Bahrain GP – double makes race one forgotten
Ferrari: Massa 1, Raikkonen 2.
Massa got off the line better than pole-sitter Kubica and steered in command from the first turn. He opened a 4 second gap to his team-mate, that remained still after Raikkonen’s edging pass on Kubica, on lap 3. The pair then traded fast laps until the first pit stop, Kimi being stuck in the mid stint in some traffic. After the second round of pitstops, both Ferraris drove conservatively, allowing the BMW pair to close in, but being safe from any threats. A perfect way to clean the memories of Massa’s errors and the nightmare start of the season.
BMW: Kubica 3, Heidfeld 4.
Kubica skidded a bit on the grid and lost first place on the spot, being outpaced by the other Ferrari too, on the outside of turn 1, three laps later. He controlled the gap to his team-mate during the whole race and closed in on Raikkonen in the end, but he was not in a position to attach the #1 car. Heidfeld made a daring move on Kovalainen on the inside of turn 9 and leaded the race for 2 laps during the second stint. The 11 points bring BMW for the first time on top of the constructors’ standings with 30, one more than Ferrari, two more than McLaren.
McLaren: Kovalainen 5, Hamilton 13
Kovalainen briefly took Raikkonen at the run to the first corner, but in turn 4 the Ferrari got back in front. He lost another place to Heidfeld a couple of laps later and lost contact afterwards with the BMW pair. He put up the fastest lap of the race near the end, while Trulli was pushing him hard. Hamilton had a race to forget, ending any aspirations on lap 2. He started miserably from 3 to 10th, and hit the rear of arch-rival Alonso a lap later, losing his front wing. He finished a lap down, in 13th.
Toyota: Trulli 6, Glock 9
Another solid drive from Trulli, just like in Malaysia. He is clearly deserving every cent of his salary, being the best from the rest (except the top 3 teams). He was never challenged from behind, putting up the pressure on Kovalainen in the second part of the race. Glock made his way past Alonso after the first pitstop, fending off the Spaniard’s challenge for the remainder of the race.
Red Bull: Webber 7, Coulthard 18
Webber passed Alonso early in the race, leaving his first pitstop late, for lap 22, passing Rosberg in the process. His race was consistent and error-free. Coulthard was involved in the lap 1 incidents, making a pitstop early on. He battled with Button for 18th place, the pair colliding in turn 7. It was the same kind of defensive move that put David out in Australia too.
Williams: Rosberg 8, Nakajima 14
Rosberg found himself in the middle group, with Trulli, Webber, Alonso and Glock. He hoped to beat the Red Bull but did not achieve this goal. Nakaijima was one a one-stop strategy, being passed nead the end of the race by Hamilton.
Renault: Alonso 10, Piquet DNF
Alonso estimated that he will end up in 10th, and did exactly that thing. Had Lewis ended his race before him, he should have passed Glock to be in 10th. He was hit in the rear by the leading McLaren and his car was always off the pace. He fended off Barrichello near the end of the race. Piquet suffered a gearbox problem which ended his race prematurely. Until then, he spun off once and made a great pass on Bourdais.
Honda: Barrichello 11, Button DNF
No pace for Honda, except for the final stint when Rubens pressed Alonso, but with no success. Button got in trouble at the start, then caused a crash with Coulthard that damaged his car, ending his showdown in the desert.
Force India: Fisichella 12, Sutil 19
Fisichella drove a great race, defending all the way, first against Barrichello, then against Hamilton. The Briton passed him, but Fisi had a better strategy and ended in front of the ancient championship leader. Sutil had issues on lap 1, being 1 lap down already by lap 9, after an unmandatory pitstop.
Toro Rosso: Bourdais 15, Vettel DNF
Bourdais battled early on with Piquet, and drove calmly after the Brazilian’s technical failure. Vettel’s race was a nightmare once again, his engine blowing up on lap 1.
Super Aguri: Davidson 16, Sato 17.
The two were evenly matched, often passed by the leading pack, and drove with no mistake to grab a double finish.
