Bahrain Grand Prix – Preview
For the millions of die-hard Formula One fans around the
world, the last five months have been some kind of purgatory.
But the waiting and the withdrawal symptoms will soon be over.
This weekend the circus is coming back to town – or
rather a tarmac oasis in the middle of the desert. To the
relief of everyone who revels in the scream of engines, the
smell of oil and the colour of the grid, the Bahrain Grand
Prix at Sakhir will open the 2006 F1 season. Panasonic Toyota
Racing arrives in the Middle East buoyed up from its winter
test programme and looking to start the season in style. Jarno
Trulli made the podium at last year's Bahrain Grand Prix while
Ralf Schumacher made the podium at the last race of 2005 so
both will be hoping for a repeat as Toyota bids for a strong
start to its new campaign.
WINTER WARMER
Ralf Schumacher is looking forward to the heat of Bahrain
after a cold winter of testing.
Ralf Schumacher (Car 7):
"It's always nice to return to racing after the long
winter break. Of course we will have to wait and see how the
first couple of races go before we can truly compare our position
to the others. But we hope to take some points in the first
few races and take it from there. Our whole winter test programme
has been targeting reliability and that is what we will need
early in the season. We've been working with the TF106 since
November so we've had plenty of time to put mileage on all
the mechanical parts. The tests have gone well and both the
car and the new V8 engine have run reliably so we should be
confident heading to Sakhir, which is a great modern facility.
Bahrain will be hot but at this time of year it should not
be exceptional. Either way, all the teams have so much experience
that the heat shouldn't make any difference from a technical
point of view. So let's hope it's nice and warm. After a winter
in Europe, that would be very welcome..."
BACK FOR SECONDS
Jarno Trulli hopes to continue his happy run of form in the
Middle East's only grand prix venue.
Jarno Trulli (Car 8):
"I've only had good results when I've raced in Bahrain,
particularly last year when I made the podium in second place.
I had never been to the area before the race arrived on the
calendar but Bahrain is incredible as an F1 venue. The facilities
are state-of-the-art, much like Malaysia and China, and it
has treated me well so far! It would be wonderful to achieve
something similar again, so that is why everyone at Toyota
has worked all winter to be as prepared as possible for this
first grand prix of the year. The new season brings new challenges
in every area. There are lots of new factors – the V8
engine, our Bridgestone tyres and of course the new qualifying
system where cars will be eliminated during the session. That
will be a bit more complicated than last year but it still
boils down to producing a quick lap just when it matters.
I'm confident that the TF106 can deliver strong results, but
as ever we will only find out when we get on track with everyone
this weekend."
THE DUNES ARE ALIVE WITH THE SAND OF ENGINES
This weekend the desert will reverberate with the sound of
the new engine of Formula 1, the V8.
Mike Gascoyne – Technical Director Chassis:
"Bahrain is an exciting track with great facilities
for the teams and spectators. It is a challenging place to
start the year because the circuit is probably the hardest
for brakes of the whole season. The circuit is surrounded
by sand and it can also get very hot, which can pose problems
with the cooling of a new car. So reliability will be key,
especially with this year's switch to V8 engines. But the
TF106 has been very reliable in testing with no major mechanical
issues so we are confident. The engine and chassis departments
have worked very closely to ensure our package is as integrated
as possible. Luca Marmorini's team has done a great job with
the new V8 and we have consistently run the engines up to
the mileage necessary to last two races without sacrificing
performance or driveability. We have also spent the winter
adapting to our switch to Bridgestone tyres, which we are
sure will reap dividends. Last year we qualified on the front
row here and finished second. We would like to repeat that
but at this stage it is really difficult to predict where
we will be."
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