.:: 2009 Bahrain GP Thread ::.

2009 BAHRAIN GP

Welcome to the 2009 Bahrain GP thread. cjek will update the thread with the latest times as they happen.

RANDOM FACT

With an air temperature of 40 deg. Cent., and a track temperature of 56 deg. Cent., the 2005 Bahrain GP is tied for the record of the hottest GP ever.

POINTS OF DISCUSSION

1. Their worst start to a Formula One campaign since 1981 - how can Ferrari rectify their situation?
2. Speaking of Ferrari, Massa has won the past two years in Bahrain. How well do you think he can perform this weekend?
3. Red Bull got their first win at last, as Vettel became only the 2nd driver in F1 history to take the maiden victory for two teams. Where do the Milton Keynes go from here?
4. Whilst Red Bull took a 1-2, you can only help but feel Webber is going through the same feelings as Heidfeld did last year in Canada. How long until the Aussie himself is on the top step do you feel?
5. Sutil was running strong in 6th until that crash near the end of the race. What are your thoughts on Force India right now for this season?
6. Lastly, for fun... which was better, Raikkonen climbing Liuzzi (Hungary 2006), or Kubica climbing Trulli (China 2009)?

SCHEDULE FOR WEEKEND

Friday 24
First practice: 1000-1130 ( 0800-0930 BST)
Second practice: 1400-1530 ( 1200-1330 BST)

Saturday 25
Third practice: 1100-1200 ( 0900-1000 BST)
Qualifying: 1400 ( 1200 BST)

Sunday 26
Race: 1500 ( 1300 BST)

WEEKEND WEATHER

FRIDAY: Sunny, Max. 34 deg. cent.
SATURDAY: Sunny, Max. 34 deg. cent.
SUNDAY: Sunny, Max 33 deg. cent.

PRESS CONFERENCE SHEDULE:

THURSDAY:Timo Glock (Toyota), Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber), Nelson Piquet (Renault), Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari). Midday BST.

FRIDAY:Flavio Briatore (Renault), Stefano Domenicali (Ferrari), Christian Horner (Red Bull). 1PM BST.

BBC PRESENTS THE BAHRAIN GP

PREVIOUS SESSIONS

Friday Practice 1
Friday Practice 2
Qualifying
Race

THE RED LIGHT

On a little side note, this will be my 95th consecutive live F1 race without failure to watch. The German GP will mark my 100th.

Whilst I agree there are troubles at Ferrari that need sorting out, I believe that the absolute panick shouldn't be kicking in just yet. Yes, three races and 0 points still on the board, but the only thing close to a normal race so far is the twilight race in Australia. Even then, the pace has been generally good in races, but they just seem to disappear for whatever reason and then it's game over for points. Generally cannot fault the drivers for their performance in China, the car wasn't good enough in the conditions for them. But these problems have got to stop. We're only 3 weekends in and there's been something go wrong at each event so far. Barring a failure and some irregular event (rain in BahRAIN?), Felipe should get on the scorecard this weekend given his track record of winning the past two races here. The win won't come, but the points will.

Hamilton wasn't too pleased about the result from China, but 6th given the amount of errors still isn't a bad result - but he knows it should've been better without the spins and off-track excursions. Even so, the team currently stand 4th in the Constructors - which is MUCH better than expected pre-season. Kovalainen did a good job of proving me right in Shanghai too that he is a lot closer to Lewis. Whilst he wouldn't have been ahead of Lewis were it not for the Brit's continual mistakes, he's still a lot closer than you'd expect him to be after 2008.

Surprise surprise, yet again BMW suffer in China, and desperately need things to kick-start in Bahrain. 32 points down on the leaders after just three races is not what Mario Thiessen had in mind when setting out to fight for the World Championship this year - even the lacklustre McLaren team have more points and they've already had one disqualfication!

