Bahrain GP Report
March 15th 2010 03:01
The hot, dry conditions at Bahrain didn’t quite set the scene for the heart-stopping thriller many were expecting. However, with the soap opera-esque web of stories over the winter, there was a great deal of interest in all corners of the grid.
Ferrari
Fernando Alonso
Nando’s passionate celebration in parc ferme was proof the Spaniard missed that winning feeling. The double-world champion swept past his teammate at the first corner and never left Vettel’s mirrors right up until the Red Bull’s engine lost power. From there, Ferrari’s newest superstar recruit pulled away to win convincingly by 16 seconds.
Felipe Massa
Given the immense amount of interest elsewhere on the grid, Massa’s return to racing after being clocked in the head with flying spare parts was somewhat muted. He did however qualify and finish second, a very sold start to the season for the plucky Brazilian.
McLaren
Lewis Hamilton
The McLarens and their fancy wing-stalling trickery failed to live up to testing expectations at Bahrain, but Hamilton managed to salvage some dignity by collecting some silverware for the Woking cabinets. Importantly he finished ahead of McLaren’s newest rivals Mercedes, and new teammate, Button.
Jenson Button
While we didn’t hear much moaning over the radio from the defending champion, you can be sure he wasn’t happy. Button failed to match Hamilton’s speed all weekend, and spent the race fighting his McLaren against the turbulent air of the Mercedes duo.
Mercedes
Nico Rosberg
Young Nico happily got on with the job as teammate Schumacher had every man, woman and child in the media industry shadow his every move. Nico, now free of Williams, was the better of the two, producing a faultless drive to 5th.
Michael Schumacher
The return of the king was perhaps not quite as epic a story as Peter Jackson’s 2004 film. Schumi wasn’t slow, but he was never up to speed with Nico and his race was uneventful. But, as far as comebacks go, Schumacher’s can be counted as a success. His neck didn’t fail him, he didn’t crash into a parked car and he refused all offers of a walking stick after completing full distance.
Red Bull
Sebastian Vettel
Had it not been for a dodgy spark plug, Vettel would have claimed a deserved victory. The young German led all the way, keeping a relatively comfy distance over the pursuing Ferraris, but with 20 laps to go, disaster struck and Vettel had to cede a certain victory and limp home 4th in his broken car. Despite the setback, Red Bull have at least demonstrated they have a genuine weapon of a car.
Mark Webber
Had it not been for an uncharacteristic qualifying balls up, Webber could well have been on the podium, perhaps even fighting for victory. But a poor start denied any podium hopes, and a wacky races-style smokescreen caused carnage behind him. Despite having the race pace, the Aussie couldn’t free himself from the turbulent air trap behind Jenson Button’s McLaren and as a result could do no better than 8th. A disappointing weekend.
Force India
Tonio Liuzzi
The man with the most carefully sculpted facial hair quietly crossed the line the best of the rest, with the big four teams locking out the top eight. Liuzzi navigated through the first corner madness and profited with a top ten running position. From there he kept a brisk pace and claimed some cherished points for the team.
Adrian Sutil
A very promising display in practice and qualifying failed to turn a profit when the Force India driver was left facing the wrong way after going through the dreaded first corner midfield spin cycle. But the German marched his way back through the pack and crossed the line a modest 12th, setting the second fasted race lap on his way.
Williams
Rubens Barrichello
The elderly gentleman from Brazil notched one point back for the oldies, completely schooling rookie teammate Nico Hulkenburg on how to conduct a race weekend. Barrichello was easily the quicker of the two, however he would have been hoping for better than 10th place in the race. But, points are points, and Rubens was there to take them.
Nico Hulkenburg
A forgettable debut for the highly-rated German. Outclassed by his 700-year old teammate Barrichello, Hulkenburg struggled with full tanks and finicky tyres. He almost ended his race early with a self-inflicted tank-slapper at turn six, but recovered to finish 14th.
Renault
Robert Kubica
The Renault’s new yellow livery may make the French cars visible from the moons of Jupiter, but they were invisible at Sakhir, hidden well within midfield mediocrity. Kubica qualified strongly, but struggled after being punted in the first corner. The Pole crossed the line in 11th, but was never able lap on par with his nearest rivals.
Vitaly Petrov
The Russian made a solid debut, running on the cusp of the top ten until a rough encounter with a kerb left his suspension in tatters and forced him to retire.
Toro Rosso
Jaime Alguersuari
A promising start for Toro Rosso and young gun, Jaime Alguersuari, finishing 13th, but setting top 8 lap times along the way. Poor qualifying proved to be the Italian outfit’s weakness, but the signs are good that the STRs run well with heavy fuel loads and are kind to their tyres.
Sebastien Buemi
The Swissman seemed to select reverse gear at the start, but clawed his way back with a one-stop strategy. Was bunched with his teammate by the end of the race, but with three laps to go, his car suffered an apparent stroke and stopped without warning.
Lotus
Heikki Kovalainen
Unlike the other new teams, Lotus managed to get both cars to the finish, with Heikki enjoying a trouble-free run from start to finish. Despite being way off the pace, the Finn completed the team’s goal of finishing and not crashing into anything expensive.
Jarno Trulli
Jarno was able to wring more from his car over the weekend, but a hydraulics failure in the race left him limping home to the finish in dead last. But despite bringing up the rear, Lotus gave themselves a pat on the back for bringing a car that can last (almost) full distance in the heat of the Bahraini desert.
Sauber
Pedro de la Rosa
An unsavoury return to the office for Peter Sauber – with a double DNF in the season opener. De la Rosa, racing full time for the first time in eight years, couldn’t rekindle the winter testing pace that raised eyebrows, and instead bowed out with a hydraulics glitch.
Kamui Kobayashi
The exciting Japanese newcomer made a lightning start – passing four cars on the first lap. But from there his car decided to conspire against him, firstly with a flat spot on the tyre. Then the power steering deserted him and finally a hydraulics issue killed the Sauber and any chance of points once and for all.
Virgin
Timo Glock
Glock left some faces at Lotus a little rosy with embarrassment after he planted his all-CFD Virgin ahead of them on the grid. But that was to change after a few laps when the Virgin started digesting its own gear cogs. Timo was forced to retire but his pace in qualifying was enough for Virgin to leave Bahrain in high spirits.
Lucas di Grassi
Little to write home about for di Grassi –suffering a forgettable race along with his fellow rookies. He struggled to match Glock’s pace, and the evil hydraulics monster reared its ugly head after only a couple of laps and put the Brazilian youngster in the DNF heap.
HRT
Bruno Senna
With zero prior running, the season opener was essentially HRT’s shakedown. And it showed, with a yawning gap between the HRTs and the rest of the field. Unfortunately it meant the return of the sport’s most evocative name, Senna, was not quite the fairytale some would have liked. Ayrton’s nephew strolled about learning the car, before the car inexplicably expired.
Karun Chandhok
Having completed less than a handful of laps on the circuit, the Indian rookie was never going to turn heads. The car was slower than continental drift and unfamiliarity with track meant Karun found a bump that was kind enough to put him out of his misery.
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