Thursday in Bahrain

Source: lotusf1team.com | twitter | photo gallery

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From a fan’s perspective, the Chinese Grand Prix was one of the most entertaining races in recent memory. With a variety of strategies, wheel-to-wheel racing throughout the field, a plethora of overtakes and a closely bunched grid few could have expected more from Round 3 of the World Championship.

And so we move on to Bahrain, and an interesting prospect in store once more. Starting with the front-runners last time out, Mercedes were dominant in Shanghai and will look to continue that form. The German marque proved doubters wrong by managing their tyres well in the warm conditions, although here in Sakhir the temperatures are much higher so it remains to be seen how well they can make the Pirelli rubber last. Schumacher in particular will be out to make up for a disappointing end to his last race after early retirement.

McLaren had another strong result with two drivers on the podium, and still remain in the majority of minds as the team to beat. Red Bull managed to put a disappointing qualifying session behind them to bring both cars in the top five, and while a double points finish may be the bare minimum expected from the World Champions, it would be foolish to write off their chances at any venue.

Once again Lotus F1 Team demonstrated that even at circuits which don’t necessarily suit the E20 we have a competitive package; one which could well have come away with a podium if things had gone according to plan in China. The team is pushing harder than ever to demonstrate that potential with a clean weekend…

Kimi’s credentials at Sahkir circuit:

• The Bahrain International Circuit is one Kimi knows well having achieved four consecutive podium finishes between 2005-2008, his best being 2nd place in 2008.

French Finesse, Finnish Ferocity – The RS27 in Bahrain

Q: At this stage in the season can you see any difference in the way that Kimi and Romain use the engine?

They are both the kind of drivers that understand how an F1 engine works when going from full lift-off to full-throttle and they push us a lot to have what they need to be confident when exiting a corner. I’d say that Romain’s engines have a bit of an easier life than Kimi’s. The French side of Romain is just amazing when he is upshifting – he is very smooth! His engines spend almost half the time at the limiter than Kimi’s units, make of that what you will about Kimi’s character…!

Kimi – “Bahrain I have no issues with anything – it’s the same as it was last time I was here,” he said. “Everybody is racing and I am okay with it. For me it is just like any other race weekend – nothing has really changed. I’m fine [with the security].”