16.04.2007

IT'S MY PARTY.

Bahrain's now traditional welcome party took place right outside the Panasonic Toyota Racing buildings in the F1 paddock on Thursday night, amid what can only be described as 'interesting' weather conditions.

F1 teams and drivers were joined by over 500 VIPs from the region and entertained with a selection of live acts including a six-piece band, singers, an electric violin player and break dancers, not to forget dancing provided by award winning artists.

Halfway through the fun a wind of almost hurricane proportions blew up and then it rained harder than in any Hollywood film. One GP2 team found their hospitality awning a few miles away - seriously! Much to the amusement of onlookers, event organisers towelled down the stage as soon as the downpour stopped and the party went on.

Martin Whitaker, Chief Executive Officer of Bahrain International Circuit said: "I think the rain actually added to the event - there was such an air of camaraderie and it was great -- everyone remained firmly in high spirits. I think it's important for the circuit to welcome the F1 fraternity back to Bahrain properly, we love having them here. I would also like to say a big thank you to both Toyota and BMW Sauber for allowing us to use the area in front of their team buildings to set up the stage and lighting - we made a lot of noise but I think we made it worth their while in the end with a fun, entertaining evening."

NEWS FROM OUR RIVALS

Well, make that rivals and partners! Sir Frank Williams, after a tough 2006 season, is happy to be heading in the right direction again. Nico Rosberg, son of 1982 World Champion Keke, finished seventh in Australia, was running in the top six in Malaysia when he retired and finished in the top 10 again in Bahrain.

Commenting on his team's new relationship with Toyota, Sir Frank said: "It's excellent, greased lighting! You always know where you stand, they are all very responsive and very helpful, and that's not just words for the press. The partnership is working very, very well."

Toyota Bahrain GP Race Report

Jarno Trulli finished seventh for the second successive Grand Prix after a fighting performance for Panasonic Toyota Racing in round three of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship in Bahrain.

The Italian kept up his 100% record of getting through to the top 10 qualifying shoot-out and lined up ninth on the grid. His Q2 time, when the cars run in optimum configuration with low fuel, provided great encouragement for the team as a fabulous lap from Jarno was just half a second away from Lewis Hamilton's second-placed McLaren. Team mate Ralf Schumacher had a more problematic time in practice. He was unhappy with his car balance on Friday and lost time on Saturday morning with a problem when the rear suspension was changed. He qualified 14th, meaning a difficult Sunday was in prospect.

Trulli spent the whole race battling with Renault and beat countryman Giancarlo Fisichella by just half a second at the chequered flag after an impressive display of overtaking.

"I am pleased with that result because I think I extracted the maximum from my situation," Jarno said. "I used every bit of my experience because although the car balance was good, I was not quick on the straight and I had to drive defensively a lot of the time. It is always satisfying not to make any mistakes and score more points when you have been under pressure."

Proving the truth of Jarno's words, the race speed trap times showed that the Williams-Toyota cars, with which Jarno had a big fight, set the fastest speed trap time of the day (313.5kph from Alexander Wurz), whereas Jarno's quickest speed through the trap was 305.6kph.

Schumacher, meanwhile, had a tough race in the middle of the pack and finished in 12th place.

"Starting where I did I was always going to be in traffic and I've had a tough weekend from the very start," Ralf said. I will just have to put this behind me and use the time before Barcelona effectively. We will have a new aerodynamic package before the Spanish race and Jarno has proved that we are capable of scoring points, so I will be focusing on that."

After a difficult race in Malaysia, Ferrari driver Felipe Massa reversed his fortunes by claiming pole position and a fine win for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, ahead of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, who made history as the first rookie driver to begin his F1 career with three podium finishes. Hamilton now shares the championship lead with team-mate Fernando Alonso, fifth in Bahrain, and Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, all on 22 points after the first three races.

Senior General Manager Chassis Pascal Vasselon said of Toyota's weekend: "Jarno turned in a super drive. He was aggressive and passed cars when he had to and didn't put a foot wrong defensively when that was the style he had to adopt. We need to tune the car a little bit more to Ralf's liking and we will be working hard on that between now and Spain. We will also be looking at our starts because we lost places off the grid once again today and that is frustrating. Jarno's qualifying pace suggested to us that we had established ourselves as fourth quickest car and the race result backed that up. We now have a three-week break before Spain but, as ever in F1, the pace of development will be unrelenting."