BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX PREVIEW
Formula One moves from the Far East to the Middle East this
week as Bahrain’s state-of-the-art Sakhir circuit hosts
the third round of the 2008 Formula One World Championship
and the last of the season-opening long haul races this Sunday,
6th April.
Located on the only island within the Persian Gulf, and thirty
kilometres from the state’s capital, Manama, the Sakhir
track cuts right through the desert and is therefore one of
the most unique, but challenging, venues on the calendar.
After not scoring points in Malaysia, the AT&T Williams
team travel to the fifth Bahrain Grand Prix in pursuit of
a more competitive weekend of racing.
Nico Rosberg
I’m really looking forward to this weekend. Bahrain
is one of my favourite tracks and I’ve had some great
results there. Last year, we didn’t get the best out
of the weekend, but we’ve learnt from that and we’ll
be better this year, and we will come back stronger after
the struggles in Malaysia. The track and asphalt surface of
the Sakhir circuit are more suited to our car so we shouldn’t
encounter the same problems again.
As a whole, it’s been quite an extreme start to the
season. We had a very strong start and then a bit of a down,
but that’s the way it is in racing and you just have
to get on with it. We’ve already learnt a lot from the
past two races and we will make progress going into these
next few races. I’ll be at home in between Malaysia
and Bahrain so I can relax and do some training.
Kazuki Nakajima
We’ve had a bit of a mixed start to our season. The
race in Melbourne was obviously very good, and then Malaysia
was not so good for us. We’ve learnt lessons from both
Grands Prix and I'll be doing my best to help get the team
back to where we think we should be. Personally, I think that
the track in Bahrain is really good. It’s a great circuit
for racing because there are a few opportunities to overtake,
so I'm looking forward to having a good race there.
Sam Michael, Technical Director, Williams F1
Set against the desert, Bahrain’s track is normally
quite dusty and it’s always hot. Ambient temperatures
hover around the mid 30s and the chance of rainfall is low.
The track’s layout is dominated by long straights and
slow and medium speed corners. There is only really one high
speed section, but it doesn’t bear much influence over
the set-up direction of the car.
Bridgestone will bring the medium and soft tyre compounds
to this race. Most teams opt for a two stop pitstop strategy,
although a one stop option has been employed there before.
We have two targets for the Bahrain Grand Prix; firstly to
improve upon the reliability which caused us problems during
practice at the previous two races and, secondly, to build
on our Constructors’ position by scoring more points.
Bahrain International Circuit
One of the most unique destinations on the calendar, Bahrain’s
imposing desert backdrop significantly influences track conditions
and car set-up over the Grand Prix weekend at Sakhir. Regional
winds intermittently blow desert sands onto the 5.412km circuit
which inevitably pose certain challenges for all but the leading
driver as they pursue their counterparts and their cars are
blasted with air infused with damaging sand particles. The
sandy conditions therefore dictate the need for heavy duty
air filters to prevent the air cooling inlets becoming blocked.
An essential requirement, but one which mustn’t compromise
aerodynamic efficiency. Grip levels are another casualty of
the sand and can be considerably reduced when it settles on
the track making all but the racing line dangerously slippery.
The track is a complex mix of 15 slow and medium speed corners
connected by three high speed straights, the fastest of which
will see the cars peak at 320kph at the end of the pit straight
going into turn one. With the lowest cornering speed registered
at just above 100kph at Sakhir’s turn five, and taken
in first gear, the number of extreme braking events is high
so brake preservation is paramount. Due to the long, high
speed stretches, each lap will demand a full throttle percentage
of 62%; combined with the braking, cooling and sand variables,
engine reliability will be a considerable factor in the race’s
outcome. A circuit built to house 50,000 spectators, the third
race of the season will undoubtedly deliver another exciting
Formula One Grand Prix.
STATS & FACTS
KEY RACE DATA
RACE DISTANCE/LAPS 5.412kms/3.363 miles. 57 laps = 308.238kms/191.539
miles
RACE START TIME Local: 14.30, GMT: 11.30
2007 FASTEST LAP F Massa, Ferrari: 1:34.067
2007 POLE SITTER F Massa, Ferrari: 1:32.652
2007 RACE WINNER F Massa, Ferrari
PIT-STOP SCHEDULE
1 stop: Laps 27 - 33
2 stops: Laps 12 – 15, 33 - 37
3 stops: Laps 6 – 12, 20 – 27, 37 - 45
|
