Bahrain 2008
ANOTHER FERRARI-DOMINATED WEEKEND RESULTING IN A 1-2 FINISH IN THE RACE WITH MCLAREN ONLY 5TH AND 14TH. I SAY FERRARI DOMINATED BUT THAT IS NOT QUITE TRUE BECAUSE THEY DID NOT GAIN POLE POSITION IN QUALIFYING - THAT WENT TO ROBERT KUBICA IN THE BMW-SAUBER WHO BECAME THE FIRST-EVER 'POLE ON POLE'.
FELIPE MASSA HAS BEEN UNDER CONSIDERABLE MEDIA AND ITALIAN PRESSURE AFTER MISTAKES IN THE FIRST TWO GRAND PRIX RESULTED IN HIM NOT SCORING ANY POINTS SO FAR THIS SEASON. HOWEVER, THIS IS ONE OF HIS FAVOURITE TRACKS - HE WON HERE FROM POLE LAST YEAR AND HE WAS KEEN TO GET HIS SEASON GOING WITH A GOOD RESULT AGAIN. HE ALMOST GOT POLE POSITION BUT FOR YOU KNOW WHO! IN THE RACE HE WAS ONLY HEADED FOR THE FIRST FEW METRES OFF THE LINE AS HE GOT AHEAD OF ROBERT ON THE RUN DOWN TO THE FIRST TURN AND THAT WAS THAT. HE WAS NEVER HEADED AGAIN AND TOOK A FINE VICTORY FROM KIMI RAIKKONEN IN THE SISTER CAR. ROBERT FINISHED THIRD TO MAKE ANOTHER PODIUM APPEARANCE. NICK HEIDFELD FINISHED FOURTH AND THAT MEANT BMW-SAUBER NOW LEADS THE CONSTRUCTORS' TITLE RACE.
SO WHAT HAPPENED TO THE TWO MCLARENS OF LEWIS HAMILTON AND HEIKKI KOVALAINEN? THEY WERE 3RD AND 5TH ON THE GRID RESPECTIVELY BUT HAD NEVER REALLY LOOKED ON SONG. IT COULD HAVE BEEN A TOTAL DISASTER AT THE START WHEN LEWIS ALMOST STALLED AS THE LIGHTS WENT OUT BUT, FORTUNATELY, HEIKKI WAS ALERT ENOUGH TO AVOID THE ALMOST STATIONARY CAR AHEAD OF HIM AND WENT ON TO FINISH 5TH.
HAMILTON NEVER RECOVERED. HIS TASK WAS MADE IMPOSSIBLE WHEN 2 OR 3 LAPS INTO THE RACE HE ACCELERATED OUT OF A CORNER CLOSE BEHIND FERNANDO ALONSO, WHO APPEARED TO HAVE DIFFICULTY MATCHING THE MCLAREN'S PACE, RESULTING IN LEWIS HITTING THE BACK OF THE RENAULT, LOSING THE FRONT WING OFF HIS CAR. THE RENAULT'S LACK OF ACCELERATION APPEARED TO BE VERY ODD LEADING TO SPECULATION THAT IT HAD BEEN DELIBERATE BUT MCLAREN HAVE CHOSEN NOT TO PROTEST, WHICH WOULD HAVE CAUSED THE STEWARDS TO EXAMINE THE TELEMETRY TO CLEAR UP THE CIRCUMSTANCES, AND I THINK THAT THIS WAS A WISE DECISION IN VIEW OF LAST YEAR'S HISTORY.
JENSON BUTTON IN THE HONDA HAD A GOOD WEEKEND IN THAT HE QUALIFIED IN 9TH AND WAS GOING WELL IN THE RACE, EVEN AFTER A PUNCTURE EARLY ON, UNTIL A MISUNDERSTANDING WITH DAVID COULTHARD AS JENSON DIVED UP THE INSIDE OF THE RED BULL CAR LED TO JENSON RETIRING. DAVID HAD BEEN SIMILARLY AFFLICTED WITH A PUNCTURE FROM THE SAME EARLIER INCIDENT.
STARTING GRID
| | | |
| 1.
|
Robert Kubica
|
| 2.
|
Felipe Massa
|
| 3.
|
Lewis Hamilton
|
| 4.
|
Kimi Raikkonen
|
| 5.
|
Heikki Kovalainen
|
| 6.
|
Nick Heidfeld
|
| 7.
|
Jarno Trulli
|
| 8.
|
Nico Rosberg
|
| 9.
|
Jenson Button
|
| 10.
|
Fernando Alonso
|
| 11.
|
Mark Webber
|
| 12.
|
Rubens Barrichello
|
| 13.
|
Timo Glock
|
| 14.
|
Nelson Piquet
|
| 15.
|
Sebastien Bourdais
|
| 16.
|
Kazuki Nakajima
|
| 17.
|
David Coulthard
|
| 18.
|
Giancarlo Fisichella
|
| 19.
|
Sebastian Vettel
|
| 20.
|
Aidrian Sutil
|
| 21.
|
Anthony Davidson
|
| 22.
|
Takuma Sato
|
RESULT
| |
| 1.
|
Felipe Massa
|
| 2.
|
Kimi Raikkonen
|
| 3.
|
Robert Kubica
|
| 4.
|
Nick Heidfeld
|
| 5.
|
Heikki Kovalainen
|
| 6.
|
Jarno Trulli
|
| 7.
|
Mark Webber
|
| 8.
|
Nico Rosberg
|
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Drivers :
| |
| Kimi Raikkonen
|
19
|
| Nick Heidfeld
|
16
|
| Lewis Hamilton
|
14
|
| =Robert Kubica
|
14
|
| =Heikki Kovalainen
|
14
|
| Felipe Massa
|
10
|
| Jarno Trulli
|
8
|
| Nico Rosberg
|
7
|
Constructors :
|
| BMW
|
30
|
| Ferrari
|
29
|
| McLaren
|
28
|
| Williams
|
10
|
| Toyota
|
8
|
| Renault
|
6
|
| Red Bull Racing
|
4
|
| Scuderia Testa Rosso
|
2
|
| Honda
|
0
|
| Force India
|
0
|
| Super Aguri
|
0
|
Race Results posted by
David Little
7th April 2008
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