Saturday's Qualifications

[Ferrari]

Update us Guys soon you get the results........Thanks N Regards

[Ferrari]

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When Michael Schumacher took control of Friday’s second practice here in Bahrain by almost a second, with less than 15 minutes gone, it looked as though it would be business as usual. But a gripping session evolved, suggesting that tomorrow’s qualifying and Sunday’s race are far from foregone conclusions.

True, Ferrari were still fastest courtesy of Rubens Barrichello’s 1m 41.450s. But literally the second after the Brazilian recorded that time, Juan Pablo Montoya took his Williams round in 1m 31.451s, so only one thousandth of a second separate two of the leading protagonists – and Bridgestone and Michelin. However, with three rear tyre failures – for Fernando Alonso, Anthony Davidson and David Coulthard, Michelin have some concerns to address overnight.

The session also began badly for McLaren when Kimi Raikkonen became the first victim of engine failure – as he began his first flying lap. Nick Heidfeld also failed to do more than five laps before his Jordan stopped with as-yet unidentified technical problems.

Davidson’s puncture came after he had covered 26 laps, but once a new left rear was fitted he burst back out to snatch third fastest time in the dying moments with 1m 31.488s, greatly boosting BAR’s hopes.

So where was Michael? After a spin he ended up fourth on 1m 31.732s but was quite happy with his Ferrari and thought he could have gone faster without traffic problems.

Besides Davidson, the other great surprise was Christian Klien’s speed in the second Jaguar, which he hauled into contention with fifth fastest time of 1m 31.789s late in the session. For once that eclipsed team mate Mark Webber, who was eighth on 1m 32.041s. The Austrian was very happy.

The Jaguar team mates were separated by Williams’ Ralf Schumacher and BAR’s Jenson Button, who lapped in 1m 31.842s and 1m 31.879s respectively. Both of them were quite happy with what they achieved.

Alonso was ninth for Renault after his tyre drama, the right rear Michelin on his R24 throwing its tread. He lapped in 1m 32.234s, but team mate Jarno Trulli stopped out on the track in Turn 11, with possible engine failure. He was only 18th.

Ricardo Zonta was again in strong form for Toyota with 10th fastest time of 1m 32.335s which edged out Coulthard, who had managed 1m 32.495s before his left rear tyre failure sent him spinning dramatically into the gravel in the downhill run to Turn 13. The Scot was chased by Takuma Sato, who lapped in 1m 32.680s but lost time when running over a discarded Renault barge board damaged his BAR’s front wing.

After the Heidfeld disappointment Jordan had something to be pleased about as Giorgio Pantano took 13th best time on 1m 32.708s to edge out Cristiano da Matta’s Toyota on 1m 32.761s.

Felipe Massa should have been ahead of them but spun his Sauber in Turn 13 after posting his best sector one and two times. Like many, the Brazilian discovered that while the racing line had plenty of grip, getting even slightly off it was like driving on ice. Toyota’s Olivier Panis was right behind Massa, the pair on 1m 33.031s and 1m 33.049s respectively, while an unwell Giancarlo Fisichella ( he was running a fever) was 17th on 1m 33.061s in the other Sauber.

Behind Trulli, Timo Glock stopped the clocks in 1m 33.695s for Jordan, heading the Minardi of Zsolt Baumgartner, Jaguar’s Bjorn Wirdheim and Minardi’s Gianmaria Bruni on 1m 34.054s, 1m 34.317s and 1m 34.791s respectively. That left Bas Leinders to take the third Minardi to 1m 36.248s, which was 1.5s faster than he went this morning.

All of the teams now have the data they need to make their tyre choices, which of course could change the closeness of the times tomorrow since some may not be able to run as soft a compound as they were today. Nevertheless, the signs are that Ferrari and Bridgestone will have stronger opposition here in Bahrain than they got in Australia and Malaysia.

[Ferrari]

Saturday 03 Apr 2004

09:00 - 09:45 Practice 1

10:15 - 11:00 Practice 2

13:00 Pre-Qual

14:00 Qualifying

[Ferrari]

Michelin have said that detached drainage hatches at the Bahrain circuit were the likely cause of deflating tyres for David Coulthard, Fernando Alonso and Anthony Davidson on Friday.

“Three of our drivers suffered damaged tyres during the course of today’s free practice,” said Pascal Vasselon, the French company’s F1 programme manager. "We have found identical marks on all three affected tyres and they all suffered kerb impact damage prior to deflating.

“Michelin has collaborated with the FIA’s technical department in order to establish what caused three of its tyres to sustain damage during today’s second free practice session. An inspection of the track has revealed that two drainage hatches have become detached from their concrete bases, creating sharp ridges that will damage any tyre that crosses them.

“A temporary cure has been set up for today’s remaining track activities and a permanent solution will be in place before F1 practice resumes tomorrow morning.”

Davidson and Alonso got their cars back to the pits, while Coulthard spun off into the gravel in the closing minutes of Practice Two.

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[Ferrari]

Kimi Raikkonen will be forced to drop ten places on the Bahrain grid following an engine failure during Friday's second practice session.

The Finn brought out the yellow flags barely ten minutes into the session as he was forced to pull off with flames licking from the rear of his MP4-19.

The blaze was caused by a fuel leak and engineers were forced to change the Mercedes V10, which under the 2004 one-engine-per-weekend rule, means Raikkonen will be demoted ten places on the grid for Sunday's race.

Raikkonen, who finished runner-up to Michael Schumacher in last year's drivers' championship, has had a disappointing start to his 2004 campaign, failing to finish in either of the opening two rounds

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[Ferrari]

What the men at the sharp end thought of the new track

The Formula One drivers finally got to sample the Bahrain International Circuit in anger on Friday, producing positive impressions and one of the tightest practice sessions this season.




Rubens Barrichello, Ferrari (1st, 1m 31.450s):
“I think the car has been performing quite well on this the first day here. I am happy with the set-up, but there is still a lot of work to do, as the track is very dirty, so we are having to second-guess the set-up for Sunday. The track has less grip than I expected after walking the track yesterday. But it is not because of the sand, but simply because the surface is still new. It has been a positive day in terms of our work with the tyres, the engine and on set-up.”

Juan Pablo Montoya, Williams (2nd, 1m 31.451s):
“I definitely like this track because it's quite challenging and this is how a good circuit must be. Of course the facilities are amazing, as everyone can see. Also the grip is not too bad, in spite of all we have heard so far, and the track has become quicker and quicker throughout the session. The tyre choice won't be too easy, though, because both the types that Michelin has taken out here are good in different ways. It will be quite interesting to see what happens tomorrow and especially in the race. I am confident.”

Anthony Davidson, BAR (3rd, 1m 31.488s):
"I've had a very positive day today and I'm really pleased to end it in third. The circuit just kept getting faster and faster with each lap we did as more and more rubber went down, but that has made tyre choice quite difficult. We have a lot of data to go through after such a reliable day's running with all three cars, so there's a lot of work to be done this evening. I think the track is great; they've done a fantastic job with the layout. There are some nice undulations and the heavy braking zones mean it's quite difficult to string a clean lap together because you have to be careful not to overshoot on braking into the first gear corners and then concentrate on getting a clean exit. I think overtaking will be tough in the race; there are opportunities but its very dirty off-line. A good first day though and it looks like our car is going to be strong here. It's just disappointing that I can't stay to race here myself!"

Michael Schumacher, Ferrari (4th, 1m 31.732s):
“It’s been an interesting start on this circuit. I enjoyed driving and I have to say the track layout is very demanding. It looks like the rest of the weekend will be a great challenge and I am looking forward to that. It seems that everyone is very close and from our point of view, we can say we have everything in place to be very competitive.”

Christian Klien, Jaguar (5th, 1m 31.789s):
“I really like the track and it was good fun out there today. I spent the morning session learning the circuit and there are some good corners where you are going from 300kph down to 80ish and it's not easy to find the ideal braking point on such a new track. If you go off-line it's really dusty and of course this is affecting the tyres and the set-up. The engineers and mechanics did a good job setting the car up for the second session, hence my good time. The track may change come tomorrow but either way we are looking good and I am encouraged going into tomorrow.”

