2005 Bahrain GP

[sameerrao]

The circuit
Another relatively flat circuit designed by Hermann Tilke like Shanghai, Hockenheim (redesign) and Sepang.

The circuit is quite wide and promotes a lot of overtaking -particularly in turns 1,4,14.

The last turn in the circuit Isee here(http://www.formula1.com/race/circuitmap/734.html) is a tricky corner to get right and drivers frequently overdo it like JPM last year and Villeneuve in the 2005 Qually 1 sessions.

The circuit is a medium speed circuit with high temperatures and is tough on brakes due to long straights and tight hairpins.

As there is a lot of sand being blown onto the track, all teams develop unique air filters and other mechanisms to protect the cars from the dust.

Aerial View
http://www.itv-f1.com/ImageLibrary/20170_2.jpg

2004 Pole Position - Michael Schumacher - 1m30.252s
2004 Winner - Michael Schumacher

2005 Race preview and talking points

- The big news is that Ferrari is debuting the 2005 spec car. It seems to run in the top 5 comfortably but is certainly not the class of the field like the F2004 was in its first race.

- Will Toyota and Red Bull continue to rake in the points now that Ferrari is back

- Will Villeneuve finally put in a decent performance

- Will Alonso win again. He is proving to be utterly dominant this season. Has Fisichella finally met his match?

- Will the BAR Hondas finish the race?

- How would the latest Bridgestones hold out in the race?

2005 Qualifying session
Results -->http://www.formula1.com/race/result/734/19.html
Press conference --> http://www.formula1.com/race/news/2801/734.html
Driver quotes --> http://www.formula1.com/race/news/2800/734.html

Q1 Times:
P. No Driver Team - Engine Tyres Times Ave/Gaps
1. 5 ALONSO Renault M 1'29"848 217.047 Km/h
2. 16 TRULLI Toyota M 1'29"993 + 0'00"145
3. 1 M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari B 1'30"237 + 0'00"389
4. 8 HEIDFELD Williams BMW M 1'30"390 + 0'00"542
5. 6 FISICHELLA Renault M 1'30"445 + 0'00"597
6. 7 WEBBER Williams BMW M 1'30"592 + 0'00"744
7. 9 RAIKKONEN McLaren Mercedes M 1'30"594 + 0'00"746
8. 15 KLIEN RedBull Cosworth M 1'30"646 + 0'00"798
9. 10 DE LA ROSA McLaren Mercedes M 1'30"725 + 0'00"877
10. 12 MASSA Sauber Petronas M 1'30"933 + 0'01"085
11. 17 R.SCHUMACHER Toyota M 1'30"952 + 0'01"104
12. 3 BUTTON BAR Honda M 1'30"957 + 0'01"109
13. 4 SATO BAR Honda M 1'31"113 + 0'01"265
14. 14 COULTHARD RedBull Cosworth M 1'31"211 + 0'01"363
15. 2 BARRICHELLO Ferrari B 1'31"826 + 0'01"978
16. 11 VILLENEUVE Sauber Petronas M 1'32"318 + 0'02"470
17. 19 KARTHIKEYAN Jordan Toyota B 1'33"190 + 0'03"342
18. 18 MONTEIRO Jordan Toyota B 1'33"424 + 0'03"576
19. 21 ALBERS Minardi Cosworth B 1'34"005 + 0'04"157
20. 20 FRIESACHER Minardi Cosworth B 1'34"848 + 0'05"000

Sunday Qualifying times
2005 Bahrain Grand Prix
Pos No Driver Team Laps Time/Retired
1 5 Fernando Alonso Renault 3:01.902
2 1 Michael Schumacher Ferrari 3:02.357
3 16 Jarno Trulli Toyota 3:02.660
4 8 Nick Heidfeld Williams-BMW 3:03.217
5 7 Mark Webber Williams-BMW 3:03.262
6 17 Ralf Schumacher Toyota 3:03.271
7 15 Christian Klien Red Bull Racing 3:03.369
8 10 Pedro de la Rosa McLaren-Mercedes 3:03.373
9 9 Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes 3:03.524
10 6 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 3:03.765
11 3 Jenson Button BAR-Honda 3:04.348
12 12 Felipe Massa Sauber-Petronas 3:05.202
13 4 Takuma Sato BAR-Honda 3:05.563
14 14 David Coulthard Red Bull Racing 3:05.844
15 2 Rubens Barrichello Ferrari 3:07.693
16 11 Jacques Villeneuve Sauber-Petronas 3:07.983
17 18 Tiago Monteiro Jordan-Toyota 3:09.428
18 19 Narain Karthikeyan Jordan-Toyota 3:10.143
19 21 Christijan Albers Minardi-Cosworth 3:10.422
20 20 Patrick Friesacher Minardi-Cosworth 3:11.261

