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2008 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix
Team Quotes - Sunday 6 April
Second victory and first one-two finish of the season for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, with Felipe Massa first and Kimi Raikkonen second. This is win number 203 from 761 Grands Prix entered by Ferrari, the hundredth under the Presidency of Montezemolo. It was Felipe's sixth career win, the second in a row at this circuit.
Stefano Domenicali: We are very happy about this wonderful one-two finish. After a bad start to the season, we have proved we know how to react with our actions, as usual. We worked well all weekend and the results therefore followed. Now we have to continue down this road, without allowing our absolute concentration to slip for a moment, because in a championship that looks like being very close, it takes almost nothing to lose precious points. Felipe was fantastic and Kimi also did a good job, as did the entire team, here at the track, but above all, those back home, because our success stems from everyone in Maranello. A one-two is the best possible way of celebrating a hundredth victory for Luca di Montezemolo as President of Ferrari. He has always supported us, especially in the most difficult times.
Luca Baldisserri: A great result which proves the worth of the F2008 and of our team. We worked well with the only glitch concerning the working of the lights at the pit stop. Once we had moved into the positions we wanted, we asked the drivers to manage the cars very carefully. There was no need to push, nor to take unnecessary risks. A special thanks to our technical partners, first and foremost Shell. It is also down to the engine oil we have introduced this year that we manage to pull off this sort of performance.
After the first three fly-away races of the season the BMW Sauber F1 Team returns to Europe leading the championship. Robert Kubica, who claimed the first pole position for the team on Saturday, and Nick Heidfeld were third and fourth respectively at the Bahrain Grand Prix. The team celebrated its third consecutive podium and, for the first time in its young history, took the lead in the standings, although the gap is only one point.
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): The third podium in the third race – this was really a tailor made start to the season for our team. Finishing third and fourth in Bahrain with Robert and Nick was a very good result. Our performance gives everybody extra motivation for the coming weeks. Both drivers lost positions at the start, the reason may be technical and must be analysed. Later on both drove excellent races and the pit stops went perfectly. In the end the gap to the Ferraris was really small. The car still has more potential for us to exploit, and we shall continue to do this carefully one step at a time.
Willy Rampf (Technical Director): Basically the race went as expected. We knew we could not match the pace of the Ferrari's here and planned our strategy accordingly. Robert and Nick made the most out of it by finishing in third and fourth. It was pleasing to see that in the end the gap to the front wasn't big, and there was no real pressure from behind. After three podiums in three races, we shall make the most of our strengths in the short break and be really motivated to close the gap even further.
The ING Renault F1 Team endured a challenging Bahrain Grand Prix with Fernando Alonso finishing in 10th position, while team-mate Nelson Piquet retired from the race with a gearbox problem.
After qualifying in 10th and 14th, the team acknowledged that it would be difficult to score points, but remained optimistic of making progress in the race. Both drivers made the most of an eventful first lap to gain positions, but trouble hit on lap two as Fernando sustained damage to the rear of this car and Nelson spun on some oil, dropping down the field.
As the race developed both men showed good commitment, although Fernando was unable to progress further than 10th in the competitive midfield battle. Nelson's progress was halted when he suffered gearbox trouble after his second pit stop, leading to his retirement.
The team now turns its attention to the next round of the season in Barcelona and will look to capitalise on the three-week gap to continue with its development programme.
Flavio Briatore, Managing Director: Fernando's race was compromised at the beginning when he was hit by Hamilton. After that he did all that he could, despite a damaged car. However, we are aware that we must improve our performance level. As for Nelson, he suffered with poor reliability, although he had a good start to the race. This is therefore a weekend to forget as far as we are concerned, and we must continue working hard with our intensive development programme at the next test in Barcelona.
Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering: This hasn't been a satisfactory race for the team, especially in terms of our reliability with Nelson retiring on lap 41 with a gearbox problem, although fortunately we will not incur a penalty at the next race. Fernando's race was difficult as he struggled with a damaged car after an incident with Hamilton early in the race. Our focus now is on the Spanish Grand Prix and the developments coming for the next test in Barcelona. We need to provide a better package for our drivers.
The AT&T Williams team collected a point for its efforts in the Bahrain Grand Prix today with Nico Rosberg finishing on par with his eighth place grid position. Kazuki Nakajima's ambitions were hampered by a start problem and an early spin which demoted him to the back of the field, from where he fought back to 14th but an uneventful race with a high rate of finishers and clean execution of strategies meant there was little opportunity to gain ground. The team demonstrated 100% reliability through all the practice and qualifying sessions, but needs to improve its pace to build from its fourth position in the Championship.
Sam Michael, Technical Director: It's good to come away from the weekend with a point, but clearly we hoped to be fighting for more. On Nico's car, we weren't strong enough in the first stint and we made it difficult for ourselves with our strategy after we didn't qualify well enough. Unfortunately on Kazuki's car, the anti-stall kicked in on the start which dropped him to the back of the field and then he had a spin on the second lap, otherwise he probably should have made more progress on his one-stop strategy. Everything was solid today from a reliability point of view, but we do need to find more performance.