Ralf Schumacher, Williams (6th, 1m 31.842s):
“I am very happy with today's Free Practice sessions, when we could thoroughly complete our programme. A small problem is the fact that since the track gets quicker and quicker, we don't know if our car goes faster thanks to the set-up changes we make or just because of the improved grip-level. I generally like the track very much even if it is still quite dusty.”

Jenson Button, BAR (7th, 1m 31.879s):
"The session was encouraging and I am relatively happy with the performance of the car. It was tough to do any testing in the sessions and work on set-up because the circuit kept changing and improving every lap. It will be difficult to know which tyres to choose but we are lucky that we run three cars and Anthony did a lot of laps, so we will go through all the data tonight and we should have more information about what will work best.

"I like the layout of the circuit. There are some really good high-speed corners and the low-speed corners are not just low speed first or second gear corners; they actually have a bit of interest to them and you do have to work at them. On line, the circuit is really rubbering in, but it's very dusty off the circuit. If you run off the track there is so much dust and you lose a lot of time. I think that it will be pretty close competition this weekend, similar to Malaysia. If we are strong for the rest of the weekend then we will be fighting for a podium position, and definitely in the points. It's going to be very exciting."

Mark Webber, Jaguar (8th, 1m 32.041s):
“It's been a good first day for us here and we have managed to gather a lot of information from the track. I worked through my programme and completed it fully. As you can imagine with it being a new track we have spent a lot of our time working on tyres. Until you get out there you really don't know what to expect but there were no surprises and we are in good shape. The track cleaned up a lot as the day progressed which makes a big difference to the car and the grip was good by this afternoon. We will work on set-up tonight in preparation for tomorrow and I am already looking forward to getting back out on track.”

Fernando Alonso, Renault (9th, 1m 32.234s):
"It is always fun learning a new circuit, and as a driver, you enjoy finding the right lines and learning about the small details. It is not really a demanding circuit for the drivers, because the straights give you a bit of time to rest. However, if you go off line, you need at least half a lap to clean the tyres up again. Our objective for today wasn't to get a definitive set-up, but rather to do lots of running to learn about the track. We didn't make too many set-up changes because the circuit was changing a lot, and we should get a better idea of performance tomorrow."

Ricardo Zonta, Toyota ( 10th, 1m 32.335s):
"I think we have done a good job in these two sessions to find the right tyre for the weekend. In the second session we did a long run with the compound we have chosen and I think we found a good balance. The track improved a lot over the last fifteen minutes of the second session and I felt a much bigger difference during the long run. The Bahrain track itself is very nice. The changes in direction and the undulations of the track are particularly enjoyable to drive. Overall, I am very happy with the car, the work we have done and the improvements we have made today."

David Coulthard, McLaren (11th, 1m 32.495s):
"Obviously not the best start to the weekend. Towards the end of the second session I had a left rear tyre failure which caused me to go off the track and we are looking into why at the moment as it can be a number of factors. However I did manage to get a few laps in and the track does represent an interesting challenge."

Takuma Sato, BAR (12th, 1m 32.680s):
"It has been a very good start for us considering this is a brand new circuit. We haven't experienced any major problems so have been able to do some good work with the tyres and set-up. The circuit is very interesting to drive and the track conditions changed considerably during the day. When we started out this morning it was very 'green' and dusty but it has improved a lot with the amount of running today. There was actually a lot of grip on the line towards the end of the day so I was able to keep improving my lap time. It was a shame that I lost six or seven tenths on what would have been my fastest lap of the day when I picked up debris from Alonso's Renault, so there is a lot more to come from me and the car here. Generally I'm pleased so far."

[Ferrari]

http://www.formula1.com/race/news/1385/716.html Giorgio Pantano, Jordan (13th, 1m 32.708s):
“I’m quite happy about free practice today. We have started working in the right direction with the car and also in myself I am getting more comfortable with car, it feels really good. We are beginning to see a little bit of difference - we are a lot closer to the front in our lap times compared to the last two races which is encouraging. For sure we still need to improve a lot because this is not the maximum we can do. But we have come to a track which is new for everybody and the engineers have worked hard to find a good set-up, a really good balance. I think it’s starting to come together and I’m happier.”

Cristiano da Matta, Toyota (14th, 1m 32.761s):
"We are in similar shape to the last race in Malaysia, which looks promising for the rest of the weekend. The track is difficult in the sense that there is little margin for error. Off the racing line, it is still very dusty and you go from quite a bit of decent grip to absolutely zero. We were able to improve the car a lot during today's sessions. I think there will be more improvements from everyone tomorrow, which will come mainly from the track conditions, but we also hope to make further steps forward on the car."

Felipe Massa, Sauber (15th, 1m 33.031s):
"I did a long run this afternoon but there was so much traffic that I couldn't use all my laps. But at least we have an idea of the direction to take for tomorrow. The balance of the car needs improvement as I had a lot of oversteer on turn-in, but otherwise it wasn't too bad.

"My last lap should have been two or three tenths faster but I made a mistake in Turn 13 and spun. The grip level is okay here on the line, but once you get even slightly off it, it's like ice."

Olivier Panis, Toyota (16th, 1m 33.049s):
"Being a new circuit, it was very dusty today. It is a nice track to drive, but it is easy to make a mistake if you run wide. The balance of the car was quite good and we will continue to improve the car in practice tomorrow. Ricardo (Zonta) did a very important job on the tyres today and I think this has helped us to make the correct decision. Having more new tyres available on the third car is a big advantage at this track because the conditions improve all the time. Everyone in the team worked well and I am looking forward to a good day tomorrow."

Giancarlo Fisichella, Sauber (17th, 1m 33.061s):
"This morning was fine, but this afternoon wasn't so good. I had too much oversteer, so we have more work to do on set-up this evening. It is also still quite difficult for us to do a good lap first time out on new tyres.

"I haven't been feeling too well since I got to Bahrain. I've had a high temperature and fever, but it doesn't actually affect me when I'm driving and I'm sure I'll be okay for the race."

Jarno Trulli, Renault (18th, 1m 33.437s):
"It wasn't the best day ever, but I'm not too disappointed. We could certainly have done more mileage, but we nevertheless managed to improve the car during the day. Sure, it was a bit of bad luck to have an engine problem but fortunately, we don't think it is too serious - and it is better for that to happen today than on Sunday. The circuit itself is interesting: the track cleaned up well, and we hope it will continue improving over the weekend. It is not a particularly technical layout, but I think it will be pretty enjoyable for the drivers."

Timo Glock, Jordan (19th, 1m 33.695s):
“Today was not bad, in fact the first session was really good apart from a small problem with the brakes. By the second session we found and fixed it and overall everything went quite well despite me making one or two mistakes. I had a spin when evaluating a particular set of tyres but the car was quite good and my last few runs were very positive.”

Zsolt Baumgartner, Minardi (20th, 1m 34.054s):
"The track was very slippery initially and that was why we were struggling for traction - but then, it was the same for everybody. We were able to find a good balance as the day went on, though, and we ended up with a reasonable time. To be in front of one or two other cars is definitely satisfying. We spent quite a bit of time altering the car during the two sessions, as the track was changing all the time. We improved steadily, though, and hopefully, that will continue tomorrow. All told, we have had a positive day."

Bjorn Wirdheim, Jaguar (21st, 1m 34.317s):
“The track was quite slippery out there this morning but I managed to stay on track and get some good information for the team. Unfortunately the car had a minor hydraulic leak which stopped me earlier than planned but the team turned the car round and I was out again this afternoon. I have spent most of today on tyre work which is vital for the team going into tomorrow's session. I enjoyed the track and as usual, I wish I was back out there with them for tomorrow.”

Gianmaria Bruni, Minardi (22nd, 1m 34.791s):
"We found a good chassis balance today, and although I wasn't able to set my best possible time on soft tyres as the result of traffic problems in the second session, I think we should be fine for tomorrow. The track itself is very good, and despite the surface being dirty earlier, it got better as the day wore on. I like the layout very much and look forward to a good performance tomorrow."

