2008 Bahrain Grand Prix

The 2008 Bahrain Grand Prix, officially the V Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix, was the third round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain, on 6 April 2008.'3. Bahrain 2008', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/bahrein.aspx, (Accessed 23/02/2020)'Bahrain 2008: Massa's challenge finally on-track.', crash.net, (Crash Media Group, 06/03/2008), https://www.crash.net/f1/race-report/61736/1/bahrain-2008-massas-challenge-finally-on-track, (Accessed 23/02/2020) The race would see Felipe Massa beat teammate Kimi Räikkönen to victory, as both s overcame Robert Kubica.
Qualifying had seen Kubica become the first Polish driver to secure pole position for a Grand Prix, beating Massa in Q3 by 0.027s. Lewis Hamilton and Räikkönen would share the second row, while Heikki Kovalainen and Nick Heidfeld shared the third.
The start of the race would see Massa make the best start, sprinting into the first corner ahead of Kubica to snatch the lead. Behind, Hamilton got a poor launch and hence had to battle his anti-stall system, dumping him back into the pack and allow Räikkönen to move into third unopposed.
Hamilton would run in ninth after the first corner, although that got even worse when he misjusdged a lunge on Fernando Alonso into turn four and removed his front wing on the back of the . The Brit was left to scramble back to the pits for repairs, while Alonso continued with damage to his diffuser.
Unaffected by all of this was Massa, who quickly established a lead over Kubica's in the early stages, leaving the Pole to defend from Räikkönen. However, Kubica's resistance would be broken before the end of lap three, the #1 Ferrari diving past the #4 BMW Sauber into turn four, with Räikkönen soon escaping from Kubica.
The order stabilised after that, with Massa leading Räikkönen with a comfortable margin, while Kubica secured a safe third ahead of his teammate Heidfeld. Elsewhere, Sebastian Vettel had dropped out after multiple collisions, while Hamilton had made very little ground, having only passed Nelson Piquet, Jr. and Anthony Davidson to run in sixteenth.
Into the first round of stops and Kubica was the first to stop, sweeping in on lap seventeen to confirm that his pole effort had been dictated by fuel load rather than outright pace. Räikkönen and Jarno Trulli were next to come in on lap twenty, Massa pitted on lap 21 without losing the lead, while Heidfeld and Kovalainen completed the rotation on the same lap.
Räikkönen set about making his bid for the lead at the final round of stops, managing to chip a few hundredths out of Massa's lead a lap to close the gap from six seconds to three. Behind, the order was fairly static, with Hamilton unable to move up the field and challenge for points, while Alonso was slowly sliding down the field as damage dictated his pace.
The second round of stops came and went without issue, with Räikkönen stopping a lap earlier than Massa and was hence unable to challenge the Brazilian as he had in Malaysia. Behind, Kubica emerged from his stop still with a safe margin over Heidfeld having briefly led the race, while Hamilton only gained one place in the final pit-phase, moving into thirteenth.
With that the race was run, with Massa leading Räikkönen across the line by three seconds to secure an ominous one-two for Ferrari, and enforce his intentions to make a title bid. Kubica duly completed the podium ahead of Heidfeld, while Kovalainen set fastest lap despite running in a distant fifth. Trulli, Mark Webber and Nico Rosberg completed the points, with Hamilton trailing across the line a lap down in thirteenth.
==Background==
Lewis Hamilton had maintained his early Championship lead at the Malaysian Grand Prix, fifth place moving him onto fourteen points after the opening two rounds. Kimi Räikkönen, meanwhile, had been the big winner both on and off track, leaping up into second with eleven, albeit level on points with Nick Heidfeld. Heikki Kovalainen was just a point further behind in fourth, with Robert Kubica completing the top five.
In the Constructors Championship continued to lead the way, leaving Malaysia on 24 points and with the same five point lead that they had started the weekend with. had retained second, while had leapt into third, but had less than half the points of McLaren after the opening two rounds. and then completed the top five, with eight constructors on the board.
