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Bahrain Grand Prix - team and driver preview quotes After months of preparation and weeks of testing, it is almost time for the 12 teams and 24 drivers that make up the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship to finally put their cards on the table and show just what they can do. For the teams it will be their first real chance to see if they can really challenge for the title, while for the drivers the joy of racing again will be just as potent. The Formula One fraternity look ahead to the season opener in Bahrain…
Robert Kubica, Renault2009 Qualifying - 13th, 2009 Race - 18th
“Bahrain is a circuit that requires good braking stability and traction. There are no real high-speed corners so the set-up work focuses more on the mechanical side. I don't think the layout will make overtaking easier. The biggest overtaking opportunities are still there in the old part of the track and the new part is quite twisty with a lot of corners, but no heavy braking zones. So the overtaking will happen in the usual places - into turns one and four.”
Vitaly Petrov, Renault2009 Qualifying - n/a, 2009 Race - n/a
“People are asking me if I feel nervous, but I'm used to racing and I know what I need to do. Of course things are different in F1 and I'm still learning about the car and how to work with the team. But I feel good and I can't wait to go racing in Bahrain. I know the track and raced on the old layout in GP2, but obviously the new section is a new challenge for all the drivers. I don't think about whether I enjoy tracks: all that matters to me is that the car works well and we can find a good balance. Bahrain is all about braking performance and, with the heavy fuel loads, this will be very challenging because it will be easy to lock a wheel and flat-spot your tyres early in the race. I need to be realistic in Bahrain because it's my first race and it will be a big learning experience. So my first aim is to build my confidence through the weekend, to finish the race and try to be as close to my team mate as possible.”
Eric Boullier, Renault team principal“If we discount the bad weather, then overall our preparations have gone very well. We had a couple of minor glitches, which is quite normal for winter testing, but generally the car has run well and shown good reliability. Overall, considering that six days out of 15 were affected by rain, I think we have managed to maximise our mileage with the car. You can still learn a lot in the wet, especially for reliability, but the problem is that you don't push the car to the limits like you do in the dry. I won't go into details, but there is a big upgrade package for Bahrain, the main part of which is aerodynamic. I have a dream result in mind, but I need to balance my expectations with reality. If we can have both cars qualify in the top ten and finish the race, that would be a great way to start the season.”
Adrian Sutil, Force India2009 Qualifying - 19th, 2009 Race - 16th
“The baseline car we have now after 12 days of testing looks very good and promising. The changes we have made during the winter have all had a positive effect. Testing went well and although there was a lot of rain over the period, the last two days in Barcelona were okay. We did our long runs and a lot of work with the tyres so we are fully prepared. We are pretty confident that our car is good enough to be in the top ten in Bahrain. I would hope we could score a few points. For everything else, it is very difficult to say what else will happen, but I am fine with any position within the top 10 - that's my goal for the moment.”
Vitantonio Liuzzi, Force India2009 Qualifying - n/a, 2009 Race - n/a
“In my five years of F1 this is definitely the best car I've driven, it’s the most balanced, and knowing that has made me feel so much stronger and confident. Of course you can never know exactly where you are compared to the others but we can go to Bahrain feeling optimistic and positive. For the first race we want to show that our winter work has paid off. Points are our target for the time being and getting into the top ten, as high as possible. Being realistic, a few points should be feasible and hopefully everything goes as well as in testing with good reliability for the first race. I've had a look on Google earth and on the simulator. I think they have just made the Bahrain track layout much longer and slower and I'm not a big fan of this type of track as I love high speed corners and circuits. I don't think there will be any more overtaking opportunities as the track goes through too tight an area. But it's the same for everybody and we need to get used it. We'll see when we walk the track on Thursday."