Bas Leinders, Minardi (23rd, 1m 36.248s):
"I'm very happy with my second weekend as Minardi's Test and Reserve Driver. We completed our technical programme today, and speaking personally, I feel we have improved quite a bit between the last race weekend, in Malaysia, and this event. Certainly, I feel I know the car a lot better. It was also good, in similar conditions, to set a fastest lap today that was not too far away from the two race drivers. I'm happy with the effort from the team, and I have a very good feeling for the rest of the season."

Nick Heidfeld, Jordan (24th, 1m 40.573s):
“It was the first time on this circuit for everybody and the morning session went well for us. I like the circuit so far although there are a lot of slow corners. I would prefer more quick corners but there are some nice parts in the middle. Today, at least, we have improved compared to our rivals and that is in part thanks to Bridgestone. Unfortunately I lost three quarters of the second session due to a technical problem which caused me to stop on the track. It is a worse hindrance than usual both as a driver and in terms of setting up the car, because it is valuable time at a new circuit. Hopefully we will be able to use data from Timo and Giorgio to set up the car for tomorrow.”

Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren (25th, no time in practice two):
"I'm obviously disappointed to lose almost all of the second practice session due to an engine failure. All of a sudden I just lost all power. It's a shame as I was going to go for it, as I had used the first session to familiarise myself with the track. I quite like the circuit, and it's not too dusty or slippery. However there are a lot of small stones flying up sometimes particularly if you are behind somebody."http://www.formula1.com/photos/90x59/sutton/2004/d04brn373.jpg http://www.formula1.com/photos/90x59/sutton/2004/d04brn374.jpg http://www.formula1.com/photos/90x59/sutton/2004/d04brn368.jpg http://www.formula1.com/photos/90x59/sutton/2004/d04brn389.jpg

[Ferrari]

Friday 2
April
11:00-12:00 Friday Practice 1

14:00-15:00 Friday Practice 2


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Saturday 3
April
09:00-09:45 Saturday Practice 1

10:15-11:00 Saturday Practice 2

13:00 Saturday Pre-Qual

14:00 Saturday Qualifying



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Sunday 4
April
14:30 Race
______________________________________________

[Ferrari]

Bahrain International Circuit
Manama
Kingdom of Bahrain


Tel: (+973) 406444


Fax: (+973) 406555





Web: http://www.bahraingp.com


The 2004 Grand Prix of Bahrain will be the first ever round of the FIA Formula One World Championship to be held in the Middle East and will mark the official culmination of a multi-million dollar project started back in September 2002 when the Kingdom of Bahrain signed a long-term deal to host the event.

Located at Sakhir, 30 km south-west of the island's capital, Manama, the Herman Tilke designed circuit contains no less than five track layouts within one complex. Construction began in November 2002 and in the months prior to its March 2004 completion, work was going on around the clock. Over 12,000 tonnes of stone were used in the build, a third of it Welsh granite, chosen for the track surface due to its excellent adhesive qualities.

The 5.411 km Grand Prix circuit has been designed with the spectator in mind, with 50,000 grandstand seats, all providing excellent views. Those spectators (a total of 100,000 are expected over the race weekend) will get to see the cars heading into the external desert area, before coming back into the oasis-styled infield. Up to 500 journalists will also witness the action from the venue's purpose-built media centre.

The track will offer the driver a unique experience in the way the circuit's width varies at the end of the different straights. This allows for diverse racing lines, and the 12-corner design is expected to provide at least three genuine overtaking opportunities. Estimated lap time is around 1m 33s, with the drivers expected to record an average speed of close to 210 kph.


Most fans' arrival point will be the Bahrain International Airport, located in Muharraq on Bahrain Island, the largest of the Kingdom's 36 islands. The airport plays host to around 40 airlines and lies just a few kilometres north-east of the capital, Manama.

Given the island's relatively small size (48km long and no more than 16km wide), road is the most obvious way to access the Bahrain International Circuit, either using the Kingdom's efficient bus services or one of the numerous rental car firms. The circuit's official website suggests two alternative routes from the airport, both taking around 30 minutes:

Route 1 – From the Khalifa Al Kabeer Highway take the Sh. Hamad Causeway towards Manama South. After the bridge turn left towards the Al Fateh Highway and follow this to the traffic light junction signed Sitra. There, turn left on to the Majils Al Tawon Highway and once past Awali, take the Zallaq Highway towards Zallaq. Turn left at the junction signed Al Jazaer Beach and the circuit will come up on your left.

Route 2 - From the Khalifa Al Kabeer Highway take the Sh. Isa Causeway towards Manama Center. After the bridge, go straight on to the King Fasal Highway. Go through Seef District and on to Madinat Hamad where you should get on to the Sh. Shulman Highway. At the first roundabout go left towards Riffa, then at the next roundabout go right towards Awali. Once past Awali, take the Zallaq Highway towards Zallaq. Turn left at the junction signed Al Jazaer Beach and the circuit will come up on your left.

Bahrain Island is also linked by road to the Saudi Arabian mainland by the King Fahad Causeway.

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[Ferrari]

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[Ferrari]

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[Ferrari]

2004 Bahrain Grand Prix


Pos No Driver Team Laps Time/Retired Grid Points

1 2 Rubens Barrichello Ferrari 1:31.450

2 3 Juan Pablo Montoya Williams-BMW 1:31.451

3 35 Anthony Davidson BAR-Honda 1:31.488

4 1 Michael Schumacher Ferrari 1:31.732

5 15 Christian Klien Jaguar-Cosworth 1:31.789

6 4 Ralf Schumacher Williams-BMW 1:31.842

7 9 Jenson Button BAR-Honda 1:31.879

8 14 Mark Webber Jaguar-Cosworth 1:32.041

9 8 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:32.234

10 38 Ricardo Zonta Toyota 1:32.335

11 5 David Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes 1:32.495

12 10 Takuma Sato BAR-Honda 1:32.680

13 19 Giorgio Pantano Jordan-Ford 1:32.708

14 16 Cristiano da Matta Toyota 1:32.761

15 12 Felipe Massa Sauber-Petronas 1:33.031

16 17 Olivier Panis Toyota 1:33.049

17 11 Giancarlo Fisichella Sauber-Petronas 1:33.061

18 7 Jarno Trulli Renault 1:33.437

19 39 Timo Glock Jordan-Ford 1:33.695

20 21 Zsolt Baumgartner Minardi-Cosworth 1:34.054

21 37 Bjorn Wirdheim Jaguar-Cosworth 1:34.317

22 20 Gianmaria Bruni Minardi-Cosworth 1:34.791

23 40 Bas Leinders Minardi-Cosworth 1:36.248

24 18 Nick Heidfeld Jordan-Ford 1:40.573

25 6 Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes

[CapRicon]

:thanks:

:up2: :up2:

[Ferrari]

Ferrari lock out front row for first race in Bahrain
Jenson Button may have starred this morning, and Ralf Schumacher was fastest in the pre-qualifying, but when it mattered it was Michael Schumacher who grabbed another pole position.
http://www.formula1.com/photos/190x177/sutton/2004/d04brn697.jpg
And just to rub it in Rubens Barrichello, who was only 11th in the first run, slipped up the order to take the other front row position. Truth be told, they made it look easy.

As befits this desert track, the animals came in two-by-two, for behind the fleet Ferraris the Williams line up together on row two with the BARs on row three. You have to go back to the fourth row before that symmetry is broken.

Both Schumacher R and Juan Pablo Montoya had been fast in the first run – indeed, Ralf’s 1m 29.968s from that session was never approached in final qualifying once everyone had decided on their fuel strategy (three stops are the most likely). When it came to his turn Montoya got the second sector badly wrong after dipping beneath Schumacher’s pole time in the first sector, and in the third the Williams was visibly struggling to turn into the uphill left-hander at the end of the lap. The result, a lap of 1m 30.581s, which came nowhere near close enough to Barrichello’s 1m 30.530s, let alone Schumacher’s 1m 30.136s.

So that left Ralf. Could he do better? After the first sector the answer seemed affirmative, but then he too struggled in sector two and hunted for front end grip up the hill, so it was no surprise when he also came up short with 1m 30.633s.

