Sunday, March 12, 2006
# posted by Rich @ 3:09 AM
Bahrain: pre-race
So, with only the race left to run, here is a brief round-up:
The suprise of the weekend so far are the Ferraris - I did not expect them to be this quick. Massa I think has surprised a lot of people, although I have always thought that he was quick. Tyres are undoubtedly the reason for Ferrari's resurgence.
Raikkonen looks to be in trouble, having to start from the back of the grid.
Button, Alonso, and Montoya are all quick, and poised right behind the Ferraris on the grid. In fact, there is quite a good mix on the grid (Ferrari, Ferrari, Honda, Renault, McLaren, Honda, Williams, Red Bull).
Fuel loads, I think, played a major part in qualifying. Looking at the practice times, Button and Davidson were fastest on assumedly light fuel. Button's qualifying pace I think reflects the fact that he is running a heavier load of fuel, and harder tyres - and I suspect most of the Michelin runners chose to do the same.
So, what can we expect for tomorrow? Well, I expect 3 stops from the Ferraris to maximise their tyre advantage, expect 2 stops from basically everyone else. Pit windows for 3 stoppers should be laps 13-16, 27-30, 41-44; two stop windows should be 17-21 and 36-40.
I expect there will be a close fight for third place in the beginning, with Alonso getting a better start off the line, and taking 3rd into the first corner.
The man to watch, though, will be Raikkonen. Starting from the back, with no restrictions on fuel load, expect a very aggressive strategy from the McLaren crew. Raikkonen is quick, but unfortunately, even with good reliability, I don't see him being quick enough to win. I think 5th is the highest he can hope for; a points finish is more realistic.
Predictions for the race (and yes, I know they differ from my Friday predictions): Alonso, Button, M Schumacher, Montoya, Massa, Fisichella, Barrichello, Raikkonen.
I have been wrong about everything else this weekend, let's see how wrong I am about the race!
The suprise of the weekend so far are the Ferraris - I did not expect them to be this quick. Massa I think has surprised a lot of people, although I have always thought that he was quick. Tyres are undoubtedly the reason for Ferrari's resurgence.
Raikkonen looks to be in trouble, having to start from the back of the grid.
Button, Alonso, and Montoya are all quick, and poised right behind the Ferraris on the grid. In fact, there is quite a good mix on the grid (Ferrari, Ferrari, Honda, Renault, McLaren, Honda, Williams, Red Bull).
Fuel loads, I think, played a major part in qualifying. Looking at the practice times, Button and Davidson were fastest on assumedly light fuel. Button's qualifying pace I think reflects the fact that he is running a heavier load of fuel, and harder tyres - and I suspect most of the Michelin runners chose to do the same.
So, what can we expect for tomorrow? Well, I expect 3 stops from the Ferraris to maximise their tyre advantage, expect 2 stops from basically everyone else. Pit windows for 3 stoppers should be laps 13-16, 27-30, 41-44; two stop windows should be 17-21 and 36-40.
I expect there will be a close fight for third place in the beginning, with Alonso getting a better start off the line, and taking 3rd into the first corner.
The man to watch, though, will be Raikkonen. Starting from the back, with no restrictions on fuel load, expect a very aggressive strategy from the McLaren crew. Raikkonen is quick, but unfortunately, even with good reliability, I don't see him being quick enough to win. I think 5th is the highest he can hope for; a points finish is more realistic.
Predictions for the race (and yes, I know they differ from my Friday predictions): Alonso, Button, M Schumacher, Montoya, Massa, Fisichella, Barrichello, Raikkonen.
I have been wrong about everything else this weekend, let's see how wrong I am about the race!
Labels: Bahrain, Formula 1, Grand Prix
If the fonts on this page look blocky and naff, it's probably because you are using Internet Explorer, which currently does not display antialiased (cleartype) fonts consistently when alpha transparency is used. I suggest you upgrade to Safari, Camino, Opera, or Firefox. While you're at it, get a Mac.