Dr Vijay Mallya, Force India chairman and team principal“We finished 2009 on a real high note - our first-ever points, a podium and one place up in the constructors' championship. That is enough in itself to set the bar much higher this season, but we're really determined to take it to the next level. Regular points and the odd podium have got to be the aim and we know it is possible. I have a lot of faith in the drivers and the technical staff, I think we've got into a very good rhythm together now. I have been very encouraged by the entire performance, both at the track and at the factory. The testing times gave very positive headlines, but it is very difficult to know where we are until we get to Bahrain. Certainly however the initial reports from the drivers are encouraging and when that happens it's worth another three to four tenths - if they feel happy and confident in the car then that they can really attack.”
Jenson Button, McLaren2009 Qualifying - 4th, 2009 Race - 1st
“I’m really looking forward to getting into my car on Friday morning in Bahrain and knowing that I’m the world champion. It’s a responsibility and an honour - but it’s something I’m going to enjoy for as long as I can. I don’t want to lose that number from my car! My winter has been an incredible learning experience - joining McLaren has provided me with exactly the sort of challenge I needed. I have put every effort into working with the team, my engineers and learning about my car to ensure that we start the season in Bahrain in the best possible shape. Even after four weeks of testing, it’s incredibly difficult to predict the order ahead of the new season. There are a number of teams and drivers who appear to be in the hunt, and, as with the start of every new season, it will be fascinating to see who emerges as the team to beat. I’ve never known a team work as hard as we have done over the winter - I’ve spent more time with my engineers this winter than I have before any other season, and I feel very comfortable about my preparations.”
Lewis Hamilton, McLaren2009 Qualifying - 5th, 2009 Race - 4th
“I can’t believe the winter’s over already - it seems like only yesterday when I was racing in Abu Dhabi. It’s been a winter of two halves for me: before Christmas, I really focused on my fitness and training, working away to be as ready as possible for the new season. Since January, I’ve been fully focused on working with the team, testing the car and improving our package ahead of the opening race of the year. There’s been a huge workload, but it’s been fantastic to work with Jenson and the engineers to improve MP4-25, and we’re all extremely pleased with the progress we’ve made and the direction we’ve taken. I think we have a very promising car beneath us: it’s a real change of direction for us, and I think the possibilities with this car are very exciting. Now, though, it’s all about the racing - once I put my crash helmet on and pull the visor down, I know more than anything that I’m ready to go racing.”
Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren team principal“I can’t remember the start of a Formula One season where there’s been so much interest, excitement and anticipation. The closeness of the winter tests, our double-champion line-up, the return of a Formula One legend and the presence of four world champions on the grid mean that 2010 is already shaping up to be a classic season. From our side, we’ve been engaged in one of the most painstakingly diligent pre-season programmes that we’ve ever undertaken. We’ve amassed an enormous amount of data and we’ve learnt a considerable amount about MP4-25 in just four brief tests. We’ve been encouraged by our progress, we’ve been delighted with the input of both Jenson and Lewis and, finally, we feel ready. Make no mistake: we’re a team of racers. We’ve been waiting impatiently for the first race to arrive for many months. We feel we’ve risen to the challenge and we can’t wait to get started - Bahrain is a demanding track for both the team and the drivers and we’re looking forward enormously to racing in the home of one of our primary shareholders. It promises to be a fantastic Grand Prix.”
Pedro de la Rosa, BMW Sauber2009 Qualifying - n/a, 2009 Race - n/a
"I have good memories of Bahrain. In 2005 when I had to jump in I scored the fastest race lap. In 2007 I was there for two days of testing. However, I think the new section which is added to the infield will make it an all new track, because it means we have to adapt the downforce level. The best aspect of the circuit is that you can overtake. There are three long straights with each followed by a corner where you have to brake really hard. We will have good racing there, I think, and all I want is to fight because this is what I missed most. It is difficult to tell yet which track will be good for our car. In any case it will be very interesting to see how the strategies unfold, and how the teams will react to each other's strategy in the race. Due to the fact that refuelling isn't allowed anymore, the team can influence the outcome a lot more. After we have had four good tests on three different circuits I feel very confident for the season's start. I covered a lot of mileage with the team and we learnt a lot. Bahrain will mark my return to racing and I can't wait."