Behind them, the big surprise was that Takuma Sato was the leading BAR driver. He popped in his 1m 30.827s right before Button, the hero of the morning, went out for his lap. They were close, but in the end the Englishman’s best of 1m 30.856s left him sixth and a little bit disappointed after his speed earlier in the day.

Renault’s Jarno Trulli put together a smooth 1m 30.971s which was enough for seventh, but team-mate Fernando Alonso had another qualifying day from hell when he over-braked for the first corner and later in the lap ran off the road twice. The result was a feeble 1m 34.130s which leaves him 17th in the line-up. After his computer-game start in Malaysia, however, that might not take him long to overcome…

Eight on the grid thus fell to Olivier Panis after Toyota made a big step forward today in setting up its cars. Earlier on Cristiano da Matta had done 1m 31.717s, and ‘Olive’ edged him back a row with 1m 31.686s.

The final top 10 place went to David Coulthard, and while that is a long way from McLaren’s expectations as a top race team, it was something good after the team’s appalling luck in the morning. The Scot did a clean, if undramatic, job to lap in 1m 31.719s, but when Kimi Raikkonen came to run after posting 1m 30.553s to be second fastest in the preliminary session, he aborted his lap. This time there was no technical reason. It was simply a matter of strategic necessity, since he was due to lose 10 grid places anyway after Friday’s engine problem, and would most likely have had to start around 16th place. Remembering what happened to him in Spain when he started from the back of the grid last year, McLaren elected to send him out with a reasonable fuel load and on new tyres, which he scrubbed before pitting at the end of his out lap. He can thus start from the back of the grid, but in good enough shape to make progress the minute the red lights go out tomorrow afternoon.

Giancarlo Fisichella made a big step forward on setting up his Sauber and was disappointed to miss out on eighth place by five-hundredths of a second on his way to 1m 31.731s, while Christian Klien again beat Jaguar partner Mark Webber, who has been struggling to make sense of his R5’s set-up all weekend. 12th and 14th places, either side of Felipe Massa’s Sauber, were a disappointment to the team which had hoped for a third row start here. Neither driver felt that their placings were an accurate reflection of the Jaguar’s true potential here. As for Massa, a big mistake in the first corner and then another over the kerb in Turn Four killed his prospects instantly.

Nick Heidfeld did his usual clean and unobtrusive job for 15th for Jordan, with team mate Giorgio Pantano making progress to line up only six-tenths behind him. Alonso is next, followed by the Minardis of Gianmaria Bruni (1m 34.584s) and Zsolt Baumgartner (1m 35.787s).

On a circuit where overtaking may be possible, the start could nevertheless be crucial, as the fine powder dust off the racing line may discourage heroics come the race. It remains to be seen whether that factor influenced Ferrari into running a slightly lower fuel load than Williams in a bid to take an on-track advantage, while the pace of BAR suggests they too could be key players. The grid might look all too familiar as far as the front two rows are concerned, but things are likely to be very tight once the inaugural Bahrain Grand Prix gets underway.

[Ferrari]

Drivers: 1st Michael Schumacher (Ferrari), 1m 30,139s; 2nd Rubens Barrichello (Ferrari), 1m 30,530s; 3rd Juan Pablo Montoya (Williams), 1m 30,581s.http://www.formula1.com/photos/190x177/sutton/2004/d04brn857.jpg
Q: Michael, it looked as if it has been a reasonably hard two days’ work so far. Ross Brawn was saying yesterday that perhaps the circuit characteristics here do not favour your car particularly well.
Michael SCHUMACHER: Well, possibly. But all that matters is that we are where we are and we finally got everything together, although I wouldn’t say that was one of my best laps, honestly. Nevertheless it was enough.

Q: Are you talking about your own performance or are you saying you could have got more from the car given more time for set-up?
MS: I think we all sort of struggled in some way to get the perfect lap in. All of us somewhere, somehow, lost time I guess because it is very tricky to get everything out of this circuit because it is very demanding.

Q: Are you talking about it being very dirty off line for example?
MS: It’s not about that, I mean, I don’t think too many of us went off line. It is just that it is very tricky even on line because it is a technically difficult circuit.

Q: Rubens, Michael seemed to be a little bit quicker on sector three, certainly on the times. How was it from your point of view?
Rubens BARRICHELLO: Well, I had a reasonable lap but I didn’t have a very quick one. I had a little bit of a problem with the brakes on the first session so I didn’t expect it to be that different and the brakes were a lot better so in many ways I was a little bit too conservative and the last corner was pretty much where I lost it. Michael had a phenomenal sector three where I was a little bit too conservative and that is where I lost the time.

Q: Juan Pablo, how has qualifying been for you?
Juan Pablo MONTOYA: It was good the first two sectors, you know, and I think the lap itself was very good until I got to the last corner. I just had a bit too much understeer when I went in and had to work on the throttle and all the time was lost. If you look at Ralf I lost four tenths to Ralf in the last sector but luckily I made enough time in the first two sectors to be third.

Q: Michael, here we are in Bahrain for the first time. There has been talk about problems with sand or heat, just give us your take on the circuit and the weekend so far.
MS: I think we have found a very well prepared circuit for the conditions and the situation here. You imagine the time they had available and how much time they had to build the circuit. Everyone I have heard so far is very happy in coming here, the circuit is difficult, it is technically demanding, but that is what we are looking for – we don’t look for easy business – and I hope we are going to be able to have a good show for all the spectators. It is a new country where we deliver Formula One and it would be good to show something to those people.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Michael, we saw one or two little wisps of smoke from the tyres – does that mean you were right on the limit or just a fraction over it?
MS: Probably more a fraction over it than on it.

Q: Would that have lost you time?
MS: I think all of us, after today’s qualifying on a technically difficult circuit, a sharp-edged circuit, we can say that in the end.

Q: So how confident were you of a good time during qualifying today?
MS: I was confident we would fight for pole, whether it would happen or not happen I thought it was going to be very close and it probably would have been.

Q: Because you have had one or two problems, you have gone off the circuit a couple of times, but that has just been finding the limit has it?
MS: I think none of us can say it hasn’t happened to him today or yesterday. I think it is the nature of the circuit. You do try and the conditions do change through the run and it might just be a bit too much and a bit too much is out in the dust.

Q: Is it going to be as precarious in the race itself?
MS: I think it will be something to be difficult to handle during the race.

Q: Is that because of its slipperiness or the technicality?
MS: Yeah, it is simply because it is so slippery as soon as you get off line a little bit and the nature of the circuit itself, with the tyre and the heat, is already slippery so as a combination it makes it tricky.

Q: Rubens, you went relatively early. Do you think that was a disadvantage? Did it affect things at all?
RB: I am not so sure. I had a look and there was a difference of three degrees. Probably the cloud helped towards the end but it doesn’t really matter. I was actually surprised that the Williams didn’t set the times they were setting this morning as well as BAR. I had a reasonable run, possibly I could have gone faster if I was later in the session but even so that is part of the past already.

Q: It seems as though the second two sectors are more important. Is that the case or not?
RB: I think very honestly, like Michael said, the track is very difficult technically so if you make a mistake on turns one and two or four you try to overcome the problem and then you overdo it. And by overdoing it you run just a little bit off line and you make a mistake. That is why the people who didn’t set a good time on sector one were not able to recuperate the time more than anything else.

Q: You talked about brake problems just now. You had brake problems in the previous race; other people have had brake problems here. Is it a problem you have got sorted, first of all, for the race itself?
RB: I think so. On the first run, to be honest, they were not prepared enough for the lap, and on the second run they were too prepared. So I was in the middle of second guessing what I should do in terms of braking and the conditions to go to the corner. The balance of the car itself is very good and I am quite happy with the brakes so I think I have a good brake package for tomorrow’s race.

[Ferrari]

Q: Juan Pablo, as Rubens just mentioned, Williams were expected to do a little better. Are you disappointed in getting third?
JPM: I think it is better than second. I think looking at Michael’s last sector and what we had done in the first sector it looked very hard to make up the time. The first two sectors were very good and it actually cost me more through the last corner when I tried to carry just a bit more speed and had too much understeer. I had to just work with the throttle and lost all the time on the straight. So from that point of view it was a bit disappointing but I think seeing as the track is so dirty on the right hand side – nobody has actually run through there – it is actually better.