[5vz-fe]

Q1 Times:

P. No Driver Team - Engine Tyres Times Ave/Gaps
1. 5 ALONSO Renault M 1'29"848 217.047 Km/h
2. 16 TRULLI Toyota M 1'29"993 + 0'00"145
3. 1 M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari B 1'30"237 + 0'00"389
4. 8 HEIDFELD Williams BMW M 1'30"390 + 0'00"542
5. 6 FISICHELLA Renault M 1'30"445 + 0'00"597
6. 7 WEBBER Williams BMW M 1'30"592 + 0'00"744
7. 9 RAIKKONEN McLaren Mercedes M 1'30"594 + 0'00"746
8. 15 KLIEN RedBull Cosworth M 1'30"646 + 0'00"798
9. 10 DE LA ROSA McLaren Mercedes M 1'30"725 + 0'00"877
10. 12 MASSA Sauber Petronas M 1'30"933 + 0'01"085
11. 17 R.SCHUMACHER Toyota M 1'30"952 + 0'01"104
12. 3 BUTTON BAR Honda M 1'30"957 + 0'01"109
13. 4 SATO BAR Honda M 1'31"113 + 0'01"265
14. 14 COULTHARD RedBull Cosworth M 1'31"211 + 0'01"363
15. 2 BARRICHELLO Ferrari B 1'31"826 + 0'01"978
16. 11 VILLENEUVE Sauber Petronas M 1'32"318 + 0'02"470
17. 19 KARTHIKEYAN Jordan Toyota B 1'33"190 + 0'03"342
18. 18 MONTEIRO Jordan Toyota B 1'33"424 + 0'03"576
19. 21 ALBERS Minardi Cosworth B 1'34"005 + 0'04"157
20. 20 FRIESACHER Minardi Cosworth B 1'34"848 + 0'05"000

[Toronto]

thanks guys, I have been working (again :( )
new Ferrari time to prove to the world MS is the best driver in F1 right now :D

[styla21]

Guys this race starts at Midnight my time. I remember Jabba saying after the Melbourne GP that he would try to record the races for the season, and put them up. I tried searching for that topic specifically but couldn't find anything. Do you know if the Bahrain GP will be put up also? Could somebody please point me in the direction of that topic? I'm most grateful.
Oh yea, Webber will take this one out :wink:

[HeilSvenska]

Hahahaha I just read that Montoya couldn't drive this race because he hurt himself playing tennis.

[antonioledesma]

http://img14.imgspot.com/u/05/92/03/bahqual.JPG


go Alonso!!!!

[sameerrao]

What happened to Fisichella - he went backwards from 5th to 10th.

Schumi, Klien and Webber all gained a spot from y'day.

Rubens must be running with full tanks - he stays 15th on the grid.

Excellent grid - the top 4 are from 4 different teams - should be interesting race to watch.

[5vz-fe]

.....Not good, Michael out............I guess its a bad idea to bring the new car out so quickly after all

[styla21]

Bummer - Heidfeld out too :(

Williams team update:
http://img229.exs.cx/img229/1710/update9ud.jpg (http://www.imageshack.us)
Webbers in 3rd :D .. Do you think the heat / dust combo is affecting the cars significantly?

[mindgam3]

Very good race, another one to go along with the previous two - looks like its gonna be an amazing season....

McLarens looked stupidly fast - if de la Rosa only knew how to over take he'd gain another couple of positions easily.

Williams looked strong but unfortunate

Renault's looked good but not quite as fast as previous races - still slaughtered the opposition - pity about their failure though.

Gascoigne at Toyota has done an unbelievable job, stunning run from both of their drivers.

Red bull were no where

BAR looked slow as per usual lets hope their new front wing will fix things up. They're brakes didnt reallylike the heat

As ferrari - the reason they were delaying the F2005 was to make sure they had completed and tested their gearbox - obviously bringing it in this early hurt them hard.

Good race, look forward to the next one

[|Nuno|]

http://img90.exs.cx/img90/8035/jw8wl.th.jpg (http://img90.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img90&image=jw8wl.jpg)

[5vz-fe]

Red bull were no where


Well 1 for Red Bull 0 for Ferrari....that said something about Ferrari's work this season so far.