Kamui Kobayashi, BMW Sauber2009 Qualifying - n/a, 2009 Race - n/a
"I won two GP2 Asia races in Bahrain in 2008 and 2009 and I have been testing there in Formula One in 2009. I like the fact that the season starts on a circuit I know so well. The track is quite nice, I like every corner and now we get some more of them. The track has a lot of stop-and-go corners and I really enjoy that style, while I also think it will suit our car. During the tests I learnt a lot and I'm training hard. I definitely feel ready for the start of the season and I'm also looking forward to the usual good weather in Bahrain, as I really like it warm."
Willy Rampf, BMW Sauber technical director"The kick off for the coming season promises extra excitement because very few of the teams showed their full potential during the tests. Due to the refuelling ban the fuel cells have become much larger and, therefore, we've got radically different cars. It is an engineer's task to find a set-up which provides a good balance for the cars, although they will now be a hundred kilos heavier at the start of the race. Race strategy also provides totally new challenges. Pit stops will be mainly dictated by the tyre performance. Both tyre specs still have to be run. The circuit lay-out in Bahrain has changed significantly as it is now dominated by a narrow section in the infield with eight additional corners. The downforce level will be a compromise. On the one hand the many low speed corners require high downforce, but on the other the extraordinary width of the track encourages overtaking and this means you can't disregard the need for top-speed."
Michael Schumacher, Mercedes GP 2009 Qualifying - n/a, 2009 Race - n/a
"Finally the season will start! I feel like a child looking forward to Christmas. The decision to make my comeback feels like a long time ago now and I can hardly wait for the season to get underway in Bahrain. It's funny to think that I will be competing in Formula One again when just a few months ago, I would have declined the opportunity categorically. But sometimes things change and the right circumstances come together. I feel fresher than I have for many years. I am perfectly prepared physically and most importantly, my energy is back completely. When I retired from racing in 2006, my batteries were simply empty. Now they are totally recharged and I am ready for the challenge. It is the competition at the highest level that only Formula One offers which has provided the temptation for me. It is always difficult to predict the form in pre-season testing, this year more than ever, but the final test in Barcelona proved to us that we should be competitive. We know that we will have more new parts in Bahrain which should bring extra performance to the car. It's important to be in the leading group from the start of the season and I am confident that we will be there."
Nico Rosberg, Mercedes GP2009 Qualifying - 9th, 2009 Race - 9th
"The build-up to a new Formula One season is always an exciting time, particularly when you have a new team to settle into and a brand new car to get used to. It has been a really nice process integrating into the team. Everyone has been very welcoming and I feel very much at home here already. Our pre-season testing programme has gone pretty well in February. We did have some concerns that we were not able to find the right direction to extract the maximum potential from the car but by working hard, we were able to find our way and ended testing on a high. We also have a good upgrade coming for Bahrain which should develop the car further and so I am quite optimistic that we will do well. Bahrain is a track which I really enjoy so it should be a good start to the season all in all."
Ross Brawn, Mercedes GP team principal"Everyone at Mercedes GP is proud to be representing the rich motorsport pedigree of Mercedes-Benz as we start the season as the first Mercedes works team for over half a century. In addition, knowing that we go into the new season as the reigning World Champions gives the team confidence and a fierce pride to defend our position. However this is a new season and a new challenge. We had a strong pre-season testing programme with the MGP W01 but we are not quite reached the level of preparation that we would have liked prior to Bahrain. The car shows promise and we have a strong development programme planned for the season but there is a lot of hard work ahead to ensure that we will be in the fight for the title. I am very pleased with how our new drivers Michael and Nico have settled into the team and developed a close working relationship. They have really pushed the development of the car throughout testing and they will push each other to achieve better results on the race track. This season should be a fantastic one for the fans with so many talented drivers competing and what is likely to be a very close fight for the title between the top teams and that can only be good for our sport."
