Bahrain 2009

FOR ONCE, THERE WAS A HIGH POSSIBILITY THAT THIS WOULD BE A DRY RACE, AFTER TWO DRENCHINGS IN SEPANG AND SHANGHAI, AND ALSO ONE WITHOUT SAFETY CARS, APPARENTLY NO SAFETY CARS HAVE BEEN CALLED OUT IN THE SHORT HISTORY OF THE CIRCUIT, THE FIRST FORMULA ONE RACE BEING IN 2004.

HOWEVER, THE DOWNSIDE WOULD BE THE VERY HIGH TEMPERATURES - AIR TEMPERATURE AROUND 38ºC AND TRACK TEMPERATURE APPROXIMATELY 47ºC - THIS WOULD PUT EVEN GREATER STRESS ON BRAKES THAN THIS HIGH BRAKING TRACK USUALLY DEMANDS AND ALSO ON ENGINES.

BRAWN GP FELT PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE ON THE ENGINE COOLING FRONT BECAUSE OF THE RUSH TO REPLACE THE ORIGINAL HONDA ENGINE, AROUND WHICH THE BODY HAD BEEN DESIGNED, WITH THE CUSTOMER MCLAREN ENGINE. THEY FELT THAT THEIR IMPROVISED DESIGN MAY NOT BE OPTIMUM.

CERTAINLY, IN QUALIFYING THEY COULD ONLY RISK ONE 'HOT' LAP AND THEN HAD TO FOLLOW THIS WITH A SLOW LAP TO COOL THE ENGINE BEFORE THE NEXT 'HOT' LAP. NOT THE BEST STRATEGY. NEVERTHELESS, JENSON BUTTON SECURED 4TH ON THE GRID WITH RUBENS BARRICHELLO 6TH. TOYOTA SECURED THEIR FIRST FRONT ROW LOCKOUT WITH JARNO TRULLI ON POLE AND TIMO GLOCK 2ND. THERE WERE HIGH EXPECTATIONS THAT THEY MAY COME AWAY WITH THEIR FIRST VICTORY.

THERE WAS ALSO A TYRE ISSUE HERE. THE F.I.A. NOW STIPULATE THAT THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SOFTER AND HARDER TYRES, FOR ANY CIRCUIT, OF 2 GRADES OF COMPOUND RATHER THAN JUST ONE STEP UP FROM 'SOFT' TO 'HARDER'. IRONICALLY, GIVEN THE TEMPERATURES HERE, ALL THE TEAMS WERE COMPLAINING THAT THEY COULD NOT GET SUFFICIENT HEAT INTO THE HARDER COMPOUND TYRE TO REACH THEIR OPTIMUM OPERATING 'WINDOW'.

THE RESULT WAS THAT THEY COULD NOT GET ENOUGH GRIP TO PUT IN QUICK LAPS ON THE HARDER TYRE. BUT EVERY TEAM HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AND HAD TO DEVISE A SOLUTION. THIS WAS EXACTLY WHY THE F.I.A. MADE THE STIPULATION - TO INCREASE UNCERTAINTY AND THUS MAKE THE RACING MORE EXCITING.

LEWIS HAMILTON IS ALWAYS 'ELECTRIC' OFF THE START AND FROM 5TH ON THE GRID HE WAS CHALLENGING FOR THE LEAD BEFORE MANY CORNERS HAD GONE BY. BUT JENSON BUTTON IS NO SLOUCH EITHER AND, AFTER ONLY A MODERATE START, HE WAS ON LEWIS'S TAIL AS THEY COMPLETED THE FIRST LAP AND THEN, DESPITE HAMILTON'S K.E.R.S. EXTRA BOOST DOWN TO TURN 1, JENSON SLIPSTREAMED HIM, THEN OUT-BRAKED HIM ON THE APPROACH AND GOT BY HIM ON THE INSIDE AT THE APEX. THAT WAS THE MOVE THAT EVENTUALLY GAVE JENSON HIS THIRD WIN IN FOUR RACES.

UNFORTUNATELY FOR THE TOYOTA'S, THEIR STINTS ON THE HARDER TYRES HURT THEIR LAP TIMES BUT JARNO MANAGED 3RD JUST BEHIND SEBASTIEN VETTEL WHO SHOWED THAT HE IS AS QUICK IN THE DRY AS HE HAS PROVED TO BE IN THE WET.

SO NOW TO BARCELONA IN TWO WEEKS TIME WHEN ALL THE TEAMS ARE PROMISING NEW AND IMPROVED AERO PACKAGES. IT CAN'T COME TOO SOON FOR FERRARI ALTHOUGH AT LEAST THEY SCORED POINTS TODAY WITH KIMI RAIKKONEN - FELIPE MASSA HAD ALL SORTS OF PROBLEMS RANGING FROM HIS K.E.R.S. PACKAGE NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY TO HIS TELEMETRY SUFFERING SIMILARLY.

Race Results posted by
David Little
27th April 2009

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