13/04/2007
NEWS STORY
Ahead of the first of today's free practice sessions, the air temperature is 32 degrees C, and the track temperature is 42 degrees. It is bright and sunny.
For the first time this season no test or reserve drivers will be running, though in all honesty, only BMW and Williams have taken advantage of the rule.
First out is Jarno Trulli, followed by Anthony Davidson. Moments later, Ralf Schumacher heads down the pitlane, ahead of Liuzzi and Kubica. Heidfeld, Speed, Button and Barrichello are the other 'early risers'.
Three teams will be worth watching this weekend, Renault, Honda and Spyker, each experiencing its own problems. That said, with Malaysia just one week ago, none of the teams will have been able to make any significant changes.
As the drivers return to their garages, having completed the obligatory installation lap, Hamilton and Fisichella make their first appearance of the weekend.
Speed complains that his mirror isn't flat but curved outwards (convex, Scott!), and therefore he can't really see anything out of it.
Ten minutes into the session, Heidfeld goes out again, the German looking likely to be the first driver to post a time.
Bernie will be delighted, after the 'squalor' of Sepang, the Bahrain International Circuit looks immaculate, like a brand new Scalextric track laid down on a beige carpet.
As Heidfeld crosses the line to post the first time of the weekend (1:35.969), Scott speed leaves the Toro Rosso garage.
Talking of Toro Rosso, earlier this week someone commented to Pitpass that Jim Wright - the Italian team's sponsorship manager - has the toughest job in F1; after all how do you sell sponsorship space on a car that looks like it's been rolled through an abattoir then left outside for the pigeons to crap all over? Think about it.
Speed posts (36.627) to go second (of two), but Jarno Trulli is already back on track, and seemingly heading for a good time, having gone quickest in sectors one and two. Sure enough, the Italian posts 35.500 to go quickest.
After twenty-one minutes only Rosberg and the Ferraris haven't been out.
Speed has a massive lock up and a slide - dare we say "a big one", but he keeps it all under control. If nothing else, it looked good. Elsewhere, Sutil has posted a time, but it's 3s off the pace.
Speed really is having a torrid time, the Toro Rosso is all over the place, it's like he's driving on ice.
Schumacher goes third, then improves to second (35.573), giving Toyota a 1-2. Heidfeld is now third, ahead of Button, Davidson and Speed. Meanwhile, Albers has a moment, the car looking very twitchy under braking. He and Sutil are running together.
Trulli raises the benchmark (34.896), going quickest in all three sectors.
"Anti-lock P7," Albers is told over the radio, "and go forward with the brake balance". The Dutchman, currently 6.3s off the pace, duly obliges. Elsewhere, Kubica goes third.
With one hour (exactly) remaining, Raikkonen heads down the pitlane, followed by Nico Rosberg, who will be keen to put the misery of Malaysia behind him.
Fisichella goes off at the end of the main straight, as it becomes clear that many of the drivers are struggling for grip, the sand blown on to the track making things difficult. At the other end of the main straight, as if to prove the point, Liuzzi goes wide.
Raikkonen is on a hot lap, going quickest in the first two sectors. The Finn crosses the line at 1:33.670, taking 1.226s off of Trulli's benchmark.
As Hamilton begins his first flying lap, Rosberg goes wide at the entry to the main straight. These guys are lucky this isn't Monaco.
It's a nice tidy lap from Hamilton, but he can only manage second, 1.5s off Raikkonen's new time (33.162).
As Fisichella goes fifth, Button begins another flying lap, the 'myearthdream' livery looking quite striking against the desert backdrop.
Hamilton improves, but remains 1.4s down on Raikkonen. Meanwhile, Button can only manage 36.151, almost 3s off the pace. The replay shows him having a might lock-up.
Kovalainen goes eighth, ahead of Button, as Alonso watches from the McLaren garage. The Spaniard, like Sato, Wurz, Webber, Coulthard and Massa, has yet to post a time. Indeed, Massa hasn't even been out yet.
Wurz posts 36.465 to go twelfth, two places behind his German teammate.
At half-time, it's: Raikkonen, Hamilton, Trulli, Schumacher, Fisichella, Heidfeld, Kubica, Kovalainen, Button, Rosberg, Wurz, Davidson, Barrichello, Liuzzi, Speed, Sutil and Albers.
"It's very nervous," Kovalainen tells his crew, "also there's very little grip at the rear".
As Webber goes wide, it is quite clear that Kovalainen isn't the only one having problems.
With thirty-eight minutes remaining, Massa comes out to play. As the first split he's 0.2s down on his teammate, and 0.8s at the second split. Nonetheless, he goes second, albeit 1.016s down on the other Ferrari.
A massive lock up in the second sector means that the Brazilian fails to improve on his next lap, while Wurz leapfrogs Rosberg.
Next time around, Massa goes quickest in the second sector, crossing the line at 33.679, 0.5s down on his teammate.
Fernando Alonso leaves the pits, but has gone only a few hundred yards when he locks up and goes off. He is able to continue, but it proves just how difficult conditions are today… even though it looks perfect.
The World Champion posts 34.634 to go third, albeit 1.4s down on Raikkonen. Moments later however, he has another off.
Ferrari, Ferrari, McLaren, McLaren, Toyota and Toyota, with twenty-eight minutes remaining.
As Alonso goes off again, Ron Dennis watches the monitors in frustration. Of course, if Hamilton keeps it on the track, the British media will go into raptures.
It's not only World Champions who are having problems, Raikkonen also goes well wide.
At the other end of the timesheets, other than the Spykers we have the Red Bulls - both over 3.5s off the pace - the Super Aguris, Honda and Toro Rossos.
Wurz has a big spin but is able to continue.
With eighteen minutes remaining, nobody, but nobody is improving… other than Albers, who sets a personal best in the first sector but then locks up in the second.
Nick Heidfeld posts a personal best in the first sector, and again in the second. A poor final sector however, sees him fail to improve.
Barrichello goes eleventh (35.911), having posted personal bests in all three sectors. That said, he remains almost 3s off the pace.
Rosberg and his crew discuss which way to go with the front wing, but nobody seems willing to take the initiative.
As Webber locks up, Kovalainen momentarily improves to seventh before being bumped down by Button. Under nine minutes remaining.
Raikkonen gets a nice tow from Webber, and as they head into the turn the Australian appears to want to hold position and not allow the Ferrari through. For a moment it's a little hairy as the Red Bull twitches, but Raikkonen disappears into the distance. Maybe the Australian didn't see the Finn until it was too late, but this is a leading light in the GPDA that we're talking about.
On Friday 13, Alonso closes to within 0.999s of Raikkonen, as Hamilton posts personal bests in the first two sectors. Sure enough, the Englishman goes third, 0.948s down on the Ferrari.
Sato posts 35.949 to go fourteenth, thereby splitting the Williams. Webber improves to eighteenth, splitting the Toro Rossos.
"I want you to go to yellow P7," Alonso is told, "cool your bakes and box this lap", But seeing as the chequered flag was waved a few minutes ago the Spaniard has little choice.
A frustrating session comes to an end, with Raikkonen quickest, ahead of Massa, Hamilton, Alonso, Trulli, Heidfeld, Kubica, Liuzzi, Rosberg and Wurz. Liuzzi's late leap up the timesheets is clear indication that there is room for improvement.
To check out our Bahrain free practice gallery, click here