Q: What about the factors for the race itself? What is the first corner going to be like?
JPM: Ah, interesting, you know! It will be pretty good. We have been getting pretty good starts. Apart from the first start, where we had a problem with the clutch, the last race was very good so it will be interesting to see what Rubens can do from the dirty side on Michael.

Q: And going off line, say, to overtake backmarkers?
JPM: It is going to be pretty interesting. It is going to cost you quite a bit of time because I think the tyre is going to pick up so much rubber it is going to take a bit of time to clean.

Q: Do you think your tyres clean off as well or better than the Bridgestones?
JPM: I don’t know – I have never driven a Bridgestone. It is difficult to say.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Mark Fogarty – Auto Action ): Michael, do you feel that you’re driving better than ever in your career? Do you think you’re on top of your game now, in pure driving terms?
MS: The reason you ask that is because I’m doing consistently well this year, whereas last year I was a little bit more inconsistent. But I think a lot is down to the car, honestly, and maybe the way I work with my engineer and everything. I just get more together. I do feel easier, yeah, but whether it makes me faster or not faster I’ve no idea. The car is just easier to work with and to get the maximum out of it.

Q: (Mark Fogarty): I guess that was my point, whether you feel, within yourself, that every lap out there that you do, it comes easier than perhaps at any time in your career.
MS: Not at any time in my career, but compared to last year.

Q: (Matthias Brunner - Motorsport Aktuell): How would you compare the track conditions from yesterday to today?
MS: Similar.
JPM: Yeah, it’s getting cooler as the afternoon goes on. Qualifying started at 2.30, it was halfway through to 2.30 and you could see that track conditions started to go down.

Q: I heard somebody say that they felt that it was going to be fairly green at the start of each day; was it fairly green at the beginning today?
JPM: Not really, not for us.
RB: The best time out on the circuit was this morning.
JPM: Yes, actually. The grip level then was actually incredible.

Q: (Ottavio Daviddi – Tuttosport): Question to Michael and Juan Pablo. Watching the TV, we didn’t understand the little battle between you two in this morning’s second session. Could you explain what happened?
MS: We were trying to simulate race conditions!
JPM: Yeah. It’s pretty good, isn’t it?

Q: (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo): This question is to Juan. Did you have the same problem, understeer, in sector three this morning?
JPM: No, it was good. I always have a little bit of understeer through there, it’s the tendency of the corner when it goes downhill a little bit, but I think I carried too much speed to be honest.

Q: (Nikel Tanija – Young Times): This is to all of you. You have driven this track quite a few times now. Where would you say this track is lacking and where would you see that it is better than other tracks?
MS: I wouldn’t say there’s any reason to say that it’s lacking because it’s very good in terms of run-off areas. We have seen a lot of offs during the days. I don’t know if any of us have hit the wall, I don’t remember. I don’t think so, because the run-off areas are so good and it’s technically demanding, so from a race driver point of view, it’s a success.
RB: For me, I think that the only thing that the track is actually lacking is that we need more races. It’s brand new, the track will get better, so it’s not lacking anything. It’s just that as we have more races here, I think the track will eventually get even better. So there’s no downside right now.
JPM: I think it’s very good. You can see people going off because the car is so technical. It’s a circuit where not many people got a clean lap in qualifying. Maybe they got the first one, but not the second one. I don’t think anybody really got in two very good laps. And it shows that if you push the car, if you’re 95 per cent or 98 per cent it’s quite easy to get a lap in but if you try to really get the maximum out of the car, making a mistake here is quite easy and it’s quite dusty as well. If you get into the dirt you just go straight off.

Q: (Mark Forgarty): I have a couple of questions for Michael and for Rubens. Michael, in a few weeks you’ll be back at Imola. It’s the tenth anniversary of Ayrton Senna’s death. Can you tell us how you will feel? How difficult or significant will this anniversary be?
MS: It’s a little bit difficult to… I mean, anyway, once you think about it, it’s hard to remember what has happened, but on the other side… put it this way, I don’t really want to talk about it too much.

Q: (Mark Forgarty) Ok, it’s something that’s going to come up. Rubens, is it an emotional time for you?
RB: I think people are going the wrong way about this. I think ten years is to commemorate someone who was very special, so in a way, for me, he has always been present. It’s not that I think about him every day but being a Brazilian and living the emotion of being a Brazilian, you live with Ayrton Senna every day. So I don’t think that ten years is any different than the ninth year or eleventh year, as far as I’m concerned. For me, going there is going to be the same as it’s been during the last few years.

Q: (Mark Fogarty): Sorry Michael, you may have understood me. The ten year anniversary will be significant to many people and what Rubens is saying is quite true…
JPM: I think it’s more about celebrating his life than his death, to be honest, and I think that’s maybe where you need to understand that it happened a long time ago, it’s ten years. I was a massive fan – I’m still a big fan of Senna. When you go there, you know it happened there, but you’re not thinking ‘oh, it happened here’. For example, last week I was in Dubai doing an auction for the Senna family and it’s about celebrating his life and trying to help the family with the Foundation more than anything else.

Q: (Mark Fogarty): Well, you’re right Juan, I’m actually trying to get some recollections of Ayrton at a very poignant time. I can’t avoid it, it’s going to come up. I didn’t invent the tenth anniversary thing. So I’m asking Michael and Rubens their recollections of Ayrton and thank you, you gave some input as well. So, sorry Michael, do you get the gist of what I’m trying to get at? I’m not so much asking about the time and the day and what the feelings may be, but it’s a particular time when we’ll all be remembering Ayrton and I guess what I’m asking is what are your recollections of Ayrton?
MS: The main one to me is the one in 1980 when I saw him in karting, and for me, that’s the biggest recollection I have. I didn’t follow him there, but it was something outstanding and I don’t think it’s necessary to speak about what he has achieved and then afterwards – that is very obvious, but for me, that has been a very special moment.

Q: (Mark Fogarty): What happened that was so special, then?
MS: No, to see him driving. The ability he had, compared to everyone else driving in the field.

Q: (Nikel Tanija): Which one track would you say is the most challenging you have ever raced on and how would you compare Bahrain to that particular track?
RB: If we drive it as fast as you talk, we’re going to be on pole every day, I tell you! Everyone has a challenge, I think this one is pretty good on challenges, even though there are not many high speed corners, but it’s really difficult to get it right and even though in turns five and six you don’t brake as much, it’s still a nice corner.
MS: I think everybody knows I’m in love with Spa, so that stays number one, but this is not far off.
JPM: As Rubens says, each track has a particular thing about it. You would say that there is only one really fast corner but it’s still quite a good challenge, it’s very demanding, there are a lot of places where you’re turning and braking at the same time, so I think having a well-balanced car here makes quite a lot of difference.

[Ferrari]

Q: (Andrea Cremonesi – La Gazzetta dello Sport): This morning the Ferrari was a little bit away from the top; what changed, was it just strategy or did you change something in regulation of the car, or the track, or something like this?
MS: I guess it’s a matter of who got their laps in on new tyres or not, and I don’t think either Rubens or myself got in good lap times on our new tyres, so what you saw this morning wasn’t too representative in terms of overall lap time.

Q: (Livio Oricchio): The question is to Juan Pablo. Is it realistic for you to expect a good battle with the Ferrari drivers tomorrow?
JPM: It’s hard to tell. You don’t really know what everybody did today or anything. You look at Malaysia where we just tried to finish close to them and we had a close battle. Whereas here? I don’t know. I don’t know how the tyres are going to behave, it’s so difficult, but if everything goes according to plan, hopefully we can at least challenge them, but if we don’t we can try to take some points and try to challenge them at the next race.

Q: (Mohammed Kayani – Arabia Motors) Michael and Rubens. We just wanted to know about the tyre compound; there has been a lot of speculation about Bridgestone not performing well due to the weather and the heat. How are the tyres faring so far?
MS: Good. We’re on pole position. We won the race in Malaysia – it wasn’t too cold there and that’s much better than we’ve seen in the past, and certainly down to Bridgestone improving their game.
RB: I think the story of Bridgestone not performing well in heat conditions is just part of the past. It happened before, it doesn’t happen any more, and we have a fantastic tyre for both conditions, so we’re quite happy.

