2008 BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX PREVIEW
Race three of the 2008 Formula 1 World Championship takes
place in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
team arrives at the Bahrain International Circuit leading
the Constructors’ table with a total of 24 points. Lewis
and Heikki are first and fourth in the Drivers’ standings
with 14 and 10 points respectively.
The Bahrain Grand Prix is the first Formula 1 World Championship
race to be held in Middle East, the track was officially opened
on 17th March 2004 prior to the inaugural race, which took
place on 4th April 2004. This race, which was won by Michael
Schumacher, was given the award for the 'Best Organised Grand
Prix' by the FIA.
LEWIS HAMILTON
The Bahrain International Circuit was purpose built
for Formula 1 with the aim of creating exciting racing. Can
you talk us through the track layout, specifically the overtaking
opportunities?
"Bahrain is a really cool circuit; it is quite different
to any other because you are literally driving round the desert.
There are no trees or buildings as you are driving round,
just desert. I really like the track, there are a lot of opportunities
to overtake for example turns one, four, seven, and ten. With
all the straights you can do a lot of slipstreaming and then
make sure you get good exits. So in terms of racing it is
a very good track. The layout is a great design, starting
off with a very long straight, then down to a very tight first
gear corner and then you accelerate through a slight kink
before going up another long straight. It is a curvy circuit
with lots of kinks and gradient changes that are quite large
in some areas. Also the wind plays a big part bringing sand
onto the track that means any part that is off line is very
slippery. It is very hot in Bahrain, as with Australia and
Malaysia, so it is ideal that these three are together at
the beginning as they are all very physically demanding and
you can prepare for them all at one time."
You have raced at the track on a couple of occasions,
what are you main memories?
"I love the Bahrain race, it is one of the ones I really
look forward too, like Monaco and Spa. I have a lot of good
memories of the track, last year I had a fantastic race. It
was great fun and I took my third podium in Formula 1 and
took the joint lead of the World Championship, it was a bit
unreal. The best memory is from 2004, I recovered from a disastrous
qualifying in F3, and I ended up in 23rd. I worked my way
back up the grid to win the race. That was one of the most
emotional races I had been involved in up to that point."
How have you spent your time between Malaysia and
Bahrain?
"I spent some time in Thailand; my trainer came along
as I had a pretty intensive programme of physical training
for the time we were there."
HEIKKI KOVALAINEN
Bahrain is renowned for wind and the surrounding
sand, how do both these factors affect the track conditions?
"The most obvious thing is that the sand makes the grip
level lower and the tyres do not bite to the tarmac quite
as well and it can be slippery in places. The track evolution
also is quite high at Bahrain because when we start driving
round the track, the sand flies away. It also puts some more
stress on the engines, as there can be some dust in the air
that goes into the engine. The weather is also quite changeable,
and I guess this can happen very quickly because we are in
the desert."
What demands does the Bahrain International Circuit
place on the Bridgestone Potenza tyres?
"It is quite tough on the tyres. There are some hard
braking areas and high speed chicanes where you are changing
the direction at high speed, that always loads the tyres.
We need to be aware of that and look after our tyres as much
as we can over the weekend. It will be a key factor during
the race."
Are there any corners or sections of the circuit
you particularly enjoy?
"Turns six and seven, which are a fast right the fast
left. They are a great feeling in a Formula 1 car. It is a
high speed chicane that we take in fifth gear."
How have you spent your time between Malaysia and
Bahrain?
"I went back to Europe after the race in Sepang and spent
some time at the McLaren Technology Centre with my engineers.
I then went home and focused on training"
MARTIN WHITMARSH, CEO FORMULA 1, VODAFONE McLAREN
MERCEDES
Can you outline why the Bahrain International Circuit
is notoriously tough on brakes and the measures the team takes
in preparation.
"The nature of the Bahrain International Circuit is very
similar to Canada. Consequently it’s tough on brakes
as there are some big stops at the end of the high speed turns,
which makes things exciting from an overtaking point of view,
but is extremely tough on the cars. In addition the lack of
key features around the track means that the drivers really
have to concentrate on their braking points as traditionally
they use landmarks to pick them. In preparation for the race
and together with our Japanese Partner Akebono we have focused
on improved brake efficiency and cooling."
The Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team did not attend
the pre-season test at the track, do you feel this will lead
to a disadvantage?
"Of course we would have liked to test in Bahrain but
we do have to prioritise where we spend our time. Over the
winter we have improved the aerodynamic efficiency of the
car and cooling generally so it’s not currently one
of our vulnerable points. We have good data from running at
the Bahrain track in previous years so we are confident it
will not prove too much of a disadvantage."
What has been the focus of the team in the two weeks
between Malaysia and Bahrain?
"The focus has been on reliability after the first two
races which on the circuit have been pleasing but as always
behind the scenes there are lots of things you need to attend
to. In particular the pitstops and the problem we experienced
in Malaysia with Lewis’ right front wheel. We have good
pace in the car and need to maintain our momentum so obviously
we have continued to develop the car in the wind tunnel. However
we are still evaluating whether we will take some of the aerodynamic
developments with us to Bahrain."
NORBERT HAUG, VICE PRESIDENT, MERCEDES-BENZ MOTORSPORT
How do you rate the back-to-back races in Australia
and Malaysia at the beginning of the season and how do you
evaluate the competitiveness prior to the third Grand Prix
of the year in Bahrain?
“Both races were high class and interesting. The first
Grand Prix saw a superiority of both Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
cars, and the second race was dominated by both Ferraris.
However, neither Ferrari nor we managed to achieve the 1-2
victory, which seemed a possibility in both races beyond the
halfway mark. In Melbourne, Heikki was hampered by the third
Safety Car period; for Ferrari in Malaysia, it was a driving
mistake, by their own account. BMW Sauber performed well in
both Grands Prix, finishing second twice and without doubt
belongs to those teams that are capable of fighting for victories
by their own means.”
What will happen to the race engines, which were
used in Australia and Malaysia?
“The two engines, which powered Lewis’s and Heikki’s
MP4-23s in Melbourne and Kuala Lumpur, completed a total of
1,903 kms. Both engines were sealed; one of them will be handed
over to the FIA, according to the rules, as the homologation
engine for the next five years. The other engine will undergo
an in-depth examination, like all other engines after two
races, and will then be used for development work on the dyno
where it usually covers a similar distance like in both Grands
Prix.”
The Bahrain Grand Prix is expected to be another
race in hot weather. What are the specific challenges of this
track?
“We expect another race in high ambient temperatures
and with similar challenges like Australia and Malaysia. The
sand blown onto the track consistently is a typical characteristic
of the Bahrain International Circuit; it often suddenly changes
the grip conditions. The engines’ air filters are even
more thoroughly checked and more often changed than usual
to avoid the intrusion of sand particles. Due to the track
layout with four long straights followed by tight corners
each, the engines’ load profile is in the medium range.
About two thirds of a lap on the 5.4km circuit will be run
under full throttle.”
VODAFONE McLAREN MERCEDES STATISTICS
Lewis Heikki Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
Race Starts 19 19 633
Race Wins 5 0 157
Pole Positions 7 0 134
Points 123 40 3201.5
Podiums 13 2 417
Fastest Laps 2 1 136
BAHRAIN INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT INFORMATION
Circuit length 5.412 km / 3.363 miles
Race distance 308.238 km / 191.539 miles
Laps 57
Number of corners 15
Inaugural race 2004
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