===Entry list===
The full entry list for the is outlined below:
No. 	Driver 	Entrant 	Constructor 	Chassis 	Engine 	Model 	Tyre
1 	Kimi Räikkönen 	Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 	 	F2008 	 	056 2008 2.4 V8 	
2 	Felipe Massa 	Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 	 	F2008 	 	056 2008 2.4 V8 	
3 	Nick Heidfeld 	BMW Sauber F1 Team 	 	F1.08 	 	P86/8 2.4 V8 	
4 	Robert Kubica 	BMW Sauber F1 Team 	 	F1.08 	 	P86/8 2.4 V8 	
5 	Fernando Alonso 	ING Renault F1 Team 	 	R28 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
6 	Nelson Piquet, Jr. 	ING Renault F1 Team 	 	R28 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
7 	Nico Rosberg 	AT&T Williams 	 	FW30 	 	RVX-08 2.4 V8 	
8 	Kazuki Nakajima 	AT&T Williams 	 	FW30 	 	RVX-08 2.4 V8 	
9 	David Coulthard 	Red Bull Racing 	 	RB4 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
10 	Mark Webber 	Red Bull Racing 	 	RB4 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
11 	Jarno Trulli 	Panasonic Toyota Racing 	 	TF108 	 	RVX-08 2.4 V8 	
12 	Timo Glock 	Panasonic Toyota Racing 	 	TF108 	 	RVX-08 2.4 V8 	
14 	Sébastien Bourdais 	Scuderia Toro Rosso 	 	STR2B 	 	056 2006 2.4 V8 	
15 	Sebastian Vettel 	Scuderia Toro Rosso 	 	STR2B 	 	056 2006 2.4 V8 	
16 	Jenson Button 	Honda Racing F1 Team 	 	RA108 	 	RA808E 2.4 V8 	
17 	Rubens Barrichello 	Honda Racing F1 Team 	 	RA108 	 	RA808E 2.4 V8 	
18 	Takuma Sato 	Super Aguri F1 Team 	 	SA08A 	 	RA808E 2.4 V8 	
19 	Anthony Davidson 	Super Aguri F1 Team 	 	SA08A 	 	RA808E 2.4 V8 	
20 	Adrian Sutil 	Force India F1 Team 	 	VJM01 	 	056 2007 2.4 V8 	
21 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	Force India F1 Team 	 	VJM01 	 	056 2007 2.4 V8 	
22 	Lewis Hamilton 	Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4-23 	 	FO 108V 2.4 V8 	
23 	Heikki Kovalainen 	Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4-23 	 	FO 108V 2.4 V8 	
Source:'Bahrain 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/bahrein/engages.aspx, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'Bahrain 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/bahrein/engages.aspx, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'Bahrain 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/bahrein/engages.aspx, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'Bahrain 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/bahrein/engages.aspx, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'Bahrain 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/bahrein/engages.aspx, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'Bahrain 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/bahrein/engages.aspx, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'Bahrain 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/bahrein/engages.aspx, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'Bahrain 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/bahrein/engages.aspx, (Accessed 23/02/2020)
==Practice Overview==
==Qualifying==
===Q1===
===Q2===
===Q3===
===Qualifying Results===
The full qualifying results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Team 	 	Q1 	Q1 	 	Q2 	Q2 	 	Q3 	Q3 	Grid
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Team 	 	Pos. 	Time 	 	Pos. 	Time 	 	Pos. 	Time 	Grid
1 	4 	Robert Kubica 	 	 	7 	1:32.893 	 	3 	1:31.745 	 	1 	1:33.096 	1
2 	2 	Felipe Massa 	 	 	1 	1:31.937 	 	1 	1:31.188 	 	2 	1:33.123 	2
3 	22 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	 	4 	1:32.750 	 	5 	1:31.922 	 	3 	1:33.292 	3
4 	1 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	 	3 	1:32.652 	 	6 	1:31.933 	 	4 	1:33.418 	4
5 	23 	Heikki Kovalainen 	 	 	12 	1:33.057 	 	2 	1:31.909 	 	5 	1:33.737 	5
6 	3 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	 	13 	1:33.137 	 	4 	1:31.909 	 	6 	1:33.737 	6
7 	11 	Jarno Trulli 	 	 	2 	1:32.903 	 	7 	1:32.159 	 	7 	1:33.994 	7
8 	7 	Nico Rosberg 	 	 	8 	1:32.903 	 	8 	1:32.185 	 	8 	1:34.015 	8
9 	16 	Jenson Button 	 	 	5 	1:32.793 	 	10 	1:32.362 	 	9 	1:35.057 	9
10 	5 	Fernando Alonso 	 	 	10 	1:32.947 	 	9 	1:32.345 	 	10 	1:35.115 	10
11 	10 	Mark Webber 	 	 	14 	1:33.194 	 	11 	1:32.371 	 	 	 	11
12 	17 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	 	9 	1:32.944 	 	12 	1:32.508 	 	 	 	12
13 	12 	Timo Glock 	 	 	6 	1:32.800 	 	13 	1:32.528 	 	 	 	13
14 	6 	Nelson Piquet, Jr. 	 	 	11 	1:32.975 	 	14 	1:32.790 	 	 	 	14
15 	14 	Sébastien Bourdais 	 	 	16 	1:33.415 	 	15 	1:32.915 	 	 	 	15
16 	8 	Kazuki Nakajima 	 	 	15 	1:33.386 	 	16 	1:32.943 	 	 	 	16
17 	9 	David Coulthard 	 	 	17 	1:33.433 	 	 	 	 	 	 	17
18 	21 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	 	18 	1:33.501 	 	 	 	 	 	 	18
19 	15 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	 	19 	1:33.562 	 	 	 	 	 	 	19
20 	20 	Adrian Sutil 	 	 	20 	1:33.845 	 	 	 	 	 	 	20
21 	19 	Anthony Davidson 	 	 	21 	1:34.140 	 	 	 	 	 	 	21
22 	18 	Takuma Sato 	 	 	22 	1:35.725 	 	 	 	 	 	 	22
Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/827/bahrain/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/827/bahrain/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/827/bahrain/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/827/bahrain/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/827/bahrain/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/827/bahrain/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/827/bahrain/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/827/bahrain/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/827/bahrain/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/827/bahrain/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/827/bahrain/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/827/bahrain/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/827/bahrain/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/827/bahrain/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/02/2020)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session.