Q: (Marwan Rassi – Future TV) Question to Michael? Are you chasing the pole position record, it’s seems you’re always putting a few kilos (of fuel) less than the top drivers?
MS: Does that seem to be? Yeah? I thought in Australia he had less than me, actually.

Q: (Marwan Rassi) No, at least with Rubens. Last race you pitted beforehand…
MS: Yeah, true.

Q: (Marwan Rassi) You always say you’re not interested in records, but that’s the only one missing.
MS: I thought I won both races, so I think it is…

Q: (Marwan Rassi) No, the only record missing, the pole position record.
MS: Yes, I know, but I guess you know myself – maybe not long enough, actually – that records don’t drive me, don’t push me. If they happen, obviously I’m very glad they happen but that’s not what I’m aiming for.

Q: (Nikel Tanija) This is just a little humour: I would like to ask you guys how many speeding tickets have you managed on the road?
MS: Usually they come afterwards, when the results are taken from all the photos. I haven’t seen any photos taken of me! I haven’t seen any photos yet, so…
JPM: I know one. The rest? No never.
RB: I had one last week in Brazil but I was talking with my Vodafone at traffic lights and then they gave me a ticket for that. I sent it to Vodafone.

Q: (Joe Saward – F1 Grand Prix Special): Talking about the challenge of the track, it’s interesting to see from the grid that the first four rows are team by team. Could you actually explain why that might be?
MS: Maybe you could help us.

Q: (Joe Saward): No, it’s an interesting point. It’s Ferrari, followed by Williams, followed by BAR etc. It’s curious that it would be like that because often that happens on certain tracks with certain layouts. You don’t think that’s significant?
MS: I don’t think so. I think that’s coincidence.

Q: (Mark Fogarty): To all of you. Before we came here, one of the big talking points was sand on the track, going off on it, in the engines and all that but, correct me if I’m wrong, it doesn’t seem to be an issue very much any more, so have there been no problems with this very fine sand that you have round here?
MS: No, it’s not a big issue. Everybody expected this flat area surrounded by sand, and a little bit of wind would blow it onto the circuit immediately, but it’s not so sandy actually, it’s a lot different to what I expected and the problem doesn’t exist.

Q: (Mark Fogarty): That’s my point, it’s not an issue, is it?
MS: None of us have been here before and neither have you, so…

Q: (Mark Fogarty) And the heat?
JPM: I think the big difference is that it’s very dry compared with Malaysia.

Q: (Niki Takeda – Formula PA): Question for Michael. I know you don’t take anything for granted but how unnerving is it for you to see your silver competitors are not in your vicinity for the last few races? Is it a surprise, a relief?
MS: It is, yes. I think it’s a surprise for everybody to some degree but when things go wrong, they go wrong badly and unfortunately that’s what’s going on with Mercedes, for whatever reason, not only that, it’s not the biggest competition package but they’re quite unlucky as well, for whatever reason. You never discount teams such as those, from my point of view because they always have the capacity to be back.

Q: (Matthias Brunner): Michael you got a fine this morning for speeding in the pit lane, what happened? Did you push the button too late or…?
MS: There was a mistake by me, not pushing the button. Yeah.

Q: (Livio Oricchio). For both Ferrari drivers: do you think the fact that Shell produced the asphalt here and also at Fiorano has helped you and can help you in the race?
MS: I think it’s the same as in Hockenheim and at some other circuits, actually, so that situation is comparable. I think we’ll know more after tomorrow’s race whether that’s good or not good. But usually Shell supports us very strongly, but whether they have any influence in this area, I doubt it.

[Ferrari]

Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello on how Ferrari stole Williams' thunder and Kimi Raikkonen on why he chose not to run. Plus every other driver explains his qualifying efforts in Bahrain
http://www.formula1.com/photos/90x59/sutton/2004/d04brn831.jpg http://www.formula1.com/photos/90x59/sutton/2004/d04brn650.jpg http://www.formula1.com/photos/90x59/sutton/2004/d04brn828.jpg http://www.formula1.com/photos/90x59/sutton/2004/d04brn830.jpg
Michael Schumacher, Ferrari (1st, 1m 30.139s):
“Of course, I am happy to be on pole for the first race here, but I cannot say I got a perfect lap. I was right on the limit and sometimes over it. I think that this is because the track is technically demanding and difficult, which I think everyone is happy about, because we are not supposed to be here for an easy life! I think the technical nature of the track, combined with the high track temperatures and the fact that it is very slippery off the racing line, will mean that tomorrow’s race will be very difficult. I hope it is a good show for all the fans coming to see their first grand prix.”

Rubens Barrichello, Ferrari (2nd, 1m 30.530s):
“I would describe my qualifying lap as a reasonable one, not a very good one. During pre-qualifying I was not so happy with my brakes. But in the qualifying, they were much better and I think that as I had not expected them to be so good, I was a bit too conservative in the way I tackled my lap. I was out on track a bit earlier in the running order for qualifying and so there was a slight difference in track temperature with those who ran last. But I do not think this made a significant difference to my lap time. Now, I am happy with my brakes and with the balance of the car, so I feel confident I have a good package for the race.”

Juan Pablo Montoya, Williams (3rd, 1m 30.581s):
“It is a shame, because I was having a very good lap and I was really quick in the first and second sectors. I lost all my advantage and even more in the third part, in the last corner actually, where I was trying to find a bit more speed. I’m not sure I could have set the pole without that problem at the last corner, because Michael was really quick. It is a bit disappointing of course being only third, but at least I will still be starting from the clean side of the track. It is difficult to predict how tomorrow’s race is going to be.”

Ralf Schumacher, Williams (4th, 1m 30.633s):
“I am really pleased with my car and my qualifying performance. My race set-up should turn into an advantage tomorrow. But still, my lap time could have been better today. I lost some time in the middle sector. Ferrari seems to be very strong again, but I think, if my brother and Rubens do not manage to open up a gap soon after the start, we could give them a hard time tomorrow.”

Takuma Sato, BAR (5th, 1m 30.827s):
"It was a good lap considering that I had some oversteer, so I’m quite pleased. It has been a very productive weekend so far and I’m happy that we haven’t had any problems so far. I have been able to get lots of laps in and this really helped with my qualifying result, so this just shows what is possible with the right preparation. I’m really looking forward to the race."

Jenson Button, BAR (6th, 1m 30.856s):
"I’m lost as to why my qualifying lap was so slow because we could and should have been quicker based on this morning’s running. So I’m actually quite disappointed. The car has been great all weekend and we’ve been looking so strong, but this afternoon the car felt very different from this morning. Some of that will be down to changing track conditions and loss of grip, but we’ll have to look at the information and see what went wrong. There’s still some work to do if we are to achieve our full potential here tomorrow."

Jarno Trulli, Renault (7th, 1m 30.971s):
"It was a pretty good qualifying session from my perspective. As we had seen yesterday and this morning, I am competitive in the first and third sectors, but there is still progress to be made in the second part of the lap. I am expecting a tough race tomorrow: the grip level is improving all the time and I believe the track will change significantly during the race itself. The car balance is good, so I think we can certainly hope to score more points tomorrow."

Olivier Panis, Toyota (8th, 1m 31.686s):
"We started the season with some different problems but everyone has reacted well to keep pushing and improving. Now we are making steady progress at each race weekend to optimise everything we have. I am happy with my qualifying lap today. We have both cars in the top ten, so now we have to continue to be strong and to push to the maximum. I believe we are on a good strategy and we have shown reliability in the first two races, so we have to think of getting to the end of the race in the points. The whole team is working very well together and today has been an excellent result for everybody."

Cristiano da Matta, Toyota (9th, 1m 31.717s):
"I have been pleasantly surprised by our performance at the Bahrain circuit and particularly by this morning's free practice results. I think our car suits this type of smooth surface track, and we have also benefited from competitive Michelin tyres. In qualifying, we tried a slightly lower fuel lap for the first session and it appeared that the track conditions were not as favourable compared to the morning. We topped the fuel up more for the important second run, and overall I am pleased to be starting the race from 9th. With both cars in the top ten, I think we can target a points finish tomorrow, like we almost achieved in Malaysia two weeks ago."

