By Jamie Makin (27/3/2004)
April 2 2004

After scoring their first point in the PETRONAS Malaysian Grand Prix last week, team SAUBER PETRONAS is looking forward to the challenge of racing on a new circuit in Bahrain. But, this will not be the team's first trip to the Kingdom in the Middle East. Last month the team brought last year's C22 racer and test driver Neel Jani to the streets of Manama to perform an F1 demonstration run in front of a crowd of 20,000. They savored their first taste of Formula One, as Sauber made history by being the first team to run in the Middle East. They did not have the chance drive the car on the new grand prix circuit in Sakhir, as work was still being completed on it.

The new 5.417 kilometer circuit does bear some similarities to the Sepang Circuit in Malaysia. Both are purpose-built formula one circuits designed by Herman Tilke, a renowned German architect and track designer. Unlike many older European circuits, which are narrow and slowed by artificial chicanes, Tilke designed these new tracks to be wide, fast and present several passing opportunites without intrusive chicanes.

The other similarity Bahrain will share with Malaysia is the harsh climate. Bahrain will be hot, possibly hotter than Malaysia, which will push the drivers and their machinery to the limits of endurance. Bahrain's unique challenge will come in the form of sand. Because of it's desert location, the threat of sandstorms during the race weekend are high. The teams will need to take extra care to filter the sand from the engines air supply, as the intrusion of even a few grains could be enough to damage the engine to the breaking point. Blowing sand will lower the grip level of the track substantially and make tyre choice a challenge. This will be compounded by the fact that the track surface is new. It will be very smooth in the beginning and the heat will tend to draw the oils in the asphalt to the surface. The drivers will have to work hard at all times to keep the car on track.

Sauber looks to be in good shape for the race weekend. In Malaysia, Bridgestone proved their tyres could be competitive in even the hottest climates. Data gathered at Sepang should help Sauber select appropriate tyre constructions and compounds for Bahrain. Sauber have also had great straightline speed from their Petronas badged Ferrari engines. The new circuit features several long straightaways where Sauber could easily catch and pass a rival with a slower engine. Sauber's reliability this year has also been good, and if there is high attrition among the top teams, then Sauber will find themselves in an ideal position to score points.

Last week the BMW-Williams F1 team was the first to run on the track when test driver Marc Gene logged a few laps with the team's FW25. Although the laps were run as part of an inauguration ceremony for the circuit, rival teams are left worrying that Williams may have gained an unfair advantage. Although last year's FW25 bears little resemblance to this year's revolutionary FW26, it is conceivable that the team collected a lot of good telemetry data to help them with their computer simulations and setup work for the race. Because nobody has yet raced on the track, the teams will rely more heavily than usual on computer simulations. They will also test engines on the dyno and suspension setup on the 7-post rigs. In the end though, there is no subsitute for time for actual track time, which leads the teams to protest Williams actions.

The concern over Williams seems trivial when compared to the greater concern of security. The Middle East is a hotspot for terrorist activity, which has been a great concern for the organizers. Despite many team bosses expressing they feel perfectly safe in Bahrain, the government has stepped up security greatly for the event. Teams and drivers have been urged to limit activivites to just their hotels and the track, and some have even arranged for armored transportation between the two.

The drivers are more interested in the challenge of a learning a new track instead of touring the local city of Sakhir. They have not faced a new ciruit since Indianapolis was introduced in 2000 and Hockenheim was redesigned in 2002. Security concerns and political battle with other teams will be the last thing on their minds when the lights go out and the racing begins. No matter where in the world F1 travels to, the racing itself is sure to be the focus of everyone's attention.

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