Bahrain Grand Prix Preview

After a mountain of controversy on the back of the country’s political issues, the Bahrain Grand Prix looks set to go ahead on Sunday April 22 for round four of the 2012 Formula One season.

There was a shock result in China as Nico Rosberg recorded his maiden Grand Prix success and the first for Silver Arrows since the Italian Grand Prix of 1955.

The German drove tremendously well to lead from start to finish in Shanghai however a swift follow up in the middle east appears unlikely with McLaren shaping up as the team to go on and dominate over the coming months.

Jenson Button already has a 2012 victory under his belt and he trails teammate and English compatriot Lewis Hamilton by just two points in the Drivers Championship.

Hamilton has been ultra-consistent so far this year as epitomised by his three third placed finishes and he will almost certainly be in the frame once again at the Bahrain International Circuit.

Nevertheless, the 2008 World Champion has appeared a little disappointed by his results so far and he will be gunning hard to reach the top of the podium.

2009 king Button also looks far from set to relinquish his competitive edge after being slightly downbeat at his runner-up finish last time out.

As the betting suggests, this Grand Prix could well be a straight duel between the McLaren boys who are 9/4 joint favourites to take the chequered flag.

The Drivers Championship should begin to settle down over the next couple of races and both Hamilton and Button can begin stretching out a lead over the rest of the pack.

Red Bull have been short of their usual pace throughout the first three rounds but Mark Webber has done a sound job of making the most of things after finishing fourth in Australia, Malaysia and China.

At 10/3, a podium finish may not be out of the question here for the Aussie speedster who should relish the conditions and further consistency seems likely based on the competition around him.

Dual World Champion Sebastian Vettel still remains dangerous however the German has struggled to date with the 2012 car and is arguably a little short of the experienced Webber when things are not quite going according to plan technically for the team.

Despite Fernando Alonso’s superb win at Sepang, Ferrari continue to have problems as demonstrated by their virtual no show in Shanghai.

The Spaniard remains one of the class acts on the grid but his odds of 20/1 to cross the line first do much to suggest he does not currently have the car to consistently get in the thick of things.

All of the drivers will have to deal with the roasting track temperatures associated with the Bahrain Grand Prix and a level head will certainly be required to succeed.

Whoever achieves pole position should go on and triumph as clear track will be a massive advantage and there is slight margin for error once a lead is built due to the large run off areas around the circuit – which is renowned for being one of the safest in the F1 calendar.

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16/04/2012     © Frixo 2024