David Coulthard, McLaren (10th, 1m 31.719s):
"Our difficult weekend continues as we have just not been able to get the package working to our advantage. The car feels OK through corners 11 and 12 but apart from that it's really difficult to find the speed. The plan for tomorrow's race is to get a good start and gain a couple of places and then keep out of trouble and aim for reliability. The circuit is quite challenging, and I do like it, but I believe there is only a limited amount of overtaking opportunities, but we will have to wait and see."

[Ferrari]

Giancarlo Fisichella, Sauber (11th, 1m 31.731s):
"I am much happier with everything today. I feel better physically, and the car was the best it's been for me all season. The gap between me and those in front is also closer, and I did two good, clean qualifying laps this afternoon. We worked on the car all day and got a much better balance than yesterday, and I think we will be even closer to the front in the race. The target, of course, is to score points, and I think we can do this."

Christian Klien, Jaguar (12th, 1m 32.332s):
“My lap was not perfect this afternoon and so I am not best pleased with my final qualifying position. I feel that the track had changed since this morning's sessions so it was different going out this afternoon. I felt that because of this the car was slightly more nervous under braking and so it was more difficult to extract the best from the R5. There really is only one good line out there so tomorrow is going to be interesting. If you go off-line the track is really dirty and this could make overtaking slightly more challenging. I have started further down the grid than twelfth before so to be honest I am going to really enjoy tomorrow and I am looking forward to the start. It is my first race where experience matters less so I will be giving it my best shot.”

Felipe Massa, Sauber (13th, 1m 32.536s):
"I made a huge mistake in the first corner, and then I went over the kerb in Turn Four and lost traction. The second and third sectors were okay, but by then the damage was done. It's really disappointing because we improved the car a lot over the first qualifying session, even though I lost track time this morning with a fuel pressure problem which didn't make it easy to get the car balanced.

"We tend to run better in the race, though, and I always think that I can score points, so I'll be going all out to achieve that tomorrow. It'll be fantastic if I can."

Mark Webber, Jaguar (14th, 1m 32.625s):
“We continued to work on set-up and balance this morning and we completed our programme as planned. I was pleased with how the car was feeling but unfortunately qualifying this afternoon was not an accurate reflection of where we should be and what the R5 is capable of. The grip levels reduced slightly in my second session and I made a couple of minor mistakes in section one and obviously this was frustrating for me. I tried to get it back but I couldn't so hence my qualifying position. The track has some good over-taking opportunities so we will have to make the most of these in tomorrow's race.”

Nick Heidfeld, Jordan (15th, 1m 33.506s):
“I have qualified 15th which is the same as my qualifying in the previous two races but unfortunately this time as we had to change the engine after free practice yesterday, I have to start ten places further back. I think we did a reasonable job learning the new circuit and the tyres, despite losing some crucial time yesterday when I missed most of the second practice session due to the engine problem. The biggest issue for me in qualifying was a cone in the middle of the track at turn 10! It should have been moved, it cost me time as it forced me to take a different line.”

Giorgio Pantano, Jordan (16th, 1m 34.105s):
“I’m not happy really because after yesterday we planned to qualify with a good time and that would put us in a good position for the race. But today we tried different set-up configurations with the car and it hurt me a lot. Now we need to understand why it’s changed so much between one day and the next. I find it very strange because we did good timed laps and found a good car yesterday and today we have not been able to find a balance.”

Fernando Alonso, Renault (17th, 1m 34.130s):
"I had big problems under braking this afternoon. We didn't change anything on the car, but I was locking the front wheels every time I had to brake hard. We know that we can still score points tomorrow, we saw that much in Malaysia, but it won't be easy from that starting position."

Gianmaria Bruni, Minardi (18th, 1m 34.584s):
"We did some excellent work this morning. The mechanics and the engineers did a great job, because we changed the car a lot to arrive at a good set-up. I had a good first qualifying lap this afternoon, and an even better second one, so I am pleased for myself and for all the guys, who put in a big effort today. I think for the package we have, we achieved quite a good lap."

Zsolt Baumgartner, Minardi (19th, 1m 35.787s):
"I struggled a bit in qualifying, mainly, I think, because I missed the chance to try the last two sets of new tyres in the final morning session as a result of the spin I had. Maybe I was then a little too cautious in my qualifying runs as, like yesterday, the track changed in grip quite a lot between the morning and afternoon sessions and I didn't really get a good feel for the tyres. It was not a good qualifying performance, but the only thing to do now is to put it behind me and focus on making a good start and having a strong race tomorrow."

Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren (20th, no time):
"As we had to change my engine yesterday we knew that no matter where I qualified we would have to move 10 places down. As a result we decided to change our tactics so I can start with a good fuel load and new tyres. Hopefully this strategy will pay off tomorrow, but we will have to wait and see. In motor racing anything is possible and I will do my best and hopefully we can do well."

[Ferrari]

Who finished where in the final session ahead of qualifying
1. Ralf Schumacher, Williams, 1:29.968
2. Juan Pablo Montoya, Williams, 1:30.247
3. Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren, 1:30.353
4. Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, 1:30.751
5. Olivier Panis, Toyota, 1:31.001
6. Fernando Alonso, Renault, 1:31.040
7. Jarno Trulli, Renault, 1:31.103
8. Jenson Button, BAR, 1:31.131
9. Takuma Sato, BAR, 1:31.135
10. Giancarlo Fisichella, Sauber, 1:31.203
11. Rubens Barrichello, Ferrari, 1:31.283
12. Cristiano da Matta, Toyota, 1:31.329
13. David Coulthard, McLaren, 1:31.364
14. Christian Klien, Jaguar, 1:31.868
15. Mark Webber, Jaguar, 1:31.945
16. Felipe Massa, Sauber, 1:32.152
17. Nick Heidfeld, Jordan, 1: 32.640
18. Giorgio Pantano, Jordan, 1:33.598
19. Gianmaria Bruni, Minardi, 1:34.879
20. Zsolt Baumgartner, Minardi, 1:35.632

[Ferrari]

2004 Bahrain Grand Prix

Pos No Driver Team Laps Time/Retired Grid Points

1 1 Michael Schumacher Ferrari 1:30.139

2 2 Rubens Barrichello Ferrari 1:30.530

3 3 Juan Pablo Montoya Williams-BMW 1:30.581

4 4 Ralf Schumacher Williams-BMW 1:30.633

5 10 Takuma Sato BAR-Honda 1:30.827

6 9 Jenson Button BAR-Honda 1:30.856

7 7 Jarno Trulli Renault 1:30.971

8 17 Olivier Panis Toyota 1:31.686

9 16 Cristiano da Matta Toyota 1:31.717

10 5 David Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes 1:31.719

11 11 Giancarlo Fisichella Sauber-Petronas 1:31.731

12 15 Christian Klien Jaguar-Cosworth 1:32.332

13 12 Felipe Massa Sauber-Petronas 1:32.536

14 14 Mark Webber Jaguar-Cosworth 1:32.625

15 18 Nick Heidfeld Jordan-Ford 1:33.506

16 19 Giorgio Pantano Jordan-Ford 1:34.105

17 8 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:34.130

18 20 Gianmaria Bruni Minardi-Cosworth 1:34.584

19 21 Zsolt Baumgartner Minardi-Cosworth 1:35.787

20 6 Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes

[Ferrari]

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[Ferrari]

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[Ferrari]

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What to see in Bahrain - from the Independent's travel section

It may be the first Arab state to stage an F1 grand prix, but, it is not just race fans who will find plenty to do in this little kingdom, says Lucy Gillmore

13 March 2004

WHY GO NOW?

Bahrain, the only Arab island state, is snapping at the heels of tourist hotspot Dubai after pipping the rest of the Middle East to the post to host the first Formula One motor racing in the region next month (2-4 April). The Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix will take place in the glitzy new International Stadium in Sakhir south of the capital, Manama. For tickets and information call 00 973 406 222 or visit www.bahraingp.com.

