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Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix Preview

Apr 6, 2008 - 10:23 AM

April 6, 2008
Bahrain International Circuit
Manama, Bahrain
Race 3 of 17 in Grand Prix Series

Laps: 57
Track length: 3.36 miles
Race length: 191.86 miles

Lap record: Michael Schumacher - 1:30.252 mph (2004)


DRIVERS TO WATCH
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Fernando Alonso (Spain)
Team: Renault 
2008 Points: 6 (7th)

Began his season with a fourth at Australia and eighth at 
Malaysia; two-time champion had a tumultuous 2007 season with 
McLaren, but still managed to finish third overall; had the same 
amount of points as teammate Lewis Hamilton, but lost the 
tiebreaker for second place; won four times last season, but 
relationship with team and Hamilton deteriorated after Ferrari 
spy scandal affair and returned to Renault for 2008 season; won 
consecutive titles in 2005-06 with Renault; won six races in 
2006 and seven in 2005; finished fifth here last year.


Lewis Hamilton (Britain)
Team: McLaren 
2008 Points: 10 (1st)

Opened the season with a dominant win at Australia then ran 
fifth at Malaysia; had a stunning rookie season, scoring podiums 
in his first nine races; won four times and captured six poles 
to outperform more heralded former teammate Alonso; was the 
favorite to win the championship last year until errors in final 
two rounds dropped him to second place behind Kimi Raikkonen; 
needed to only finish immediately behind Alonso to claim the 
championship; retired from the race at China to give his 
teammate and Raikkonen the chance to steal the crown in the 
final race; won at Japan to open a 12-point lead over Alonso 
with two races left; made history at Canada where he became the 
first black driver to win a Formula One race; followed that 
victory in Canada by winning the United States Grand Prix; 
placed second in four consecutive races prior to his 
back-to-back wins; was the first rookie since 1964 to capture 
podium finishes in his first three races; also is the first 
black driver in series history; finished second to Felipe Massa 
here last year.


Nick Heidfeld (Germany)
Team: BMW Sauber 
2008 Points: 11 (3rd)

Finished 5.4 seconds behind Hamilton to claim second at 
Australia; followed up with a sixth at Malaysia; was the best of 
the rest behind the Ferrari and McLaren drivers last year after 
an impressively consistent season for BMW, finishing fifth 
overall; did not win last season as best race of the season was 
at Canada where he finished second; had consecutive fourth-place 
finishes at Italy and Turkey and was third in Hungary; opened the 
year with three consecutive fourth place finishes at Australia, 
Malaysia and Bahrain; forced to retire at Spain and the United 
States Grand Prix; has nine top-five finishes in 17 starts last 
year. 


Felipe Massa (Brazil)
Team: Ferrari 
2008 Points: 0 (20th)

Completed only 29 laps before retiring at Australia with engine 
issues; also retired at Malaysia by spinning out early; posted 
three wins and six poles last season, but reliability issues and 
a disqualification in Canada put him out of title contention and 
he wound up fourth; contract with Ferrari runs until 2010; 
retired from the Italian Grand Prix with suspension problems, 
dropping to fourth place in the standings; bounced back from a 
13th-place finish at Hungary by winning in Turkey; posted a 
runner-up finish at the Grand Prix of Europe after slipping to 
fourth place following a fifth place finish at the British Grand 
Prix; was runner-up to Raikkonen at Magny-Cours and season finale 
at Brazil; ran third at Indianapolis and Monaco after capturing 
two straight checkered flags at Bahrain and Spain; had 11 top 
five finishes in 17 starts last season; won here last year.


Kimi Raikkonen (Finland)
Team: Ferrari 
2008 Points: 11 (2nd)

Opened defense of his title by running eighth at Australia, 
completing just 53 laps before having engine problems; bounced 
back to win at Malaysia; won first appearance for Ferrari in 
Australia last season then went on to win five more times; 
biggest win came at the season-ending event at Brazil, which 
gave him his first drivers' title by a single point over 
Hamilton; trailed Hamilton by seven points entering final race; 
retired from the Grand Prix of Europe after consecutive 
checkered flag wins at the British Grand Prix and Magny-Cours; 
had six wins and 14 top-five finishes in 17 starts last season; 
struggled to eighth place at Monaco and retired due to electrical 
problems at Spain, dropping him from first to fourth in the 
standings; joined Ferrari after spending five years with McLaren 
where he went winless in 2006; ran third at this event last season.



2007 Top 10
-----------
 1. Felipe Massa, Brazil, Ferrari 
 2. Lewis Hamilton, Britain, McLaren-Mercedes 
 3. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Ferrari
 4. Nick Heidfeld, Germany, BMW
 5. Fernando Alonso, Spain, McLaren-Mercedes 
 6. Robert Kubica, Poland, BMW 
 7. Jarno Trulli, Italy, Toyota
 8. Giancarlo Fisichella, Italy, Renault 
 9. Heikki Kovalainen, Finland, Renault 
10. Nico Rosberg, Germany, Williams-Toyota


Past Champions
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2007  Felipe Massa, Ferrari
2006  Fernando Alonso, Renault
2005  Fernando Alonso, Renault
2004  Michael Schumacher, Ferrari