Grand Prix Special, Bahrain – Practice, Full Results

F1

For the first time I decided to watch the two practice sessions on the ITV site with their ‘live feed’. This was, without a doubt, my worst Formula 1 viewing session ever. The fact that there isn’t any commentary is brilliant. An hour and a half of unrelenting, unmolested noise is wonderful.

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However, as soon as it lulls you into a V8-induced slumber the sound is taken over by what can only be described as ET on speed. The picture then decides to pack up its bags and go home, leaving you in a suspended state, watching… well… nothing. Everyone in the office thought that I had finally lost the plot and was lost in a photo of the F1 ITV logo.

At first I thought it was something our end but with the latest Macs, this is utter rubbish. I understand that a ‘live stream’ is never going to be perfect but this was an utter waste of time. Raikkonen lost it at one point, and someone else did but I can’t for the life of me tell you who. They were using Bridgestones though. That was what the screen decided to freeze on anyway.

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There is something quite eerie about the Bahrain circuit. There are no landmarks to speak of on track and the tarmac is so wide it looks like the cars have all been bought by Corgi. A fascinating place as Rob Widdows will tell you in the next issue of the magazine.

As for the racing, the Ferraris look like the ones to beat with Massa finishing the second practice nearly a second quicker than his team-mate Raikkonen. However, the Ferrari garage isn’t all sunshine and smiles as Raikkonen lost it in both practice sessions, needing to return to the pits in the first to get sand removed from his car. The dusty nature of the circuit does seem to be causing problems as many drivers were struggling for grip in the opening laps of the first session. If Massa can keep his pace throughout the weekend and stay on track it will certainly silence a few of his critics.

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Hamilton ran well but lost it at turn 7 late in the second practice sending him sideways into the barrier. His car is badly damaged but we have heard that he is fine. As he said on Top Gear, he does occasionally enjoy a “good shunt”.

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The Williams are back on form after Malaysia and the McLarens are biting at the heals of the Ferraris. What will happen in qualifying? Well, as long as everything goes according to plan, I suggest Massa will get pole, with Raikkonen making up the front row. Hamilton may well be able to beat Raikkonen to it but looking at the speed of the Scuderia’s cars he will have to carry much less fuel. Time will tell.

The rest? Well, the Toyotas don’t seem to be as fast here as they were in Malaysia. And five teams have finished with times that put their drivers next to each other on the time sheets. You may well ask; how much difference does the driver make? Quite a bit I think and that’s why I am sure that Kimi is going to push Massa all the way, even if his time sheet does look as good as the Brazilian’s so far.

Practice 1

Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps
1. Massa Ferrari 1:32.233 20
2. Raikkonen Ferrari 1:32.350 +0.117 15
3. Rosberg Williams 1:32.415 +0.182 23
4. Hamilton McLaren 1:32.705 +0.472 21
5. Kovalainen McLaren 1:32.868 +0.635 20
6. Nakajima Williams 1:33.121 +0.888 24
7. Kubica BMW 1:33.333 +1.100 16
8. Trulli Toyota 1:33.539 +1.306 27
9. Coulthard Red Bull 1:33.788 +1.555 20
10. Alonso Renault 1:33.815 +1.582 19
11. Glock Toyota 1:33.929 +1.696 28
12. Webber Red Bull 1:33.950 +1.717 20
13. Piquet Renault 1:33.981 +1.748 24
14. Heidfeld BMW 1:34.106 +1.873 17
15. Bourdais STR 1:34.235 +2.002 27
16. Vettel STR 1:34.321 +2.088 32
17. Fisichella F India 1:34.892 +2.659 20
18. Button Honda 1:34.915 +2.682 16
19. Barrichello Honda 1:35.174 +2.941 12
20. Sutil F India 1:35.429 +3.196 22
21. Davidson S Aguri 1:36.145 +3.912 6
22. Sato S Aguri 1:36.536 +4.303 6

Practice 2

Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps
1. Massa Ferrari 1:31.420 30
2. Raikkonen Ferrari 1:32.327 +0.907 30
3. Kovalainen McLaren 1:32.752 +1.332 30
4. Hamilton McLaren 1:32.847 +1.427 26
5. Kubica BMW 1:32.915 +1.495 29
6. Rosberg Williams 1:33.022 +1.602 34
7. Coulthard Red Bull 1:33.048 +1.628 27
8. Nakajima Williams 1:33.098 +1.678 33
9. Bourdais STR 1:33.197 +1.777 37
10. Piquet Renault 1:33.247 +1.827 37
11. Button Honda 1:33.710 +2.290 33
12. Alonso Renault 1:33.755 +2.335 26
13. Webber Red Bull 1:33.782 +2.362 34
14. Trulli Toyota 1:33.822 +2.402 38
15. Glock Toyota 1:33.856 +2.436 30
16. Barrichello Honda 1:33.966 +2.546 35
17. Heidfeld BMW 1:34.023 +2.603 36
18. Fisichella F India 1:34.388 +2.968 35
19. Sutil F India 1:34.405 +2.985 34
20. Vettel STR 1:34.787 +3.367 30
21. Sato S Aguri 1:35.288 +3.868 24
22. Davidson S Aguri 1:35.712 4.292 24

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