Bahrain strikes a good balance; it's more liberal than many of its neighbours (just check out all the weekenders from Saudi Arabia) yet offers a more traditional, less manufactured, Middle Eastern experience than Dubai. Think restaurants that wouldn't look out of place in Notting Hill, plush beach resorts, reams of history (forts, ancient burial mounds and temples) - and sunshine.

BEAM DOWN

The only non-stop flights to Bahrain are on British Airways (0870 850 9 850; www.ba.com) and Gulf Air (0870 777 1717; www.gulfairco.com) from Heathrow. I flew with British Airways which currently has daily flights from £407. The lowest fares are likely to be through discount agents. Expedia has flights with Qatar Airways from Manchester via Doha from around £354. On arrival, visitors must obtain a tourist visa for US$15 (£9) and when leaving pay a BD3 (£4.50) departure tax. Bahrain International Airport is on the island of Muharraq around a 10-minute drive from Manama. A taxi into town costs around BD2 (£3). The number 1 bus from the airport to Manama bus station costs BD0.5 (70p). Getting around Manama itself is relatively easy on foot, but you will probably want to hire a car for sightseeing around the island. Hertz (00 973 321 287), in the airport offers car hire from BD10 (£14.50) per day.

GET YOUR BEARINGS

The Kingdom of Bahrain in the Arabian Gulf is made up of 33 islands, although most are just tiny rocky outcrops. Bahrain island is the biggest at around 48km by 16km. Some islands, such as Sitra and Muharraq, have been linked to the main island by causeways. Manama is in the north east; the main street is Government Avenue which runs west to east, while to the north, King Faisal Highway skirts the coast. In between you'll find government buildings and hotels. To the south of Government Avenue is the main tourist office in the Bab al-Bahrain - "the Bahrain Gate" (00 973 1720 1215/ 1720 1230; www.bahrain.tourism.com, open daily 8am-1pm and 4pm-8.30pm) at the entrance to the souq and old city.

CHECK IN

The best place to stay is the swanky Ritz-Carlton Hotel and Spa (00 973 580 000; www.ritzcarlton.com) a man-made resort just 7km from Manama. Set in lush gardens, the beach is well-groomed, the lobby dripping in gold. Doubles from BD120 (£175) including breakfast. Slightly cheaper but still with its own beach is the Novotel Al Dana Resort (00 973 298 008; www.novotel.com) just off the causeway to Muharraq. Doubles from BD49 (£71) including breakfast. The Youth Hostel No 1105 Road 4225 (00 973 727 170) in the suburb of Juffair, signposted from the Al-Fatih Highway, has doubles from BD12 (£17.50) excluding breakfast.

TAKE A VIEW

From the tower on the manmade island halfway along the King Fahad Causeway which links Bahrain to Saudi Arabia; the border is at this midway point. This incredible 25km stretch of road was completed in 1986. The toll for the causeway is BD2 (£3). It costs BD0.5 (75p) to take the lift to the viewing deck and the restaurant half way up. Inside it's a bit like an Eastern European service station but the views make up for it; far below grassy swathes, crashing green waves. In the distance, Saudi Arabia.

TAKE A RIDE

Take a sea taxi to Dar island for a spot of sunbathing. Sea taxis leave from the terminal on the island of Sitra, take about 20 minutes and cost around BD2.5 (£3.50).

LUNCH ON THE RUN

Downtown Manama is a jumble of Kentucky Fried Chicken, McDonald's and Burger King joints. For a more leisurely lunch head to Veranda Gallery Café Shop 372 Block 327, Sheik Isa Ave (00 973 17 715 868) a sprawling old lean-to with sloping roof and locals smoking shisha pipes. The air is heavy with the sweet scent of fragrant tobacco. Fresh juices such as sweet melon and pomegranate cost BD1.2 (£1.75). Arabian mezze - bowls of hummus labneh, tabbouleh, falafel cost BD1.5 (£2.10) per portion. A Shisha pipe is BD1.5; flavours include mint, apple and cherry.

CULTURAL AFTERNOON

The National Museum Al-Fatih Highway (00 973 292 977) is open 8am-8pm and costs BD 0.5 (£0.70). It is a must for a fascinating overview of the island's history from ancient civilisations to the discovery of oil (Bahrain was the first country in the Middle East to strike black gold in 1932). Don't miss the Hall of Graves for a reconstructed burial mound and the Hall of Trades and Crafts to learn about the pearl diving industry. Check opening times for attractions you want to visit; many are only open 8am-2pm.

WINDOW SHOPPING

The Manama souq is a warren of little lanes selling aromatic spices and tourist tat (shisha pipes, mosque alarm clocks BD1 (£1.50) singing camels or a bundle of Iraqi bank notes - haggle and you can get three for BD1). Gold and pearls are Bahraini specialities and just down the street from the main souq is the gold souq where you can pick up some bargains.

AN APERITIF

Head to the bar on the top floor of the Diplomat hotel King Faisal Highway (00 973 531 666) for views of Manama floodlit. If you're dining in the district of Adliya - home to a cluster of stylish and very popular restaurants - have a pre-dinner cocktail (very good Margaritas) at Zoe, (00 973 177 16400) contemporary New York loft in design.

DINING WITH THE LOCALS

Mezzaluna (00 973 177 42999) in Adliya (a little warren of streets with no names but the restaurants are well signposted) has been converted from an old Bahraini house. With its traditional carved doors opening on to a covered courtyard, the decor is an eclectic mix of rustic wooden tables and modern zebra print chairs. The menu is European; a delicious filet mignon costs BD7 (£10). Nearby Monsoon (00 973 177 49222) offers Far Eastern cuisine - a mix of Thai, Malaysian and Vietnamese, in a soaring restaurant built to resemble a Balinese palace.

SUNDAY MORNING, GO TO THE MOSQUE

Join a free tour of the Al-Fatih Mosque, also known as the Great Mosque, built between 1984-88 on the Al Fatih Highway. This magnificent building (carpets from Scotland and lighting from France, interestingly enough) is the largest in Bahrain and capable of holding 7,000 worshippers. Women have to check in to the reception where they're dressed in black full-length gowns and head scarves. The tour isn't a hard sell on Islam, but is very informative. Open 9am-3pm daily except Friday which is the day of prayer. Then head to the Bait Al Qur'an just down the road off Government Avenue (00 973 290 101) which has an impressive collection of Islamic artifacts, calligraphy and manuscripts including a large number of Qurans dating back to the 7th-century.

OUT TO BRUNCH

Café Lili (00 973 714 440) is a bijou little turn of the century Parisian-style brasserie; all opulent dark wood floors, red velvet seating and red and gold striped walls. Brunch is served from 8-11.30am; specials include Les Oeufs Parisienne - poached egg and beef bacon on toasted muffin with hollandaise sauce - for BD2 (£3).

A RIDE IN THE PARK

The Al Areen Wildlife Park (00 973 836 116) was established as a conservation area in 1975 near the village of Zallaq. It is open every day from 8-11am and 3-5pm. Admission is BD1 (£1.50) and it is eight kilometres square and home to 500 species of animals and birds such as the Arabian Oryx, zebra and camels. After a short film a minibus takes you on a ride through the park.

THE ICING ON THE CAKE

Contrary to what most locals seem to think, it's not the Tree of Life, a gnarled old Acacia in the middle of the scrubby desert. Supposedly a popular picnic spot it's miles from anywhere, the trunk is daubed in graffiti and the benches vandalised. Or the acres of windswept burial mounds. The forts, scattered around the island are, however, diamonds in the rough. Arad Fort on Muharraq is floodlit at night and dates back to the 17th-century. The Bahrain Fort on the north-west coast at Karbabad is also known as the Portuguese Fort; a huge structure with moat still undergoing excavation work. But the pièce de résistance (go at sunset for spectacular views over the surrounding desert) is the Shaikh Salman bin Ahmed Al-Fatih Fort at Riffa built in 1812 (open Sun-Tues 8am-2pm, Wed & Thurs 9am-6pm, Fri 3-6pm, Sat closed).

[Ferrari]

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The Crown Prince
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F1 chief in Bahrain
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[Silver SS]

3 Juan Pablo Montoya Williams-BMW 1:30.581

Mashalla The Crown Prince has done it again... he is the man

[Diablo]

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