Bahrain GP Preview

A preview of the Bahrain Formula One. Click here to check out tickets and tours.

In just over a month the glamour of F1 arrives in Bahrain again. So what is new for this year?

No Refueling

The major change this year is that no refueling is allowed, meaning the cars have to carry fuel for the entire race and hence need larger fuel tanks. In these cars, no space is wasted, so bigger fuel tanks means bigger cars.

Size Matters

Some cars, such as the Ferrari, have been made longer and this affects their handling. In addition, the driver has to remember the extra length. As Massa said, "I mustn't turn in too soon after overtaking". Other cars are higher or wider and this could affect their aerodynamics.

First Test

Last week saw the 2010 cars emerge from their garages for the first time in Barcelona, Spain. While it is too early to judge form, Ferrari topped the lap times throughout, first with Massa and then with Alonso beating Massa's time.

"El Kaiser" Returns

Michael Schumacher (or "El Kaiser" as the Spanish press call him) posted a very respectable 3rd place on his first showing since his return from "retirement".

Surprise Second

More surprising was the second quickest time of the day by De La Rosa in the Sauber. This was his first outing for his new team after languishing as a test driver for MacLaren for several years. Plus Sauber have a new engine deal as BMW pulled out after their poor showing last year. They are also looking out for new sponsers.

Williams F1

How about Williams, Qatar's "local" team? (See our Williams in Qatar article on Qatarvisitor.com). Well, sadly, they didn't make much of a showing here but it's early days, they have two new drivers and a new engine supplier, so lets see how they do in Jerez.

The rain in Spain falls mainly in..........Jerez!

Testing here starts on Wednesday, 10th February. At the moment it looks as if there will be rain for some of the time. That should make things interesting! Your racing correspondent will be there.

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Heading to Bahrain? Check out our Bahrain hotel guide.

Fancy yourself as an F1 Driver?

by John

Soon (later this year) anyone will be able to experience the thrill of driving an F1 car around Grand Prix race tracks. Well, at least a virtual drive - on your own computer, in your own home.


Winning Software.

This is not a second rate experience, however, but as realistic as it is possible to make it. The reason? The software will actually be based on the Williams 2009 F1 car, the FW31. The Silverstone and Brands Hatch circuits are already available to "drivers" with accuracy claimed to be to the millimeter. Oulton Park will shortly be added and others will follow.

iRacing means youRacing.

Williams F1, a Formula team with a commercial R&D base in Qatar (see our article Formula One in Qatar), have teamed up with iRacing.com, producers of motorsport simulation software, to produce this cutting-edge simulation product. This could potentially save lives in car-mad Qatar if Dads gave their sons this program instead of a real Ferrari or Lamborgini. Much cheaper too, as the cost is only US$12.95 plus $8 per month!

Time to put Qatar on the iRacing map

Apparently the UK has the second largest contingent of virtual racers at present and members range from professional racing drivers to those of us who have no chance of ever driving a real racing car. Now anyone can join. So come on Qatar - show us your driving prowess on line!

Compete against other drivers

Using this system, there is a race series which allows you to compete against other drivers, so testing your skills as well as enjoying the thrill of competition.

Improve your skills and progress

The system encourages members to improve their skills by working their way up to higher speeds gradually while being "penalised " for making mistakes such as "dropping" wheels off the track. (Might also help to improve Qatar driving standards!) Some members have made the transition from "sim-racing" to driving real racing cars and found that the inculcated discipline helped them in the real world.

Pro-drivers too

According to iRacing, professional racing drivers use their products to learn new circuits and for practice. [So you never know - you could find yourself up against Michael Schumacher or Jenson Button! That will certainly be my excuse if I find myself getting left miles behind...]

Going round in circles?

iRacing is a US company and as a result all the original tracks featured are ovals, as Americans seem to be able to only turn their cars in one direction. Now, however, for people who can steer both left and right, some UK tracks have been added and more F1 circuits will be added this year.

Progress to the real thing.