Christian Horner: Mark drove a very strong race today, complimented by good team work, strategically and throughout all the pit stops. After feeling slightly disappointed yesterday to qualify in eleventh place, Mark had a very good recovery to finish a competitive seventh. Unfortunately for David, things haven't gone his way this weekend. He got caught up in a first corner incident that damaged his car quite badly and compromised the rest of his race. Other than that his car ran reliably. We've now got a busy couple of weeks including a test, and the team will be working hard to try and close the gap to the car's ahead.
Fabrice Lom, Renault Principal Engineer, Track Support: It was a good result. The car was much better during the race than in qualifying, as we expected. Mark did a good job and got two points, but it was a shame for David as an accident damaged his car, which meant he was unable to prove his pace. We were one of the best of the tight middle group today and we will work hard to catch our opponents ahead.
Tadashi Yamashina - Team Principal: "Both our drivers both did an excellent job today. I'm delighted that Jarno took three points and Timo completed the race so strongly. Going into today our main aim was to get away well from the line so it was good to see Jarno gain some places into the first corner. Then he raced hard all afternoon, the pit work was good and the race strategy was perfect on both cars. Timo also did a wonderful job today and he was very fast. Unfortunately we had a minor gearbox problem after his first stop and we were forced to put him on a back-up strategy. It's something we can fix for the next race but it cost him a well-deserved point. Still, we can now be confident heading to Barcelona. Jarno has again finished in the points and Timo will gain confidence from this performance."
Franz Tost: Vettel got off the line well, but then had a collision at Turn 4 on the opening lap which meant his race was over. Bourdais drove a solid race, putting up quite a good performance. But when those ahead of us all finish we could not expect more. The team did a good job in that the car made it to the flag. The Spanish Grand Prix will be a tough weekend for us, but we are looking forward to testing our new car at the Barcelona test and then racing it in Istanbul.
After a promising performance in qualifying, the Honda Racing F1 Team's race today was rather more frustrating. Rubens Barrichello brought his RA108 home in 11th position whilst Jenson Button was forced to retire at one-third distance.
Rubens ran in 12th position for the opening stint of the race. He was held behind Fisichella for a substantial distance and had to wait until the first pitstops to make his move. They pitted on the same lap and the Honda pit crew did a fantastic job to get Rubens out ahead. He made his second pitstop on lap 42 and went on to finish just 0.6s behind Alonso in 11th place after following Alonso very closely for 15 laps.
At the start, Jenson gained one position to be eighth, but his hopes of a competitive finish ended at turn five of the opening lap where he sustained a puncture to his right rear tyre. He was forced to pit and he rejoined the race in 20th position. Jenson was lapping very competitively before he clashed with Coulthard on lap 19. Jenson pitted initially for a new nose, before retiring two laps later with extensive damage to the rear end of the car which rendered it unraceworthy.
Are you pleased to see further signs of encouragement in today's race?
Ross Brawn, Team Principal: "Jenson got a great start but unfortunately the puncture put him out of contention. His early pace was very competitive though, matching the front runners. Rubens lost time following Fisichella but otherwise he had the pace to score points. Both our qualifying and race pace are gradually improving race by race as we continue to work on the set-up."
As we head into the European season, tell us about Honda's preparation for the Spanish Grand Prix?
RB: "We have a four-day test in Barcelona where we will evaluate our major aero upgrade. Obviously most teams will also be making improvements however we hope our step will be larger than most. We also have a straight-line test in Menorca to measure the new aero package full size."
Super Aguri drivers Anthony Davidson and Takuma Sato did exactly what the team had planned for this weekend and brought the two SA08As home to take the chequered flag at the 2008 Grand Prix of Bahrain in 16th and 17th positions respectively.
Aguri Suzuki, Team Principal: It was good for the team to have another two-car finish, but it is frustrating that we did not have more pace as the drivers did an excellent job. We have collected a good amount of data but shall have to work on improving our performance for the next grand prix in Barcelona.
The Force India Formula One Team has achieved its first double finish of the season at today's Bahrain Grand Prix. Giancarlo Fisichella drove a strong race to finish a fighting 12th position while Adrian Sutil brought the second VJM01 home in 19th position after a collision on the first lap dropped him one lap behind the leaders. The German nevertheless put in a measured and consistent drive to secure his first finish of the year.
Giancarlo made a fantastic start and was in 11th place by the third lap. For the second consecutive race he fought with the Honda of Rubens Barrichello, keeping him at bay until his first stop on lap 22. Unfortunately Giancarlo rejoined behind Barrichello, but fought hard to keep in touch with the Brazilian until the closing stages of the race to finish a encouraging 12th position, six places up on his starting position, the best improvement of any driver in the field.
The team will now return briefly to its Silverstone base before heading out to Barcelona for a three-day test prior to the Spanish Grand Prix. The test will take place from 14 - 16 April, with Tonio Liuzzi driving the first day, Giancarlo the second and Adrian bringing the test to a close.