It's just been misery story after misery story after misery story for Kubica this year: Crash, engine failure, piggy-back ride. For a team to look like championship contenders in winter testing to drifting into no man's land in-season is quite a concern, and something that needs to be rectified quickly. Considering the consistency of hitting targets within the team, I do believe a turnaround is much more likely from the Beemers than McLaren or Ferrari. In fact, me comparing the three are wrong. The latter two are in a developmental fight, whereas we already know the BMW's have the performance they need. It's just getting that performance and delivering.

So it appears Nelson Piquet doesn't like nosecones anymore. Yet again, another dismal performance is getting him ever so closer to the guillotine, but then you have to ask who takes the place if/when he does go? Quids in for Lucas di Grassi, GP2 star and Renault test driver. As for Fernando, he didn't have a bad race, he was just unlucky that the Safety Car was used to start the race. If it wasn't for that, Alonso could've got some points for the Renault team and kept up his scoring ways in China.

Toyota came back down to Earth with a thump and a smack up the backside in China, with Trulli's Shanghai curse still lingering over him as in his 5th attempt he still failed to score. Luckily for him though, he now heads to Bahrain which has generally been good to him - in Toyota's only other decent season, Trulli took 2nd place and now with a car that's much stronger, could one step further forward be possible? Very much so.

Is there anything Glock can do wrong this year? An immaculate start to the season, where he's climbed through the field in EVERY race. If only he could start somewhere near the front end of the grid, then he's got one of the best shouts, besides Button on a good day, for the race win. This is some great stuff from Glock so far.

Talking of great stuff, I'm glad to see my original thoughts of Buemi have been proven completely wrong - 3 races in and scored in 2 of those - 3 points in a season where massive rule changes have come in and he's the only rookie of the year? Impressive work and well worth a round of applause. Bourdais himself isn't showing so strongly, but give him credit, he's still doing a solid job, even if he swapped ends a few times in the Chinese GP.

Forget about Red Bull giving you wings, they were soaring and decimating the field - and could've gone further ahead if they weren't making sure they stayed on track - in China. Webber himself finished over half a minute ahead of the Brawn of Button - and this is a team that not only is without THAT diffuser, but they say it's vital for them to have one! Easily the best car without the double-decker right now, and if they can take the fight to Brawn GP without one then God knows what they'll be like when they do have it.

What is up with Williams!?! Brilliant pace all the time in practice, yet when it matters the guys are falling back. Considering they're one of the diffuser three and are nowhere near the performance of their counterparts, it's something that needs to be looked into.

Poor, poor Force India. Whenever a good chance at points come, something takes it away from them. If it ain't Raikkonen, it's a river across the track. Psychologically I'm sure Monaco was running through Sutil's head at some point, and so a slip-up under the pressure may not have been so unexpected for the German. He still needs to keep the control, but yet again another shining performance in the wet by Adrian Sutil. Did Fisichella actually show up for China? I never saw him...

And Brawn GP learned the inevitable: It is not immune to other teams beating them. But the nature of the loss to Red Bull will surely be of concern to the boys - 45 seconds behind the race winner - even in the rain that's quite a shocker, expecially for two wet weather specialists going up against only one. Still, both championships remain in their hands at this early stage, and all the points they can get before the rest of the field catch up is just what they need. After all, Brawn GP almost stand a whole race weekend ahead of Red Bull right now in the title hunt. Barrichello is a bit of a concern right now - whilst he had a strong start in Australia, he's been somewhat "ok" in comparison to Jenson, and slowly coming into the number 2 role yet again - Rubens is only going to get one chance at this title, and he needs to take it this year if he wants to succeed Senna as the Brazilian hero of Formula One.

1. Several changes to the F60 are in order; and not just the diffuser either.  If they change the diffuser, they also have to make changes to how they direct the airflow.  So they're basically going to have to change the rear end of the car.  The Ferraris are clearly lacking in pace and they are running out of time. Hopefully they can make a significant improvement when F1 heads back to Europe.

2. I'm not expecting much from Massa.  He is already giving himself a hard time with his qualifying performance.  Raikkonen was able to reach Q1 so he has no excuse.  Sure, he could have been on the podium in the Chinese GP but that was in the rain and not everyone was driving at their best.  Assuming he doesn't experience any technical problems and he drives like a man possessed, I predict a low points finish at best.

