Bahrain: Bigpip's Lap by Lap Guide


By Phil Giles
April 15 2007

Three races into the season and Spyker end the grand prix with their best result yet. Two cars home for the team. Here's my lap by lap review of what went on.

Having to rely on the TV coverage today as the Live timing seems to be down or at least running very slowly!  Will do my best.


Lap 1
Cars form up on the grid.  Gooooooooooooooooooo...
Massa and Hamilton duke it out in the first few corners. Massa comes away in the lead.  Button and Speed out and the Safety car deployed. Sutil's Spyker hit Button. Nose bits all over the place. He's taken out three cars with that incident.

Lap 2
Still under the safety car.  Sutil has retired according to the timing screen.  Liuzzi comes in to Pit first.

Lap3
Safety car in. Almost a new start.
Massa gets away. Hamilton was going to have a go.
Sutil is back out on the circuit. So he was first to pit. 2 laps down

Lap 4
Raikkonen sets fastest lap, still behind Alonso though.
Albers is up to 18th

Lap 5
Hamilton locking up but staying well in with Massa. Raikkonen slides wide. Massa causes a massive lock up

lap 6
Has Hamilton got a problem? Blue smoke coming from the back end of the car.

Lap 7
Liuzzi has taken a place back from Albers.

Lap 8
Liuzzi has a drive through penalty for overtaking under the safety car.

Lap 9
Hamilton sets the fastest lap so far. 1.35.137 on lap 9. Liuzzi takes his penalty

Lap 10
Hamilton goes even faster 1.34.809

Lap 11
Albers back up to 18th place. Despite a drive through, Liuzzi is still only 14 seconds behind. Kimi looking very scrappy.

Lap 12
Is alonso holding up kimi?

Lap 13
Massa takes the fastest lap. 1.34.776

Lap 14
Heidfeld gaining on the back of Alonso and Raikkonen

Lap 15
Another fast lap from Massa. 1.34.693
Kimi really fighting the car.
Hamilton takes back the fastest lap. 1.34.607
Luizzi catching Albers

Lap 16
Trulli passes Kovalainen
Coulthard now chasing him down

Lap 17
faster again for Lewis. 1.34.490
Coulthard, Wurz and Schumacher pit

Lap 18
Hamilton goes faster again. 1.34.270
Heidfeld still closing in on Raikkonen.

Lap 19
Hamilton pits.  Lots of fuel?
Fisichella pits
Rosberg and Kovalainen come together and both go very wide. Rosberg take the place from Heiki

Lap 20
Sato pits. Ferrari going long onto the first stint.

Lap 21
Massa Pits. Comes back out just behind Kubica

Lap 22
Albers pits as does Sutil and Luizzi. Alonso also pits. Luizzi in the garage, looks to have retired.

Lap 23
Raikkonen and Heidfeld pit with a short fuel. Raikkonen takes Alonso in the pit stops. Hamilton should come under pressure from Kimi

Lap 24
Either it's my broadband or it's the F1.com site but the live timing is playing up and ITV are on an ad-break again.

Lap 25
Massa still leads

Lap 26
Davidson up to 6th but yet to pit
Alonso falling back from Kimi

Lap 27
Hamilton is slower with a full fuel tank. Loosing a second a lap to Massa.
Coulthard takes a place from team mate Webber.

Lap 28
Davidson Pits. Luizzi has pitted again. This time permanently

Lap 30
DC takes Fisi

Lap 31
Heidfeld takes Alonso for 4th place

Lap 32
Kimi is less than 2 seconds behind Massa.

Lap 33
Raikkonen lost half a second to Hamilton

Lap 34
Still another second lost to Massa. Is this engine problem making an appearance
Wurz pits. Takuma Sato's engine goes Phut on the start finish straight.

Lap 35
Coulthard Pits
Raikkonen looks on a fast lap.
Gap is steady

Lap 36
Alonso dropping back
DC's engine / driveshaft lets go.

Lap 37
Kimi only 1 second behind Hamilton
Albers is a lap down on the leaders.

Lap 38
Webber pits as does Ralf Schumacher. Albers now classified 16th

Lap 39
Rosberg and Davidson pit. Ferrari pit with Massa. Harder tyres on.

Lap 40
Sutil Pits

Lap 41
Raikkonen pits as does Heidfeld.
Massa takes the fastest lap on the harder tyres with a higher fuel load.

Mark Webber falls off the track.

Lap 42
Alonso pits. Heidfeld keeps his 4th place.
Mclaren readt for Hamilton who comes in from the lead.

Lap 43
Hard Tyre - Short stop.
Hamilton comes out in second place. Could be another podium.

Lap 45
Massa from Hamilton, Raikkonen, Heidfeld and Alonso. Albers 15th place Sutil is 16th

Lap 46.
Hamilton is taking chunks out of Massa's lap times

Lap 47
Barrichello pits in 13th place.
Hamilton is absolutely flying. Alonso is closing down Heidfeld

Lap 48
Hamilton is 6 seconds down on Massa. Just perhaps not enough time to collect him.

Lap 49
Under six seconds now. Hamilton coming up on traffic.

Lap 50
5.5 seconds adrift, catching Massa with every yard.

Lap 51
4.6 seconds. Where the hell did that come from?!! Albers still a lap down in 15th.

Lap 52
4 tenths again from Hamilton.
Anthony Davidson's Honda engine about to go pop.

Lap 53
Lewis lost time from the gunk coming from Davidsons car. 3.9 seconds behind Massa now.
Hamilton can see Massa now

Lap 54
Albers up to 14th. Sutil may gain a place to 15th by the end of the race. Hamilton again .5 seconds out of Massa's lead. They can't get there but what a final stint.

Lap 55
The gap has steadied. Fisi and Trulli scrapping but can't past him.

Lap 57
Massa Wins. Hamilton takes second place. Kimi third, Heidfeld 4th, Alonso 5th.

Two cars home for Spyker although they were at the back of the grid. Still the engine held up and so did the drivers in extremely hot conditions.

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