Norbert Haug, vice president Mercedes-Benz Motorsport"The Bahrain Grand Prix as the first race of the 2010 Formula One season marks the beginning of a new era for Mercedes-Benz. 55 years after the last race of the Silver Arrows works team, Mercedes GP will start to continue this tradition. In preparation for our first season, we have covered over 6300 kilometres during 15 test days from the 1st to the 28th of February. Judging our competitiveness for the first couple of races, my impression is that we are not quite where we want to be and I would not see our team in the role of favourites. Having said that, I am fully convinced that the whole team and our drivers Nico and Michael are fully prepared to get on top of our job and fulfill our targets which are winning races and fighting for world championships."
More to follow.
Courtesy of: formula1.com
F1 : 2010 Bahrain - Lotus Racing - Formula 1 race preview & quotes Source - Lotus Racing
Monday, 08 March 2010
Formula One preview - Lotus racing set for Bahrain and the start of the 2010 Formula One season.
By 03h00 on Saturday morning Lotus Racing had finally finished packing up the six air freight boxes needed for the journey to Bahrain and the beginning of the 2010 Formula One season.
Two cars and a 60 strong team have now made their way to the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Bahrain International Circuit for the first race of much anticipated 2010 season.
As the team gears up for the first Grand Prix, the whole team, including the drivers Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen, remain upbeat and honest about their expectations for the first few races.
Jarno Trulli:“It would be nice to score a point, but it is not going to be easy. We have to be realistic.”
Chief Technical Officer, Mike Gascoyne:“Our test season was extremely productive, in general we've had very good reliability, and the team is in very good shape going to the first race.”
Team Principle Tony Fernandes:“We are all looking forward to Bahrain; to have Lotus Racing on the grid will be a momentous occasion for all involved and, indeed, for our fans, whose support has been absolutely fantastic since we launched just under six months ago. Yes we are a little slower than the major leading teams, however we will get there, with passion, hard work and a clear vision, our aim for this first Grand Prix will be to finish and steadily but surely improve, race by race.”
Lotus Racing will spend the week preparing in Bahrain and look forward to hitting the track in anger for the first practice session on Friday, exactly six months to the day after gaining their entry place into 2010 Formula One World Championship.
F1 : 2010 Bahrain - HRT F1 - Formula 1 race preview & quotes Source - Hispania Racing F1 Team
Wednesday, 10 March 2010
Formula One preview - The HRT F1 Team, "Hispania Racing F1 Team" ready to join the Formula One Hall of Fame in Bahrain.
HRT F1, Hispania Racing F1 team, the team formerly known as Campos prior to its acquisition by Jose Ramon Carabante in February, is ready for its Formula One debut this weekend in Bahrain.
The team joins the F1 paddock with ambitious, but realistic targets after a fight against time to be ready for the season opener at Sakhir, Bahrain.
Team principal Dr. Colin Kolles has a passion for motorsport and is back at the helm of a Formula One team and relieved to have conquered the first battle, getting the team name approved by the FIA ahead of the launch on 4 March 2010.
His second battle was to ensure that the entire team was ready and able to field two cars for the start of the season in Bahrain, despite the lack of pre-season testing while the outfit’s future was secured by Jose Ramon Carabante’s investment.
Kolles is confident in the team’s potential for this season and is looking ahead to the team’s first race this weekend with ambitious, but realistic goals.
Colin Kolles:“With our driver’s line up, we have all tools in hands to be one of the more successful new teams in the F1 paddock this year. We have identified two talented young drivers for our first season and combined with our passion and determination to learn with every lap, we feel ready to enter the F1 Hall of Fame this weekend. In a curious coincidence, our drivers are teammates for the second time, having partnered each other at iSport in 2008 – making them the first drivers to have been teammates in both GP2 and F1. Our drivers are already familiar with the Bahrain track layout, which will be a real benefit as our car takes to the track for the first time on Friday.”
