2007 BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX PREVIEW
Wednesday 11th April 2007: Following Vodafone McLaren Mercedes’
dominant one-two finish at the Malaysian Grand Prix two days
ago, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and the team have travelled
to the desert Kingdom of Bahrain for race three of the 2007
Formula 1 World Championship.
FOUR FAST FACTS
How has the test session in Bahrain aided preparation
for the race?
The Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team covered over 4,280km
at the Bahrain International Circuit over six days of testing
in February. The session enabled the team to develop the car
set-up and conduct Bridgestone Potenza tyre evaluations, thereby
arriving at this weekend’s Grand Prix with a valuable
data bank regarding the performance of the MP4-22 at the track.
As a result, the work plan for Friday’s Free Practice
will focus on race specific set-up work rather than initial
acclimatisation. The test at the Bahrain International Circuit
was useful with regards developing an understanding of how
the package as a whole works in warmer conditions, a prudent
decision given the high ambient and track temperatures of
the first three races. In Malaysia, for example track temperatures
are typically around 50°C compared to 35-40°C in Europe.
Is the track characteristically tough on the cars?
The Bahrain Grand Prix is one of the hardest races of the
season for brakes. The straights punctuated with slower corners
and hairpins mean there are few opportunities for the brakes
to cool. As with all races in hot climates, the temperature
can lead to high rates of attrition for the race cars. The
asphalt in Bahrain also tends to retain heat, with temperatures
regularly reaching over 50°C, and this increases the need
for excellent grip and durability from the Bridgestone Potenzas.
At the Bahrain test, the team used the same hard and medium
compounds that will be at the race, and they responded well
to the conditions.
How do the weather conditions in Bahrain impact the
race?
The weather conditions do not historically play as significant
a role in Bahrain as they do in Malaysia. The weather is however
changeable. In the desert this can happen very quickly, to
the extent that conditions have been known to change during
a session, especially when sand is blown onto the track. This
is a constant threat during the weekend.
When did the team arrive in Bahrain?
The bulk of the team arrived in Bahrain late afternoon on
Monday 9th April. Garage build began on Tuesday 10th with
all the team’s equipment arriving from Malaysia during
the night of the 9th.
TEAM QUOTES
Fernando Alonso
"After taking my first victory with the Vodafone
McLaren Mercedes team on Sunday, I cannot wait to get back
on track already this weekend in Bahrain. There is a good
feeling in the team at the moment and we all want to be out
there racing and fighting for wins and points, but we also
know that we need to find more speed and everyone is working
hard on this. Like Sepang, the track at Bahrain has lots of
space and always seems to lead to exciting racing. It is very
wide and this layout gives you room to take more chances,
but as the track is in the middle of a desert any part of
the circuit off the racing line can be quite slippery due
to the sand, so you still have to be very careful! I won the
Bahrain Grand Prix last year, and would like to try and repeat
that result this weekend. We had a positive test here before
the start of the season, we learned a lot about the MP4-22
and the Bridgestone Potenzas. The car has developed a lot
since then, and it will be interesting to see how it performs
at the Bahrain International Circuit with these upgrades."
Lewis Hamilton
"To have started my debut season in Formula
1 with two podium positions is more than I could ever have
expected. With the team I will keep pushing hard to develop
and continue to fight for more results like these. However
I am aware this is a dream start to the season in what is
a difficult sport. Bahrain, like Malaysia, will be another
demanding race and I will have new experiences and challenges.
I am really looking forward to it though! Bahrain is the first
track I have racing experience with, having tested on it in
the MP4-22 in February and raced on the circuit in an F3 car
in 2004. I really enjoyed racing there, it has some great
sections to it, such as the sequence of turns five and six,
which are very fast but you must be very precise to get it
right and get a good time."
Martin Whitmarsh, CEO Formula 1, Vodafone McLaren
Mercedes
"The results for the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
team over the first two races have been strong, and to be
leading both Championships is fantastic for everyone involved.
However we are not, in any part of our racing organisation,
having any thoughts of complacency. We have another 15 races
to compete in and there is a lot of work to do to maintain,
and more importantly push forward with, the current performance
levels. All our competitors will be working equally as hard
and it is going to be a tough season. We need to take the
momentum from the races so far and take the battle to the
rest of the grid. After this race, the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
team will return back to Europe following the season opening
flyaways. In the gap until the first European race in Spain,
the team will be focusing on the development programme of
the MP4-22, incorporating the latest areas of enhancement
and feeding into the process information gained from these
races. We will next be on track testing with an important
three day test at the end of April at the Circuit de Catalunya,
which will see us bring in more significant changes to the
MP4-22 prior to the start of the European season."
Norbert Haug, Vice President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
The achievement by Fernando and Lewis in finishing first and
second in Malaysia on Easter Sunday was a great reward for
the hard work of everybody in the team during the last months.
One first, two second and one third position out of the season’s
first two races are a good start for both World Championship
campaigns. However, we will further intensify our efforts
rather than taking things for granted. There are still 15
races to go; the next will follow in Bahrain this coming weekend
just one week after our 1-2 victory. The heat to be expected
in Bahrain will make the race as tough as the Malaysian event
last weekend. More than two thirds of a lap at this circuit,
which was introduced on the calendar in 2004, will be run
under full throttle. Due to its layout with three long straights
linked by slow corners and its high grip level, the track
is very tough on both brakes and tyres. During our tests in
Bahrain in February, we completed more than 4,800 kilometres
and we will now focus and try to repeat our results of the
first two races.
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