Some drivers have made the leap to real racing from sim-racing and it has been shown to be good preparation for the real thing. Rob Tarlton, who won last year's Phillips global promotion, said, "....sim-racing...definitely helped me develop car control. That helped in the transition to real cars". So come on guys - and gals - this could be the start of something big maybe even a chance to drive a Williams F1 car around Lusail circuit like Shiekh Khalid.

Also see: Abu Dhabi Formula One | Bahrain Formula One

Formula One in Qatar

Qatar has a huge affection for huge, powerful fast cars (as you will notice when you see a huge white landcruiser racing down the wrong side of the road towards you!) Add that to the desire to put the tiny desert country on the map and it's no suprise that Qatar has it's eye on a possible future Formula One race.

Qatar has announced that it will upgrade Losail International Racing Circuit to allow for a possible future Formula One race. However, it is William's move into Qatar that our writer investigates in our latest article: Williams Formula One in Qatar.

F1
Formula One

Formula One Returns to Bahrain

By John

Its here again! This weekend, the 25th and 26th of April, the desert of Bahrain will echo to the scream of engines as the Formula 1 cars, the elite of motor racing, race around the Sakhir Circuit in Bahrain.

The event will be even more exciting and unpredictable than usual as the "old order" has been overturned by the new rules which came into force this year, designed to bring about more overtaking as well as reducing the costs of competing and make things a bit more even between the smaller teams and the big spending, car industry sponsored giants such as Ferrari and McLaren.

In a previous post I wrote about the uncertain future of the Honda team. This was only resolved just before the start of the season when Ross Brawn bought the team. Who would have predicted that this team would now be leading both the driver's and constructors championships? Yet that is precisely the case.

Last year, Bahrain brought about a change in the fortunes of Ferrari, who had made a poor start to the season. This year, they have had an even worse start with a car which is well off the pace. Will Bahrain prove to be the turning point or will it take until the teams return to Europe before their improvements start to take effect?

Of course, the major controversy this year has been the subject of diffuser design. Three teams came up with a so-called double-decker (DD) design which has given them a major advantage over the other teams of up to a second a lap (which in F1 terms is huge). This has now been passed by the F1 governing body, the FIA, as legal, following a challenge from some of the teams. Thank goodness, because the season would have been a farce if the results of the first 2 races had been overturned and also because over the last few seasons there were only 2 teams likely to win every race.

Now the whole thing has been thrown wide open. What's more, the claims that the controversial DD diffuser gave those teams an unassailable advantage was disproved last weekend in China when the Red Bull team, who do not have it, scored a one/two as well as securing pole position. This, together with the fact that the other teams are developing their own versions of the DD design and fitting it to their cars as quickly as possible (Renault already had a version fitted to Alonso's car in China and achieved second on the grid in qualifying) is what makes this year's Bahrain GP so unpredictable. As Mark Webber told the BBC, "All the teams have got new stuff coming and that is going to move the performance barrier from team to team".

The other great thing about this season is that at last Jenson Button has a competetive car and is showing that he has got great talent, in spite of what the disgruntled, aging playboy, Flavio Briatore says about him. The same goes for Barrichello, who for so many years had to play second fiddle to Schumacher.

While talking about the drivers, China gave the supremely talented young German driver, Sebastian Vettel the opportunity to score his second GP victory and for his team mate Mark Webber to score second - both for Red Bull. The Brawn's of Button and Barrichello were 3rd and 4th respectively and the next 2 places were filled by Kovalainen and Hamilton for the improving McLaren team.

So, who will win in Bahrain this year? Even the most hardened of F1 experts would be foolish to hazard a guess. The competition is wide open. Will it be one of the double decker diffuser teams or can Red Bull be dominant again? Will Brawn continue their remarkable start to the season or will the rapidly improving McLaren team come to the forefront? How many other teams will have managed to develop their own DD diffusers and will they make them competitive? Will Ferrari make sufficient improvements to turn round the season as they did in Bahrain last year? There is only one way to find out - be there - or at least watch it on Bahrain TV!

Update: Check out our guide to the Abu Dhabi Formula One race.

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