[|Nuno|]

FASTEST LAPS:


Pos No Driver Team Lap Time Of Day Average Speed Time

1:: 10 Pedro de la Rosa McLaren-Mercedes 43 15:41:55 213.054 1:31.447

2:: 5 Fernando Alonso Renault 39 15:34:41 212.436 1:31.713

3:: 9 Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes 41 15:38:25 212.184 1:31.822

4:: 16 Jarno Trulli Toyota 41 15:37:59 211.030 1:32.324

5:: 3 Jenson Button BAR-Honda 45 15:45:06 210.832 1:32.411

6:: 17 Ralf Schumacher Toyota 36 15:30:47 210.213 1:32.683

7:: 1 Michael Schumacher Ferrari 7 14:44:45 209.753 1:32.886

8:: 2 Rubens Barrichello Ferrari 23 15:10:08 209.550 1:32.976

9:: 8 Nick Heidfeld Williams-BMW 19 15:03:45 209.372 1:33.055

10:: 7 Mark Webber Williams-BMW 20 15:05:12 209.300 1:33.087

11:: 4 Takuma Sato BAR-Honda 23 15:10:07 209.217 1:33.124

12:: 12 Felipe Massa Sauber-Petronas 40 15:37:25 208.764 1:33.326

13:: 14 David Coulthard Red Bull Racing 42 15:40:51 208.561 1:33.417

14:: 11 Jacques Villeneuve Sauber-Petronas 24 15:11:57 208.470 1:33.458

15:: 18 Tiago Monteiro Jordan-Toyota 18 15:03:12 203.492 1:35.744

16:: 20 Patrick Friesacher Minardi-Cosworth 16 14:59:59 202.040 1:36.432

17:: 21 Christijan Albers Minardi-Cosworth 3 14:39:26 201.038 1:36.913

18:: 6 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 2 14:37:07 200.783 1:37.036

19:: 19 Narain Karthikeyan Jordan-Toyota 2 14:37:11 199.760 1:37.533

[No.1]

didn't see much of the race, but Ferrari are still having a poor start to the season :|

De La Rosa was on fire in the McLaren.... i bet some other teams are thinking about snatching him from his test-driver role.

Renault still going strong, despite Fisi's engine blowout :)

One thing - i didnt realise that they had to keep the same tyres for the whole race. :roll: It was rather amusing watching a mechanic fumbling around trying to line up the nut on the wheel :P

One question - If you get a puncture, or a tyre delaminates, is that a retirement, or can you pit and change them :?:

[|Nuno|]

One question - If you get a puncture, or a tyre delaminates, is that a retirement, or can you pit and change them :?:

You can change, but only the damaged tyre, like Kimi had to do in Malaysia. :wink:

[oantob]

I guess de la rosa really trying hard to prove that he is worth a first class driver... even thou sometimes he try to overtake at wrong condition, maybe some more practice will polish his skills... :fadein:

[mindgam3]

One question - If you get a puncture, or a tyre delaminates, is that a retirement, or can you pit and change them :?:

You can change, but only the damaged tyre, like Kimi had to do in Malaysia. :wink:

And the one to be changed has to have done a certain amount of mileage

[jenkF1]

Good race, but we where robbed from a good winning battle when Schumacher's hydraulics failed. I do rate Alonso, but we never see him under pressure much, especially in the lead. I think this will help us determine whether hes just an amazing driver or a very special amazing driver.

De La Rosa did embarress himself a bit with his racecraft, although he certainly had a blistering pace. I think you can blame hes silly overtaking mistakes partly on frustration with being trapped behind a slow car with a very fast one. That Mercedes looks super-fast in a straight line.

I think although Renault is very strong they will not dominate this season. I feel the Ferrari seems to have reasonable pace (although they must have been on low fuel today) although it looks un-balanced. McLaren I think, once they sort themselves out, will shine with a very promising chassis. Williams need to really shine this season. The door is open they just need a good pace to close the gap to the Renaults. Look forward to the next race....

[mindgam3]

Just a straight line? I think the maccas were superhot everywhere - as soon as pdlr over took cars he was up behind the next one within a few laps

[No.1]

One question - If you get a puncture, or a tyre delaminates, is that a retirement, or can you pit and change them :?:

You can change, but only the damaged tyre, like Kimi had to do in Malaysia. :wink:

And the one to be changed has to have done a certain amount of mileage

Thx for the info :)

[sameerrao]

Personally, I dont see that much difference between last year and this year. All we have is substitution of the roles played by Ferrari and BAR last year with Renault and Toyota.

Last year there was nice bit of dicing and overtaking in the mid-pack. This year seems the same.

What I wish for is more competition upfront. We need the Mclarens to qualify better and Ferrari to get a grip on the 05 car.

Then we will have a cracker of a season!

Kudos to Alonso for putting in a masterful drive. He shows that he can race up the field well (Australia) and control the race from upfront. In race trim he is smooth, fast and utterly consistent. His only weakness last year was over-exuberance during qualifications. This year he has sorted that out as well. Fisichella must be seeing the writing on the wall.

[TransAm]

Bring back the turbos, antilock brakes and tyre changes!

