Formula One Testing in Bahrain
Manama, 3rd February 2008: The first of two three-day blocks of Formula One
testing will begin tomorrow (February 4) at the Bahrain International Circuit,
with Scuderia Ferrari and Panasonic Toyota Racing preparing their all-new
challengers for the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship. Pre-season tests
have become a feature of the build-up towards the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix
for the last two years, with teams, tyre manufacturers and fuel and lubricant
suppliers drawing a wealth of data from their time in Bahrain.
As was the case in 2007, all the teams are limited to a maximum of 30,000km of
testing per year, putting a premium on every lap. All 11 of the teams in this
year’s world championship will soon be jetting around the world to Australia for
the opening event of the season, followed in quick succession by Malaysia and
then Bahrain on April 4-6. This hectic schedule of ‘flyaway’ events early in the
season means that the teams will be away from their European heartland for an
extended period, so the performance of the cars and the areas for improvement
must be identified in February in order to make the best possible start to the
season.
Ferrari goes into 2008 as reigning constructors’ champions and with Finland’s
Kimi Räikkönen as the defending drivers’ champion after a fraught and tense 2007
campaign which saw Räikkönen and his Brazilian team-mate Felipe Massa locked in
a four-way battle at the top of the order with McLaren-Mercedes drivers Lewis
Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. Never a team to rest on its laurels, Ferrari not
only revealed a hugely revised car in its F2008 but also a new team structure
led by Stefano Domenicali, who has taken over as team principal from Jean Todt.
Domenicali’s career at Ferrari spans 16 years, moving from first organising the
internal management of the team, then taking over the revisions to the Mugello
circuit before moving to sponsorship, logistics and finally as the team’s
sporting director before taking one of the biggest jobs in world sport. “It will
be a difficult season,” he predicted at the launch of the new car earlier this
month. “But we can aim for the same result as last year. We are working with
humility and we also respect our opponents. Our car is competitive however, just
like our drivers.”
Toyota meanwhile enters its seventh year of Formula One racing and is itching to
win its first Grand Prix. Currently only four of the 11 constructors have won
world championship titles and only five have won Grands Prix, and it is into
this exclusive club that the Japanese giant hopes the new TF108 will launch
them. Alongside the all-new car, Toyota is debuting 24 year-old Timo Glock in
the cockpit in 2008, replacing Ralf Schumacher alongside Italy’s veteran Jarno
Trulli.
The 24-year-old German is the third successive champion from the GP2 series to
have graduated straight into Formula One since the ‘feeder series’ began in
2005. Glock follows Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton into the sport’s premier
series and both of his predecessors have made an enormous impact on the Formula
One world. Glock meanwhile is focusing on the job in hand as the team arrives in
Bahrain: “Both Jarno and I have concentrated on set-up and we have had a lot of
time on track so the team has plenty of information to work with. We are heading
in the right direction so I am happy with our work so far.”
The return of Formula One cars to the track has made news the world over and
drawn fans to see the cars in huge numbers. More than 35,000 Spaniards turned
out to see their two-time champion Fernando Alonso return to the cockpit of a
Renault after his short spell at McLaren-Mercedes, and the public will be made
welcome in Bahrain as well during the second three-day block of action.
The second three-day test for Ferrari and Toyota in Bahrain will take place on
February 9-11 and Public Day will be on Saturday February 9. For just BD1 for
adults and 500 fils for children the Main Grandstand will be open to watch the
cars on the track and in the pit lane. Not only that but a football pitch is
being built in the BIC car park to host the Ithmaar Group Yalla Bahrain! F1
Football Fives event.
The action away from the track will see a total of 32 teams from across Bahrain
play in a special one day tournament as part of the cultural and community
programme leading up to the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix. This will be the second
of the free-to-attend events in this year’s Ithmaar Group Yalla Bahrain!
programme after Ferrari ace and winner of the 2007 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix,
Felipe Massa, has his autograph session at the Seef Mall on the evening of
February 8.
For those wishing to enjoy a more exclusive experience, a corporate package is
available for Public Day at Formula One testing. This includes five-star
hospitality, a pit tour and gift packs, priced at BD65 per person. Please
contact the BIC hotline on +973 1745 0000, visit the BIC Welcome Centre or its
Seef Mall stand or log on to www.bahraingp.com to book these unique packages.
