Bahrain GP 2012 - Sakhir

[myurr]

His second run is no better and has been abandoned.

[myurr]

Hamilton 4th but lost time behind Massa.

[Javert]

Lost time in the 2nd sector: is McL creating less downforce than "stepped" nose rivals?
This car was flying in 2nd sector in Malaysia ...

[myurr]

I think they've just gone for the wrong setup. Hamilton's top speed is only 3kmph slower than the best.

[WhiteBlue]

McLaren don't seem to be favoured by the temperatures as we thought befor the race. In quali trim at least Merc and Red Bull look faster. But all of this can change when the temps shift more and Hamilton gets his act together.

[browney]

What was the reason to revert to the non-endurance circuit? Couldn't there be more chance of some mistakes for overtaking with some twisty stuff to set-up for in addition to the fast stuff and the nasty bump in the additional section?

There isn't usually a lot of overtaking here anyway.

[astracrazy]

because the that circuit was crap and provided nothing but a long boring race

[WhiteBlue]

What was the reason to revert to the non-endurance circuit? Couldn't there be more chance of some mistakes for overtaking with some twisty stuff to set-up for in addition to the fast stuff and the nasty bump in the additional section?

The drivers expressed a preference for the faster and shorter circuit variant.

Webber is setting the fastest lap times in race trim now.

[raymondu999]

It'll be interesting to see but if the rumours are correct that the car can be set up for balance either for the start or end of the stint as the rears wear more than the fronts, then it could just be that the setup is currently more biased towards the start of the stint and that they'll have to sacrifice a bit of that pace if they want to run well in the race.

I suspect in a circuit where the corner speeds aren't too dissimilar from each other (ie no fast and slow corners - Bahrain is almost entirely slow corners and hairpins) then setup could be well easier for them.

[sAx]

Hamilton 4th but lost time behind Massa.

+0.007s after S1, +0.511 as he closed in behind Massa in S2.

sAx

[Maelstrom]

The Mercs have had a good long run. Hopefully today and tomorrow's remaining session gives them enough information to correctly setup the car.

I also have a feeling that we'll be seeing RBR on the podium on Sunday. Hopefully it will be Webber.

[myurr]

It'll be interesting to see but if the rumours are correct that the car can be set up for balance either for the start or end of the stint as the rears wear more than the fronts, then it could just be that the setup is currently more biased towards the start of the stint and that they'll have to sacrifice a bit of that pace if they want to run well in the race.

I suspect in a circuit where the corner speeds aren't too dissimilar from each other (ie no fast and slow corners - Bahrain is almost entirely slow corners and hairpins) then setup could be well easier for them.

Quite possibly. It's been a bit of a strange session, watching the cars, with so many drivers locking the brakes. Hamilton looked pretty good on his long run as did the Red Bulls. Mercs looked strong but a little bit slower.

Look forward to all the press releases later today to see where the teams feel they are.

[Ferraripilot]

Michael running seriously quick in S1 then backed out of the lap during S3, S3. Schumacher pole appears to be possible if his tires are working for him. Merc heavy load pace looks good and I'm seeing Michael's times as quicker longer into the stint than Nico who definitely appears to be harder on the tires.

I can't be sure if RB have the quickest race pace or not but they certainly look very competitive. Mclaren haven't really shown anything yet is my guess. Button definitely appears to be having some balance issues though.

[Maelstrom]

Michael running seriously quick in S1 then backed out of the lap during S3, S3. Schumacher pole appears to be possible if his tires are working for him. Merc heavy load pace looks good and I'm seeing Michael's times as quicker longer into the stint than Nico who definitely appears to be harder on the tires.

I can't be sure if RB have the quickest race pace or not but they certainly look very competitive. Mclaren haven't really shown anything yet is my guess. Button definitely appears to be having some balance issues though.

I think things will be clearer in the last session tomorrow. Atleast the weather is constant. It will further show us how strong the cars are in comparision after China.

[banibhusan]

Another factor to play a major role is the drop in track temperature. That affected lot of teams in China, let's see how does it shape up the race in Bahrain.