Mike Gascoyne, chief technical officer: 'A great race for the team and good to be racing again. Adrian's race was unfortunately compromised at the start when he lost his nose. Although we turned him around pretty quickly, he came out just in front of the pack, which meant he lost a lot of time with the blue flags. When he was on his own he was able to drive consistently and quickly and it is encouraging to see him get his first finish of the year. Giancarlo had a storming race and made up a lot of positions on the opening lap. It was a shame to lose out on the pit stops to Barrichello and then to get lapped just before the end, but apart from that it is promising for the team to finally be racing again. Well done to all who have worked hard to get this far.'
Dr Vijay Mallya, chairman and managing director: 'I am smiling after this race as we again stepped up our game here in Bahrain. We have performed well this weekend, with Giancarlo and Adrian just missing out on Q2 again by the smallest of margins and featuring well in practice. We have then achieved a double finish and were once more fighting for positions. Adrian was unlucky that his race was compromised at the first corner and he lost a lap, but he drove very well with an encouraging pace and secured his first finish of the year. He can use this as the start of his season and can move forward again in Spain. I was delighted with Giancarlo's race pace and proud to see a Force India again fighting with well-established and experienced teams and drivers. Going into the European season now we have a very strong foundation.'
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Heikki Kovalainen finished the Bahrain Grand Prix in fifth position. After 57 laps (308.238 kms), Heikki came home 26.7 seconds behind winner Felipe Massa and set the fastest lap of the race with 1m33.193. Lewis had to make an early and unscheduled pit stop (11.5 seconds) after an incident on lap two with Fernando Alonso and finished 13th. Heikki was on a two-stop strategy and came in on laps 21 (9.4 seconds) and 47 (7 seconds). Lewis made only one routine halt on lap 31 (9.9 seconds). After the third of 18 Grands Prix, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes is third in the Constructors' Championship with 28 points. Lewis is third in the drivers' rankings with 14 points.
Ron Dennis: Most of the teams used the same tyre strategy with the exception of those who went for a one-stop-strategy which we switched Lewis to following his incident with Fernando. Heikki's race was hampered by understeer which we systematically dialled out to a level which allowed him to set the fastest lap during the closing stages of the race. Lewis's bad start and the incident with Fernando, which extensively damaged his car, seriously hampered his pace, and we then took the early decision to save the engine for the next race in Barcelona. We will continue to work hard in Woking, Brixworth and Stuttgart to make sure we are well prepared for the start of the European races.
Norbert Haug: A day to forget. First Lewis lost seven positions at the start and then he lost his front wing in the rear end collision. As a consequence his car was damaged and technically handicapped he was without a chance to score points. Heikki had a reasonable speed only towards the end of the race. The only positive point after today's race is that the top five in the Drivers' Championship are within five points and the top three in the Constructors' ranking within two points. Congratulations to Ferrari on the first one-two victory and to BMW Sauber on their lead in the Championship. We will now focus on the start of the European season in Barcelona in three weeks time and will increase our efforts to be upfront there.
Felipe Massa has won the third round of the FIA Formula One World Championship after using a soft-soft-medium compound Bridgestone Potenza tyre strategy in the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix at Sakhir.
Massa was joined on the podium by team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, who finished 3.3 seconds behind, using the same tyre strategy, on a dominant day from the reigning constructors' champions. Pole- sitter Robert Kubica finished third, ahead of team-mate Nick Heidfeld, illustrating a strong and consistent performance from the team who now move into the lead of the constructors' championship. Fifth place went to Heikki Kovalainen who also set the race's fastest lap, a 1min 33.193secs on lap 49, using the medium compound.
Sixth spot went to Jarno Trulli, Mark Webber finished seventh, whilst Nico Rosberg took the final championship point for Williams with eighth.
There were a variety of tyre strategies used in Bahrain. Most drivers who finished the race made two stops for fuel and tyres, but the order they used the two compounds differed according to individual competitor performance and preference. Kazuki Nakajima used a one stop strategy, illustrating the durability of both compounds of tyre at this challenging and harsh circuit.
Leaving Bahrain, Raikkonen leads the drivers' championship with 19 points, ahead of Heidfeld on 16. Previous points leader Hamilton slips to third spot with 14 points after finishing in 13th position and out of the points. Both Kubica and Kovalainen are now equal on points with Hamilton in the drivers' championship in fourth and fifth position. BMW Sauber now lead the constructors' championship with 30 points, ahead of Ferrari on 29 and McLaren Mercedes on 28.
Formula One will next be in action with the Gran Premio de Espana Telefonica at the Circuit de Catalunya on April 25-27 where Bridgestone's hard and medium compound Potenza tyres will be used.
Tetsuro Kobayashi – Technical Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport: This was a very satisfying race for Bridgestone as both the medium and soft compounds performed very well here. This confirms that we were correct to change the compound allocation from last year when we brought the hard and medium. Heat durability, wear and consistency were good for both tyres today so strategy depended on competitor preference. There were a number of accidents in the race and we did see tyre damage from debris on the track, but we have no concerns from the tyre performance perspective. Just like Saturday it was windy once more, but stability for drivers was good. Interestingly the fastest lap was set on the medium compound, late in the race when the track was at its cleanest and with the most rubber down. This was a strong race for us and we now look to the challenge of the Spanish Grand Prix in three weeks time.
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