3. I'm still a little skeptical about Red Bull since they won under extraordinary circumstances.  But if they perform as well in Bahrain as they did in China, then they are certainly a force to be reckoned with.  They are living proof that a double-decker diffuser isn't needed to be competitive.

4. I feel that it's only a matter of time.  The RB5 is a pretty impressive car and Webber is not too bad either.  If he keeps driving like he did last time, the win will come.

5. It seems that Force India only seems to do really well in the wet.  I honestly don't know what more they have to do to score a championship point.  It's just too bad their pace in the dry is nowhere near as good.  As far as I'm concerned, they've still got a long way to go.

6. Kubica climbing Trulli wins by default since I only started watching F1 in 2007. :P

1. First of all, I think they should try to improve their qualifying sessions and their reliability..... I am guessing also a double diffuser would not hurt too much :P

2. I think that it would be already nice if he would just be in Q3..... I see him 3rd place tops. I don't think their performance can improve that much in the span of one week seriously.

3. Well, if they can keep up the pace right now, they could well challenge for a decent championship finish this year. But it's too early to call championship to anybody.... Even Brawn Gp.

4. A very long time xD. What if it does like BMW, one chance then..... Nothing else? Cuz you can't say that they did not benefit from the rain in my point of view.

5. Well...... Force India..... First of all Fisichella should not be there at all. I think they should have a young driver tae the seat.... Cuz what good does it give to keep Fisichella? Also, I feel like they are gonna be dead last in the points this year so... Sutil, you should have taken advantage of this gift from whoever your god is.

6. Raikonnen Liuzzi xD

I'm thinking of creating an audio version of "The Red Light", and making them available on YouTube. Whilst it generally won't bother you, hopefully I can use it as a way to advertise the F1PU in the process to a further community.

There won't be one for the Bahrain GP, as I'm way too busy this week. But if things go to plan, I could have one up for the Spanish GP. The audio will be similar to that of the text format on here, but will not be 100% the same.

What are your opinions on this? Should I go ahead and do it or not?

1&2. Ferrari are in a difficult situation. They've got the car all wrong, they don't know what to do with KERS, and they've got two of the sport's best drivers to keep happy, and it just isn't working. Writing off 2009 would be difficult when you have drivers hungry for wins and a reputation to uphold. This is going to be 2005 all over again, when they scored just 7 proper podiums in 18 proper rounds, only this time it looks set to be far worse. Massa will struggle in Bahrain, but for his sake I hope some problems are overcome. KERS needs to be back, seeing as the car was probably designed around it.

3&4. Red Bull are in an interesting situation. How far can this car go in terms of being competitive, before they need to make the jump to a new diffuser? Without in-season testing it's difficult to say when or where they take the gamble of testing a re-designed car, and how much it will initially hit their performance, if at all. If the improved car works well, then it could set up an interesting rest of the season battle between Red Bull and Brawn, and maybe anybody else who picks up speed. If they keep it together, Webber could win races this season.

5. Force India are going to score a point this season.. they just have to

6. Raikkonen's incident wins here. Even though ITV missed the crash, it was a spectacular lapse of concentration in at best 'damp' conditions. Rookie mistake really. 

I'm thinking of creating an audio version of "The Red Light", and making them available on YouTube. Whilst it generally won't bother you, hopefully I can use it as a way to advertise the F1PU in the process to a further community.

There won't be one for the Bahrain GP, as I'm way too busy this week. But if things go to plan, I could have one up for the Spanish GP. The audio will be similar to that of the text format on here, but will not be 100% the same.

What are your opinions on this? Should I go ahead and do it or not?

Redders1989

I would listen to it :P

The teams without the DDD (Double Decker Diffuser) will need a big redesign to get the aero balance right once the extra downforce is gained in the rear. It will be no mean feat thats for sure.

Ferrari, BMW and Williams are SERIOUSLY underperforming and really should be concerned about how to fix their race pace.

