Bahrain 2007
FELIPE MASSA TOOK ANOTHER SUPERB POLE POSITION AND SEEMED DETERMINED TO MAKE UP FOR HIS DISAPPOINTING START TO THE SEASON AS THE CARS LINED UP FOR THE GRID. THE RACE WAS DESTINED TO BE FOUGHT OUT BETWEEN THE SAME FOUR DRIVERS WHO HAVE DOMINATED THE SEASON SO FAR. LEWIS HAMILTON ACHIEVED HIS FIRST FRONT ROW START AHEAD OF KIMI RAIKKONEN AND FERNANDO ALONSO. HE WAS ALSO ON COURSE TO SET A NEW RECORD FOR THE MOST SUCCESSFUL START TO A CAREER IN F1 - ALL HE HAD TO DO WAS FINISH ON THE PODIUM! THIS HE DULY DID, HAVING PUT UP A DECENT FIGHT WITH FELIPE IN THE FIRST AND LAST STINTS BUT MCLAREN'S TYRE STRATEGY HAMPERED BOTH THEIR DRIVERS IN THE MIDDLE STINT. KIMI TOOK A SAFE 3RD PLACE BUT FERNANDO WAS OVERTAKEN BY NICK HEIDFELD, WHOSE FINE DRIVE EARNED HIM HIS THIRD FOURTH PLACE OUT OF THREE RACES, LEAVING FERNANDO IN 5TH. SO LEWIS'S THREE STRAIGHT PODIUM PLACES IN THE FIRST THREE RACES OF HIS F1 CAREER SETS HIM APART FROM ALL OTHER F1 DRIVERS AS THE MOST SUCCESSFUL NEW F1 DRIVER EVER. HOWEVER, WITHOUT WISHING TO TAKE ANYTHING AWAY FROM HIS ACHIEVEMENT, WHICH IS WELL-DESERVED AND THE RESULT OF MANY YEARS DEDICATED PREPARATION, IT MUST BE REMEMBERED (BUT NEVER SEEMS TO BE MENTIONED IN ALL THE CURRENT ADULATION) THAT LEWIS HAS EMERGED INTO THE MCLAREN TEAM AT THE MOST PROPITIOUS TIME. THEY CURRENTLY HAVE ONE OF THE TWO BEST CARS ON THE GRID IN TERMS OF SPEED AND RELIABILITY. HOW MANY OF ALL THE OTHER ROOKIE F1 DRIVERS OVER THE YEARS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO START OFF THEIR CAREER IN SUCH A CAR? ROOKIE DRIVERS INVARIABLY START WITH THE LEAST, NOT THE MOST, SUCCESSFUL TEAMS AND HAVE TO WORK THEIR WAY UP - POTENTIAL CHAMPIONS GET TO THE TOP TEAMS QUICKER THAN OTHER DRIVERS BUT THEY DON'T START THERE. TAKE MICHAEL SCHUMACHER AND FERNANDO ALONSO AS EXAMPLES - THEY STARTED WITH JORDAN AND MINARDI RESPECTIVELY. FOR INSTANCE, LEWIS WOULD NOT HAVE ACHIEVED THIS RECORD HAD HE GOT THE MCLAREN DRIVE LAST YEAR! SO LET'S KEEP A DOWN-TO-EARTH PERSPECTIVE ON LEWIS, WISH HIM WELL AND THEN SEE HOW THE REST OF THE SEASON PANS OUT.
STARTING GRID
| |
| 1.
|
Felipe Massa
|
| 2.
|
Lewis Hamilton
|
| 3.
|
Kimi Raikkonen
|
| 4.
|
Fernando Alonso
|
| 5.
|
Nick Heidfeld
|
| 6.
|
Robert Kubica
|
| 7.
|
Giancarlo Fisichella
|
| 8.
|
Mark Webber
|
| 9.
|
Jarno Trulli
|
| 10.
|
Nico Rosberg
|
| 11.
|
Alexander Wurz
|
| 12.
|
Heikki Kovalainen
|
| 13.
|
Anthony Davidson
|
| 14.
|
Ralph Schumacher
|
| 15.
|
Rubens Barrichello
|
| 16.
|
Jenson Button
|
| 17.
|
Takuma Sato
|
| 18.
|
Vitantonio Liuzzi
|
| 19.
|
Scott Speed
|
| 20.
|
Aidrian Sutil
|
| 21.
|
David Coulthard
|
| 22.
|
Christijan Albers
|
RESULT
| |
| 1.
|
Felipe Massa
|
| 2.
|
Lewis Hamilton
|
| 3.
|
Kimi Raikkonen
|
| 4.
|
Nick Heidfeld
|
| 5.
|
Fernando Alonso
|
| 6.
|
Robert Kubica
|
| 7.
|
Jarno Trulli
|
| 8.
|
Giancarlo Fisichella
|
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Drivers :
| |
| Fernando Alonso
|
22
|
| =Kimi Raikkonen
|
22
|
| =Lewis Hamilton
|
22
|
| Felipe Massa
|
17
|
| Nick Heidfeld
|
15
|
| Giancarlo Fisichella
|
8
|
| Jarno Trulli
|
4
|
| Robert Kubica
|
3
|
Constructors :
|
| McLaren
|
44
|
| Ferrari
|
39
|
| BMW
|
18
|
|
| Renault
|
9
|
| Toyota
|
5
|
| Williams
|
2
|
| Red Bull Racing
|
0
|
| Honda
|
0
|
| Super Aguri
|
0
|
| Scuderia Toro Rosso
|
0
|
| Spyker
|
0
|
Race Results posted by
David Little
16th April 2007
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