F101 ~ Laura Marieee: F1 beginners guide~ Bahrain Preview

This is it! Wherever you are in the world, when FP1 begins at 10am (local time) tomorrow in Bahrain, you are bound to be tuned in one way or another, whether it is watching it live or following the live timing on the iPhone app. After a long off-season, the 2010 Formula One World Championship begins this weekend in Bahrain, and to kick it all off, here on F101, I will be previewing the race… So welcome to the 2010 season with the F101 Bahrain Preview…

The Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir is set to host its seventh Formula One Grand Prix this weekend. The 3.9 mile (6.3km) circuit has a total of 49 laps covering over 191 miles (308km), and has a mixture of straights and slow-speed corners.

The track has been extended for 2010 with an additional eight turns, which will no doubt demand more from the drivers, their tyres and their brakes, especially on the opening laps as they take approximately 100kgs of extra fuel into the race. As for the tyres, the teams will be given the medium compound and super-soft compound by Bridgestone for use throughout the weekend, and with the combination of long straights and slow-speed corners, drivers will need to be more aware of their tyres during breaking.

Hirohide Hamashima, responsible for the F1 tyres produced by Bridgestone, said that the new layout in Bahrain will have an effect on tyre wear and set up. Hamashima said: “We will see different pitstop strategies this season and the top ten cars starting with their qualifying tyres brings many strategy considerations for teams too.” The refuelling ban has seen Bridgestone change the tyre construction, introducing new compounds of dry-weather tyre.

The fact that the top ten qualifiers will be beginning the race on the tyres they set their fastest lap time on, means that strategies will vary between all the drivers, and with turn two dependant on the level of grip of both the track and the tyres, the top ten could be coming in sooner than the rest of the pack for a fresh set. Tyre degradation has to be carefully monitored and in corners such as turn two and turn 22, the rear of the cars can easily step out if the tyres are not in the best shape.

As far as overtaking is concerned, the tight corners at the end of any of the four straights are the best places to gain a place, with the first corner and turn four being the best two. The new twisty section of the circuit, which comes just after turn four, is more of an endurance test and adds a stop-start feature where overtaking is unlikely to be increased compared to previous years.

As there are no high-speed corners in Bahrain, the teams will be setting their cars up for mechanical grip rather than aerodynamic downforce. As the track is located in the desert, the wind is the main issue with the weather, as sand is blown onto the track, ultimately affecting grip, and the temperature can also play a part in the race, as overheating can occur.

In 2009, the Bahrain Grand Prix was the fourth round of the season, and it was Jarno Trulli who took pole position for Toyota, with Jenson Button starting fourth for Brawn. After Button jumped the two Toyotas in the first round of pitstops, he went on to win the race, ahead of Sebastian Vettel. Trulli set the fastest lap in 2009, lapping the then 14-turn circuit in 1:34.556 seconds. This year, the new section will ultimately extend the lap times.

Michael Schumacher holds the lap record for Bahrain, set at its first Grand Prix in 2004, when he lapped the track in 1:30.252 seconds. Schumacher went on to win the 2004 race, while Fernando Alonso won in 2005 and 2006, Felipe Massa in 2007 and 2008, and Button in 2009.

That’s it for the Bahrain preview; join me on Monday when I’ll be back with a review of the first race of the season…