Karun Chandhok:“I am really looking forward to my F1 debut this weekend. It will also be the first time I will be driving the new HRT F1 car so I can't wait to get my hands on it. Fortunately I have driven in Bahrain before in GP2 so that will help the learning process a bit! I was on the front row in 2008 and was very competitive when I was back here in 2009, so I’ve got pretty good knowledge of the circuit. However, F1 is a completely different ballgame and we will have a tough challenge in front of us. I have spent time back in Europe with the guys in the factory and it is great to see that the whole team is very motivated about our first race together. Finishing the race will be a fantastic achievement for a team put together so late and the objective here will be to get as many miles under my belt as possible. I am overwhelmed by the support I have been getting back home in India and want to thank the media and the F1 fans. There are a lot of Indians who live in Bahrain and I hope to see some good support at the circuit over the weekend!”
Bruno Senna:“I've been to Bahrain twice, one time in GP2 in 2007 then in GP2 Asia in 2008. I had a great result in 2007 with Arden International, qualifying fifth and finishing fourth, which was great considering it was my first ever GP2 race. Bahrain is difficult because the track is usually very dirty to start with and improves all the time all the way to the end of the race, so the car set-up is very challenging. Also the sand in the air makes it very dry and the track can be quite slippery, which is another challenge when we are also dealing with the high temperatures. I hope that we can put the car on the track and sort out as many teething issues as possible during our first weekend, the car’s track debut. My goal is to do everything I can to bring the car home to the chequered flag and set a good benchmark for the rest of our season. We'll certainly focus on the reliability side of things first and from then on, focus on performance.”
F1 : 2010 Bahrain - Cosworth - Formula 1 race preview Source - Cosworth
Wednesday, 10 March 2010
Formula One preview - Cosworth ready for Formula One race return in Bahrain.
Cosworth is making its return to Formula One racing as an engine supplier at this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix, supplying engines to one-third of the teams on the grid.
A total of four teams and eight race drivers will be powered by Cosworth’s CA2010 V8 unit this season; AT&T Williams (Rubens Barrichello and Nico Hülkenberg), as well as all of Formula One’s rookie teams; HRT F1 (Bruno Senna, Karun Chandhok), Lotus Racing (Jarno Trulli, Heikki Kovalainen) and Virgin Racing (Timo Glock, Lucas di Grassi).
HRT F1 and Lotus Racing have also secured electronics solutions from Cosworth, giving added weight to Cosworth’s F1 business.
Cosworth powered cars totalled a cumulative distance of 11,336km, or 2,547 laps, over the four official pre-season tests in Valencia, Jerez and Barcelona with AT&T Williams, Lotus Racing and Virgin Racing all taking to the track.
HRT F1 will make their track debut during this weekend’s Bahrain event after a winter of close collaboration between the team, Dallara and Cosworth.
An engine’s perspective The Bahrain International Circuit is just 10m above sea level and has an average pressure (approx. 1,000mbar), so baseline engine power should be good.
The circuit has been extended from 5.412km to 6.299km for this year’s event which will place different demands on engine performance.
The track still has four significant straights, including the main start-finish straight which is just over 1km in length, but the proportion of the lap spent at full throttle will be reduced.
Engine power will play a pivotal role down the straights, particularly in the first and final sectors of the lap.
The new ‘Endurance’ section consists of eight corners over a distance of almost 0.9km, which will give the gearbox more of a workout and will also result in higher engine temperatures.
Combining that with the usually dry warm air in Bahrain will make it harder to cool the engine through this new section of the track.
Drivers will therefore need to be mindful of maximising the flow of air to their car’s radiators and not spend too much time in the wake of cars ahead.
With refuelling no longer allowed, fuel efficiency will be a key factor in the outcome of the race, particularly with the longer track configuration.
The potential tactic of running the engine lean to obtain greater fuel efficiency may exaggerate cooling problems and so finding clean air is likely to be a significant advantage.
Fast facts- Bahrain will mark Cosworth’s return to Formula One as an engine supplier after a three year sabbatical. Cosworth is supplying its CA2010 engines to four teams; AT&T Williams, HRT F1, Lotus Racing and Virgin Racing.
- Cosworth V8 power helped the Williams team claim the fastest lap of the race in the 2006 event
- Engine manufacturers are no longer permitted to add extra filters to prevent the intake of the Bahraini desert sand. Filters are deemed to be a homologated part of the engine and are, as such, fixed as part of the engine freeze regulations.