Red Bull are doing a fantastic job and I wish them the best for the rest of the season. Hopefully Webber and Vettel can score some more wins and take the fight to Brawn.

I'm thinking of creating an audio version of "The Red Light", and making them available on YouTube. Whilst it generally won't bother you, hopefully I can use it as a way to advertise the F1PU in the process to a further community.

There won't be one for the Bahrain GP, as I'm way too busy this week. But if things go to plan, I could have one up for the Spanish GP. The audio will be similar to that of the text format on here, but will not be 100% the same.

What are your opinions on this? Should I go ahead and do it or not?

Redders1989

I'm thinking of creating an audio version of "The Red Light", and making them available on YouTube. Whilst it generally won't bother you, hopefully I can use it as a way to advertise the F1PU in the process to a further community.

There won't be one for the Bahrain GP, as I'm way too busy this week. But if things go to plan, I could have one up for the Spanish GP. The audio will be similar to that of the text format on here, but will not be 100% the same.

What are your opinions on this? Should I go ahead and do it or not?

Redders1989

Bahrain GP C l a s s i c s

20042005200620072008  

Bahrain GP C l a s s i c s

20042005200620072008  

mjk1

yeah sorry the link only work for uk users. if you really want to watch it you could try a proxy site mjk1

Kubica: Yeah, I'll run KERS in Bahrain

Robert Kubica will use KERS during Friday's practices in Bahrain, saying he should be able to find better balance and weight distribution around the Sakhir circuit.

BMW's Polish driver used the device for the first time in China last weekend but dropped it after Friday's practices, feeling it was more of a hindrance than an asset. But despite his initial run with KERS, he will be giving it another try in Bahrain.

Asked during Thursday's press conference if he'll run it, Kubica said: "I will use KERS tomorrow. The plan is to run it through all the weekend."

Pressed for whether he felt the device hands the driver an advantage, he added: "Well, if I felt it was an advantage in China I would have used it the whole weekend. As you know I removed it but the result in China on Saturday was not what I was expecting."

The Pole, though, is hoping for a better outcome to his KERS trial around the Sakhir circuit: "It is quite difficult for myself to use it but I hope in Bahrain I will face less problems with the balance and weight distribution issues."

Source: planet-f1

Raikkonen won't use KERS at Sakhir

Kimi Raikkonen has confirmed that he will not use KERS in Friday practice at Sakhir, although Ferrari will reinstate the system on his team-mate Felipe Massa's car.

Ferrari opted out of KERS completely in China after previous reliability problems, but Massa in particular felt that the loss of the device had made the car even less competitive.

AUTOSPORT understands that Raikkonen's weight makes the KERS decision particularly marginal on his car. Ferrari is set to introduce a new lighter-weight chassis for him in the next race in a bid to improve this situation, with the chassis undergoing crash testing yesterday.

But despite this, Raikkonen says he will not return to KERS yet.

"I won't use it tomorrow," said Raikkonen. "The other car will run it tomorrow and then we will make a decision about which way we go. We want to look a little bit to compare the two cars and see what difference it makes."

McLaren has suggested that the long straight and heavy braking areas at Sakhir will make KERS more useful than at any other race this season, but Raikkonen is still unsure how much benefit the device offers.

"It is probably faster in quite a few places, but the car was not too bad in the last race after qualifying," he said. "We could have been faster with it there, but there is not much difference driving with or without for us."

Of the other teams using KERS, BMW's Nick Heidfeld is set to continue with the system in Bahrain, while Renault - which also opted against it at Shanghai - is likely to run KERS in Friday practice before deciding its plans for the rest of the weekend.

Source: Autosport

I would listen to it :P The_Gabman

i think it's a good idea as long as you know people are going to listen to it. i dunno if there is anything similar out there but it might be worth seeing how popular they are and if there are any tips you can pick up from them especially with things like the tags. Racky_rules

Do it.XSamFisherX

Heh... looks like everyone agrees :lol:

I'll see if I can knock one up for the Spanish GP.

