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Michelin drivers
set the pace in the opening two free practice sessions as teams prepared for
the third round of this year's Formula One world championship in the desert
setting of Sakhir, Bahrain.
 McLaren
reserve Alexander Wurz - promoted to a Friday test role after an injury to
Juan Pablo Montoya forced the team to shuffle its line-up - set the day's
fastest lap. He posted a 1m 30.695s in the heat of the afternoon, when track
temperatures topped 50 degrees. Ricardo Zonta (Toyota, 1m 31.449s) was
quickest in the morning and second overall.
Michelin drivers
filled nine of the top ten positions on aggregate. World championship leader
Fernando Alonso (Renault) was third fastest from Vitantonio Liuzzi (Red
Bull, fifth), Pedro de la Rosa (Team McLaren Mercedes, sixth), Jarno Trulli
(Toyota, seventh), Giancarlo Fisichella (Renault, eighth) Kimi Raikkonen
(Team McLaren Mercedes, ninth) and Jenson Button (BAR-Honda, 10th). Wurz set
the day's fastest time despite having missed a substantial chunk of this
morning's first session, when he was sidelined by a technical problem.
Defending world champion Ferrari is using two different chassis this
weekend, as it attempts to claw back ground lost in the opening two rounds
of the world championship. Team leader Michael Schumacher is driving the
latest F2005 chassis while team-mate Rubens Barrichello persists with the
older F2004. Barrichello did not participate in today's second session,
because of gearbox trouble.
Christijan Albers was briefly unable to rejoin the circuit this morning,
after running wide at Turn Nine. His Minardi slithered into the support race
pit lane - from which there was no way out. The Dutchman had to wait for
marshals to create an escape route by removing a series of cones that
blocked his path.
Motor racing's governing body the FIA has announced that F1's technical
regulations will continue unchanged until the end of 2007. The rule that
places no limit on the number of competing tyre manufacturers will remain in
force until at least 2008.
Pierre Dupasquier, Michelin Motorsport Director:
"The Bahrain International Circuit has evolved considerably since we last
raced here 12 months ago. In 2004 the surface was very abrasive, which is
typical for a new circuit, but this year it is much less so - if anything,
the degree of change has taken us slightly by surprise.
"We have completed a number of valid comparison runs throughout the day,
particularly this afternoon, but will have to pore over the data very
carefully before any definitive tyre choices are made. The track has
definitely become faster as the day has progressed and we need to analyse
its probable short-term evolution very carefully. From what we have seen so
far, though, it is conceivable that our 'prime' and 'option' tyres will both
be used in Sunday's race. Both have performed extremely well so far." |