*Bold indicates the fastest driver's time in each session.
===Grid===
==Race==
===Report===
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	2 	Felipe Massa 	 	57 	1:31:06.970 	2 	10
2 	1 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	57 	+3.339s 	4 	8
3 	4 	Robert Kubica 	 	57 	+4.998s 	1 	6
4 	3 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	57 	+8.409s 	6 	5
5 	23 	Heikki Kovalainen 	 	57 	+26.789s 	5 	4
6 	11 	Jarno Trulli 	 	57 	+41.314s 	7 	3
7 	10 	Mark Webber 	 	57 	+45.473s 	11 	2
8 	7 	Nico Rosberg 	 	57 	+55.889s 	8 	1
9 	12 	Timo Glock 	 	57 	+1:09.500 	13 	
10 	5 	Fernando Alonso 	 	57 	+1:17.181 	10 	
11 	17 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	57 	+1:17.862 	12 	
12 	21 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	56 	+1 Lap 	18 	
13 	22 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	56 	+1 Lap 	3 	
14 	8 	Kazuki Nakajima 	 	56 	+1 Lap 	16 	
15 	14 	Sébastien Bourdais 	 	56 	+1 Lap 	15 	
16 	19 	Anthony Davidson 	 	56 	+1 Lap 	21 	
17 	18 	Takuma Sato 	 	56 	+1 Lap 	22 	
18 	9 	David Coulthard 	 	56 	+1 Lap 	17 	
19 	20 	Adrian Sutil 	 	55 	+2 Laps 	20 	
Ret 	6 	Nelson Piquet, Jr. 	 	40 	Gearbox 	14 	
Ret 	16 	Jenson Button 	 	19 	Damage 	9 	
Ret 	15 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	0 	Collision 	19 	
Source:'Bahrain 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/bahrein/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'Bahrain 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/bahrein/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'Bahrain 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/bahrein/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'Bahrain 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/bahrein/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'Bahrain 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/bahrein/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'Bahrain 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/bahrein/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'Bahrain 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/bahrein/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'Bahrain 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/bahrein/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/02/2020)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
==Milestones==
* 250th Grand Prix appearance for as an engine supplier.
* First (and only) pole position for Robert Kubica.
* Maiden (and only) pole position for as a constructor.
** Also the 33rd and last pole for a engine.
* Sixth career victory for Felipe Massa.
* registered their 203rd win as a constructor and engine supplier.
* Kimi Räikkönen claimed his 50th podium finish.
* Heikki Kovalainen recorded his second and final fastest lap.
==Standings==
Kimi Räikkönen had moved to the top of the Championship after his second placed finish in Bahrain, holding nineteen points to his name after three rounds. He hence had a three point lead over second placed Nick Heidfeld, while former leader Lewis Hamilton had slipped five off the lead in third. The Brit was then level on points with both Robert Kubica and Heikki Kovalainen, while Bahrain race winner Felipe Massa saw in sixth.
In the Constructors Championship had left Bahrain at the head of the hunt, and moved on to 30 points for the season signalling a potential title bid. were, however, just a point behind in second, while had only slipped two behind, having led the Championship before the race. and their engine suppliers then completed the top five, with both powered teams and yet to score.
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Kimi Räikkönen 	19 	1
2 	Nick Heidfeld 	15 	1
3 	Lewis Hamilton 	14 	2
4 	Robert Kubica 	14 	1
5 	Heikki Kovalainen 	14 	1
6 	Felipe Massa 	10 	12
7 	Jarno Trulli 	8 	1
8 	Nico Rosberg 	7 	2
9 	Fernando Alonso 	6 	2
10 	Mark Webber 	4 	1
11 	Kazuki Nakajima 	3 	2
12 	Sébastien Bourdais 	2 	2
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	30 	1
2 	 	29 	1
3 	 	28 	2
4 	 	10 	
5 	 	8 	1
6 	 	6 	1
7 	 	4 	
8 	 	2 	
Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
==References==
Images and Videos:
*
References:
Category:2008 Grands Prix
Category:Bahrain Grand Prix
Category:Grand Prix articles