According to the Official F1 website, there is a possibility of a sandstorm on Sunday.Redders1989

If there is a sandstorm, half points again me thinks!!:(

[QUOTE="Redders1989"]According to the Official F1 website, there is a possibility of a sandstorm on Sunday.Bigcol1611

If there is a sandstorm, half points again me thinks!!:(

[QUOTE="Bigcol1611"]

[QUOTE="Redders1989"]According to the Official F1 website, there is a possibility of a sandstorm on Sunday.Racky_rules

If there is a sandstorm, half points again me thinks!!:(

:lol: lol, I'm sure they do.

Interesting use by the F1 geniuses of the TV footage, now offering Line Comparisons - effectively6 "ghosting" two cars to see what differences they have in lines. Quite clever.Redders1989

if I remember correctly they have been doing that in WRC for ages  

Interesting use by the F1 geniuses of the TV footage, now offering Line Comparisons - effectively6 "ghosting" two cars to see what differences they have in lines. Quite clever.Redders1989

It was pretty cool seeing the different lines they were taking.

I liked the ghosting as well.

Some notes from the SPEED practice 2 this morning here in the US.

Peter Windsor (the SPEED pit reporter) commented on the progress of USGPE. He said that they are waiting on the finalization of 2010 tech regulations before doing much chassis work. And he said they have put a deposit down for a Cosworth engine.

And finally some humor.

David Hobbs "That's why they call him 'Pirouette Piquet.'" (on Piquet spinning on track) :lol:

Nice to see a bit of the past again - Kovalainen's McLaren didn't even make it out of the pits :lol:

EDIT: Yay, no one gets points for Fastest Practice Lap :lol:

SATURDAY PRACTICE

Pos  Driver        Team                      Time              Laps
 1.  Glock         Toyota               (B)  1:32.605           16
 2.  Massa         Ferrari              (B)  1:32.728 + 0.123   20
 3.  Rosberg       Williams-Toyota      (B)  1:32.906 + 0.301   18
 4.  Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes     (B)  1:32.975 + 0.370   16
 5.  Raikkonen     Ferrari              (B)  1:32.986 + 0.381   18
 6.  Piquet        Renault              (B)  1:33.176 + 0.571   19
 7.  Kubica        BMW Sauber           (B)  1:33.195 + 0.590   13
 8.  Nakajima      Williams-Toyota      (B)  1:33.302 + 0.697   17
 9.  Trulli        Toyota               (B)  1:33.397 + 0.792   19
10.  Heidfeld      BMW Sauber           (B)  1:33.415 + 0.810   14
11.  Vettel        Red Bull-Renault     (B)  1:33.443 + 0.838   16
12.  Kovalainen    McLaren-Mercedes     (B)  1:33.478 + 0.873   12
13.  Alonso        Renault              (B)  1:33.482 + 0.877   13
14.  Sutil         Force India-Mercedes (B)  1:33.534 + 0.929   17
15.  Button        Brawn GP-Mercedes    (B)  1:33.586 + 0.981   17
16.  Barrichello   Brawn GP-Mercedes    (B)  1:33.686 + 1.081   17
17.  Buemi         Toro Rosso-Ferrari   (B)  1:33.720 + 1.115   15
18.  Webber        Red Bull-Renault     (B)  1:33.726 + 1.121   14
19.  Fisichella    Force India-Mercedes (B)  1:33.962 + 1.357   15
20.  Bourdais      Toro Rosso-Ferrari   (B)  1:34.990 + 2.385    7

I don't agree with the stance the BBC took about Sutil. Yes, a penalty should be given nonetheless, but I don't think there was intent as they suggest. From watching the footage, to me, it looks like Sutil has gone to move out of Webber's way only for Webber to head in the same direction thinking Sutil was going to stay on line.

So no DC/EJ, there wasn't an intent to block as you say, but the penalty should still be handed out because, at the end of the day, a block is a block, intentional or not.