/I'll piss off now, no need to flame me

[dingo]

the race had some exciting parts, but it would have been so much nicer if MS could stay in and challenge Alonso :(
For the second race in a row Webber had a chance at a podium finish but it seems it isn't his time yet - fingers crossed for the next race :D
DLR was impressive while at the same time very rusty, some of his 'moves' were :shock: but you can't doubt his/the cars speed :)
The Toyota's are the real suprise so far - I really didn't expect it even with the new drivers they have :?

[dannyroz]

about 3 weeks for Ferrari to work things out, and 16 more races should be plenty for them to win the championships

I dont think Ferrari is the problem. Yea they had the transmission problem and they will get that fixed by next race Im sure but the biggest problem with that car are the tires. Bridgestone dropped the ball on the tires big time. If you slap some Michelins on the Ferrari then they would be able to contend but since those rules were enforced in 2003(?), Bridgestone better do something quick or else

[ZfrkS62]

DAMMIT!! I missed the race this morning and SPEED pre-empted the encore @ 9:30 for the Barrett Jackson auction in Miami :( hopefully it will be hosted a little later :)

[oantob]

about 3 weeks for Ferrari to work things out, and 16 more races should be plenty for them to win the championships

I dont think Ferrari is the problem. Yea they had the transmission problem and they will get that fixed by next race Im sure but the biggest problem with that car are the tires. Bridgestone dropped the ball on the tires big time. If you slap some Michelins on the Ferrari then they would be able to contend but since those rules were enforced in 2003(?), Bridgestone better do something quick or else

your point is good, but maybe there is one more factor..it's schummy (IMO)...the way he drives is excellent, but compare to barichello...schummy way of driving is pushing the car and the tires to its limit, and he can do it very2 good, especially after changing tires and refulling...but now with the new rules, schummy can't drive like he used to, or the tires would ran out...barichello IMO is a good balanced and steady driver... :wink:

[5vz-fe]

about 3 weeks for Ferrari to work things out, and 16 more races should be plenty for them to win the championships

I dont think Ferrari is the problem. Yea they had the transmission problem and they will get that fixed by next race Im sure but the biggest problem with that car are the tires. Bridgestone dropped the ball on the tires big time. If you slap some Michelins on the Ferrari then they would be able to contend but since those rules were enforced in 2003(?), Bridgestone better do something quick or else

your point is good, but maybe there is one more factor..it's schummy (IMO)...the way he drives is excellent, but compare to barichello...schummy way of driving is pushing the car and the tires to its limit, and he can do it very2 good, especially after changing tires and refulling...but now with the new rules, schummy can't drive like he used to, or the tires would ran out...barichello IMO is a good balanced and steady driver... :wink:

Given that the idea of all the rule changes is to keep Ferrari from dominating, it will not be a surprise they affect schumi the most. I really don't mind having those rule changes, coz they really spice up the race. But it pisses me off that those Renault ppl are just too damn arogant.

[mike_sayer]

Thought the race was another good one, though de la Rosa was ace - he's absolutely mental, and it was entertaining watching him tear-arsing up to the back of people, fannying about for 10 minutes and then going off the circuit. Then repeating.

If the Mclarens can get their qualifying pace up, they're going to be shit hot. Schumi is a little buggered - he most be hoping Alonso has some technical issues in the next few races, because if he wins every race and Alonso comes 2nd, it's going to take him 12 races just to catch. On that point, what do people think of the points system?

[jenkF1]

Okay, the maccas weren't just fast in a straight line. But the car needs to prove a consistent race pace. And quali!

In response to you mike, the points system I feel doesn't reward the winning driver enough, thats my only criticism. 10 points for 1st, 8 for 2nd is annoying. But then again at least it rewards the smaller teams

[styla21]

Following the Bahrain GP, and the debate over tyres - this was just published on the Williams site.
http://img83.exs.cx/img83/1724/tyres0xo.th.jpg (http://img83.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img83&image=tyres0xo.jpg)

I didn't know this topic of "One tyre manufacturer" was actually being debated? Seems rather absurd and personally would take some of the competitiveness, and the enjoyment of watching teams develop out of the sport.
What are your thoughts? :idea: :fadein:

[phantomfocus]

Ronin005 makes a valid point about Michael's setup being on Ruben's car. But if you can remember when schumi pulled into the garage his tires were already showing signifigant wear. Ruben's excessive tire wear in Malaysia can also be attributed to the chunk of rubber that got caught in his wing. This resulted in an extreme oversteering car, hence wearing out the rears. I don't know if it is truly as bad as it may seem, only time will tell. Like you said three weeks is a long time in formula one, Bridgestone is reigning world champs for a reason. They will get their shit togeather.

[phantomfocus]

A lot of series around the world only use one tire manufacturer, epecially here in the states. I personally think it creates tighter more closely fought racing. It might also eliminate the specializing of tires depending on the team. One company makes one tire, and you have to make it work best. I think I like the idea.