps, which really helped my physical
conditioning. I feel very much at home with the team now and
I can't wait for the first race of the new season, where I
believe we will be very competitive."
Jenson Button
"Our pre-season testing programme has been extremely
positive. The RA106 was strong and reliable from the start
which has enabled us to complete plenty of mileage and given
me the confidence to push the development from an early stage.
I tried to complete as much testing as possible over the winter,
which is reflected by the amount of kilometres I have driven.
I have also been training hard and feel mentally and physically
stronger than ever before. The Bahrain International Circuit
is a great track and I enjoy racing here. There are several
overtaking opportunities which always makes things exciting
and the fast flowing sections are great. Testing in Bahrain
in February was hugely beneficial for us and we are the only
Michelin team to have tested the tyres and our car in the
hot conditions prior to the race. I think that we have a really
competitive package, and although this is the first time we
will really see where we are compared to the other teams,
I hope to be challenging for wins. I can't wait for the racing
to begin this weekend."
Gil de Ferran, Sporting Director
"As the numbers show, we have had a very productive testing
programme since the end of the 2005 season. This included
a successful four day test in Bahrain itself, where we encountered
conditions which we hope will be similar this weekend. We
have experienced a high level of reliability with the Concept
car and the new RA106, which in turn helped us develop our
package further. The RA106 has certainly shown a lot of promise
in terms of speed in the hands of our three drivers and it
is fair to say that all of us at the Honda Racing F1 Team
are really excited and looking forward to the race in Bahrain,
where we will find out how we truly measure up against our
competition."
Shuhei Nakamoto, Engineering Director, Honda Racing
Development
"We are all very excited at the prospect of
finally seeing exactly where we stand against the other Formula
One teams. It's nearly forty years since we had a full Honda
works team in Formula One, and we have good reason to expect
a strong start to the season after a promising winter testing
programme."
The Bahrain International Circuit
Race Distance 57 laps
Circuit Length 3.381 miles (5.417kms)
Located in Sakhir in the south of Bahrain, the US$150 million
Bahrain International Circuit opened in 2004 and hosted its
first FIA Formula One Grand Prix in April of the same year.
The development of the circuit was underwritten by the Bahrain
Government and was firmly supported by the Crown Prince of
Bahrain, Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, a lifelong motorsport
enthusiast.
The circuit and its facilities are extremely impressive.
The track actually consists of five separate circuits, including
a 2.5km oval and a 1.2km drag strip. The 5.417km clockwise
Formula One circuit features a 1km pit straight, 12 turns
including several low-speed corners which increases the technical
emphasis on aerodynamic efficiency and traction, and a relief
that ranges between 0 and 18 metres to create an undulating
track. The hot weather poses a challenge for both car and
driver and although the humidity is generally lower than in
the Far East, track temperatures will be high.
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