A brilliant but unsurprising performance by Toyota there.. pre-season indications had them as probably the second fastest team, but they were clearly faster than both Brawn and Red Bull today. The huge gap does indicate that they are probably quite light on fuel. If not, then they'll walk away with victory. Ferrari finally back in the top 10, and Hamilton getting the most out of an improving McLaren were the other stories of the day. But where could Webber have been if he wasn't blocked?

I don't agree with the stance the BBC took about Sutil. Yes, a penalty should be given nonetheless, but I don't think there was intent as they suggest. From watching the footage, to me, it looks like Sutil has gone to move out of Webber's way only for Webber to head in the same direction thinking Sutil was going to stay on line.

So no DC/EJ, there wasn't an intent to block as you say, but the penalty should still be handed out because, at the end of the day, a block is a block, intentional or not.

Redders1989

It looked that way, but Sutil said himself in that interview that he thought Webber wasn't on a fast lap, and so was trying to defend his position. A mistake, but it was the team's fault if they didn't tell him Webber was on a fast lap. Sutil wasn't to blame for not knowing, if he wasn't told.

Looks like more sponsorship money coming in for Brawn GP from Virgin

Weights:

Pos Driver Team Weight (kg)
1. Trulli Toyota 648.5
2. Glock Toyota 643.0
3. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 659.0
4. Button Brawn-Mercedes 652.5
5. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 652.5
6. Barrichello Brawn-Mercedes 649.0
7. Alonso Renault 650.5
8. Massa Ferrari 664.5
9. Rosberg Williams-Toyota 670.5
10. Raikkonen Ferrari 671.5
11. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 678.5
12. Nakajima Williams-Toyota 680.9
13. Kubica BMW-Sauber 698.6
14. Heidfeld BMW-Sauber 696.3
15. Piquet Renault 677.6
16. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 679.0
17. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 678.5
18. Fisichella Force India-Mercedes 652.0
19. Webber Red Bull-Renault 656.0
20. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari 667.5

SOURCE: Autosport.com

SUTIL HANDED THREE PLACE GRID PENALTY

Adrian Sutil has been handed a three-place grid penalty for impeding Mark Webber during qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix.

The Force India driver had qualified in 16th position, but will now start from 19th after he spoilt Webber's final run in Q1.

The Red Bull Racing driver was knocked out in the first session after the incident.

"I just tried to stay in my position to get a clear start to the lap. It was a misunderstanding and I apologised to Mark after the end of the session," said Sutil.

SOURCE: Autosport

Vettel's looking handy being heavier than most cars in the top 10. If he survives the 1st corner I'd say the race is probably his.  If Renault are running KERS Alonso may have a chance off the line to hassle Barrichello and Hamilton (Although Hamilton will just hit the KERS as well and take Button.)

What is it with all the pink ?mjk1

Eddie's too much of a man to wear pink :lol:

...just as I say that, I hear Hamilton saying he doesn't have the buzz and excitement of being in F1 anymore after all the politics.

Ecclestone looking pretty sharp in red. Tee he he. Who is the guy talking to Coulthard and Jordan on the Beeb's broadcast?XSamFisherX

Jake Humphrey - he's the anchorman for the Beeb.

Heh, McLaren think they're fighting Trulli for 3rd... sound familiar? :lol:

I think that was a bit of a surprise really, considering the Brawn's pace all weekend compared to other teams. Jenson absolutely nailed it, a perfect race really.

No twilight race, no rain, no sandstorm... Formula One is FINALLY going to have its first normal race of the season!Redders1989

LOL that's what I said when the race was finished. Ya Brawn wasn't on top all weekend but they were when it mattered in the race. I almost knew when Toyota went to the hard compound for the 2nd stint I was like well they are done, for the victory. I am curious to hear about why their decision to go to the hard

And WOOHOO! Ferrari finally scored some points :lol:

I thought we were about to see the first race in ages where all the cars finished, though Nakajima retired about 9 laps before the end. Out of interest when was the last time every car finished a race? (or is that more suited to the F1 quiz thread!)

Enjoyed watching this race, and nice to see a race in good weather with no safety cars.