- The new look Bahrain circuit is now the second longest circuit on the calendar, 0.705km shorter than Spa Francorchamps in Belgium.
F1 : 2010 Bahrain - Virgin Racing - Formula 1 race preview & quotes Source - Virgin Racing
Wednesday, 10 March 2010
Formula One preview - Well, they say time flies and after an exhaustive nine month programme of car design and development, team building and pre-season testing, Virgin Racing’s Grand Prix debut has finally arrived.
The 45 strong race team are up and running in the Kingdom of Bahrain for the opening round of the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship on 12/13/14 March.
The first of nineteen Grands Prix on this year’s calendar, the Middle Eastern location provides drivers with the challenge of the 3.9 mile (6.299km) Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir.
With 23 turns, four straights, an elevation change of 18 metres and very high track and ambient temperatures, there will be plenty of factors to put the team to the test in what will literally be the white heat of its inaugural race.
After three weeks of pre-season testing in Jerez and Barcelona, race drivers Timo Glock and Lucas di Grassi spent much of last week at Virgin Racing’s technical base in Bicester, UK, driving the Sakhir track on the simulator.
They have now reached terra firma in Bahrain with the aim of leaving no stone unturned in their quest to ensure they are physically and mentally prepared for the challenges of the week ahead.
Timo Glock, Race Driver #24“Pre-season testing has been pretty eventful for our team. We saw some very positive signs of the potential of the car and the team, but we also experienced some reliability issues and too much rain, the combination of which prevented us from maximising our track time. However, if I stand back and look at what we have built together in the space of only nine months, we should all feel pretty proud.
“Here we are, heading into our first race and I’m very excited. We’re as ready as we can be. We’re a small team but we have the resources and people to keep building something special together and that is what we must all keep in mind as we progress. We have some great team members at Virgin Racing who know what it takes to be quick and what we have to do to get to where we want to be. Our objective remains to be the best of the new teams and that particular race starts this weekend.”
Lucas di Grassi, Race Driver #25“It’s very exciting to be here at last, ready to take part in our debut Grand Prix. It’s also my own personal F1 debut which definitely makes this weekend the high point of my career. I’d like to thank everybody in the team for the hard work and determination that we have all seen, especially over the past few weeks in pre-season testing. It hasn’t always gone our way but the team have fought hard and their spirits are high. Bahrain will be a tough challenge for sure. We will need to learn how to get the maximum out of the car in race weekend conditions.”
Nick Wirth, Technical Director“The past nine months have flown by so quickly, it’s hard to believe that our Grand Prix debut has arrived. Despite the challenges we encountered in pre-season testing, we have conducted a great deal of off track preparation, to give ourselves the best possible chance of a strong showing in our inaugural race. The rest will be down to good fortune and we've probably stored some of that up by now!"
“We think that we have identified and applied appropriate fixes to the various hydraulic problems that affected our winter testing so badly. We also didn’t get the chance to set times with low fuel or the super soft tyre in testing and so going into Bahrain we have yet to show our true performance level. Free practice on Friday will provide our first real barometer of relative competitiveness, but we'll only know our true Bahrain pace on Saturday afternoon. To give us our best possible chance, we will be introducing the first of our season’s aerodynamic and mechanical development parts, which will significantly improve our pace versus our testing configuration, with more planned developments being added for Melbourne."
“As one of the most challenging circuits for car and brake cooling, with several hard braking corners on the lap, Bahrain is going to provide an altogether different challenge after three wet weeks of pre-season testing. Therefore the spotlight will inevitably fall upon the car’s cooling systems – and those of our drivers, who face cockpit conditions of around 45°C.
“Our simple objective for Bahrain is to do everything possible to ensure we have a strong debut race from lights to flag. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved with Virgin Racing and Wirth Research for their support and the massive effort that has brought us so far in such a short space of time.”
Courtesy of: f1sa.com
