Felipe's new friend
Sauber Experience the Bahrain Culture
Felipe's new friend
By Jamie Makin (2/4/2004)
April 2 2004
Although this week marks Sauber's second recent visit to the small Arab country, they still have a lot of discoveries to make before putting their cars on the track for the inaugural Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix.
Felipe's new friend
April 2 2004
Although this week marks Sauber's second recent visit to the small Arab country, they still have a lot of discoveries to make before putting their cars on the track for the inaugural Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix.
Despite official warnings from government and race officials to take precautions against terrorism, the team found the citizens in Bahrain to be very welcoming and enthusiastic about the race. Driver Felipe Massa certainly wasn't interested in hiding in his hotel room or the team's garage. Instead he visited a few local attractions today to become better acquainted with the country.
Felipe started the day with a visit at the Al-Areen wild life park in Sakhir. There he had a chance to learn about the local animals and even had a chance to get up close and personal with a falcon. It was clear he enjoyed himself. "It was very nice to visit the wild life park and it was a completely new experience for me to see and hold a falcon in my hand. They are beautiful and majestic birds. At this wild life park they even have a falcon clinic! I found this very impressive and this mirrors the high value of these birds here in Bahrain and in the Middle East in general."
The local fans had their first taste of Formula One and the SAUBER PETRONAS team in February when Neel Jani drove the C22 on the streets of Manama. Their enthusiasm to see the team again was apparent as Felipe continued his tour.
"Afterwards we went to the Seef Mall shopping centre in Manama where a lot of fans were already waiting for an autograph. I could feel how crazy the Bahraini are about fast cars and that they are very enthusiastic about Formula One. I think this Grand Prix will definitely be an event to remember."
The team clearly received a warm reception from the fans and were also greeted by Bahrain's infamously warm weather. Although temperatures were slightly lower than the team predicted, this weekend's weather will consistently be in the low 30's during the day and drop to the low 20's at night. The humidity will be less than in Malaysia, but will increase from about 31% on Friday to 45% on Sunday. These conditions will still place great demands on both the car and the driver. The wildcard in the forecast is the possibility of thunderstorms during the race itself. While one would not normally associate thunderstorms with desert conditions, the Kingdom of Bahrain is made up of a number of small islands placing the circuit in close proximity to the Persian Gulf. Bahrain's summers are typically humid, with thunderstorms a frequent possibility. A slight breeze will keep the track dusty all weekend. It remains to be seen how effective a "glue" applied over local dunes will be in keeping dust from blowing onto the track.
Most teams, including Sauber, have mentioned grip level as their largest concern, and the one factor that is the most difficult to simulate before running on the track. The drivers walked the track today, and reported the surface to be very smooth and free of bumps. The tarmac itself is very black, so it will retain a lot of the sun's heat. The tyre companies have had to put some guesswork into which compounds to bring for these conditions. Sauber and the other Bridgestone teams may be an advantage in this area. The new track surface was paved with bitumen developed by Shell Oil. This gives it similar characteristics to the recently repaved Hockenheimring and Ferrari's own test track in Fiorano. Considering that much of Bridgestone's development work is conducted at Fiorano, they will have more familiarity with the levels of grip afforded by the tarmac. Good tyre selection and reliability could combine this weekend to give Sauber additional championship points.
After coming to grips with the local track conditions, the teams will also have to observe local customs and come up with some new traditions for the race. There will be no bikini-clad grid girls in Bahrain, and no spraying of the traditional champagne on the winners' podium. The three top finishers will instead be presented with a local concoction called "Warrd". Created specially for the grand prix, it is a carbonated mix of several local fruits - pomegranate and trinj mixed with rosewater.
Drivers and fans alike are excited about the forthcoming Grand Prix, and Sunday's race will show if Sauber's hard work for it can be translated into a points-scoring finish.
Felipe started the day with a visit at the Al-Areen wild life park in Sakhir. There he had a chance to learn about the local animals and even had a chance to get up close and personal with a falcon. It was clear he enjoyed himself. "It was very nice to visit the wild life park and it was a completely new experience for me to see and hold a falcon in my hand. They are beautiful and majestic birds. At this wild life park they even have a falcon clinic! I found this very impressive and this mirrors the high value of these birds here in Bahrain and in the Middle East in general."
The local fans had their first taste of Formula One and the SAUBER PETRONAS team in February when Neel Jani drove the C22 on the streets of Manama. Their enthusiasm to see the team again was apparent as Felipe continued his tour.
"Afterwards we went to the Seef Mall shopping centre in Manama where a lot of fans were already waiting for an autograph. I could feel how crazy the Bahraini are about fast cars and that they are very enthusiastic about Formula One. I think this Grand Prix will definitely be an event to remember."
The team clearly received a warm reception from the fans and were also greeted by Bahrain's infamously warm weather. Although temperatures were slightly lower than the team predicted, this weekend's weather will consistently be in the low 30's during the day and drop to the low 20's at night. The humidity will be less than in Malaysia, but will increase from about 31% on Friday to 45% on Sunday. These conditions will still place great demands on both the car and the driver. The wildcard in the forecast is the possibility of thunderstorms during the race itself. While one would not normally associate thunderstorms with desert conditions, the Kingdom of Bahrain is made up of a number of small islands placing the circuit in close proximity to the Persian Gulf. Bahrain's summers are typically humid, with thunderstorms a frequent possibility. A slight breeze will keep the track dusty all weekend. It remains to be seen how effective a "glue" applied over local dunes will be in keeping dust from blowing onto the track.
Most teams, including Sauber, have mentioned grip level as their largest concern, and the one factor that is the most difficult to simulate before running on the track. The drivers walked the track today, and reported the surface to be very smooth and free of bumps. The tarmac itself is very black, so it will retain a lot of the sun's heat. The tyre companies have had to put some guesswork into which compounds to bring for these conditions. Sauber and the other Bridgestone teams may be an advantage in this area. The new track surface was paved with bitumen developed by Shell Oil. This gives it similar characteristics to the recently repaved Hockenheimring and Ferrari's own test track in Fiorano. Considering that much of Bridgestone's development work is conducted at Fiorano, they will have more familiarity with the levels of grip afforded by the tarmac. Good tyre selection and reliability could combine this weekend to give Sauber additional championship points.
After coming to grips with the local track conditions, the teams will also have to observe local customs and come up with some new traditions for the race. There will be no bikini-clad grid girls in Bahrain, and no spraying of the traditional champagne on the winners' podium. The three top finishers will instead be presented with a local concoction called "Warrd". Created specially for the grand prix, it is a carbonated mix of several local fruits - pomegranate and trinj mixed with rosewater.
Drivers and fans alike are excited about the forthcoming Grand Prix, and Sunday's race will show if Sauber's hard work for it can be translated into a points-scoring finish.
Bookmark or share this story with:
Digg
Delicious
Facebook
Reddit
Stumbleupon
More Sauber F1 headlines
- The Time Has Come to Pass the Torch
- Sauber Honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award
- Last Test as Team SAUBER PETRONAS
- Heidfeld Continues Testing at Jerez
- Troublesome Day for Heidfeld
- Villeneuve Posts Fastest Time at Jerez
- Jacques Villeneuve Continues Testing at Jerez
- Jacques Villeneuve Returns to Testing
- Productive Final Day at Barcelona