12/04/2007
NEWS STORY
Less than 24 hours after the end of the Malaysian Grand Prix, the Etihad Aldar Spyker Formula One Team flew west to the Kingdom of Bahrain for the third event of the 17-round FIA Formula One World Championship. Run just a week after the Malaysian round, the Bahrain Grand Prix from 13 - 15 April will be the first double header of the year.
The 5.412km Bahrain International Circuit is located in the Sakhir desert area south of the Bahraini capital Manama. The Hermann Tilke-designed facility follows the contours of the rolling sand dunes, giving a gently undulating track that combines long straights with tight, narrow corners.
Following disappointing results in the first two Grands Prix of the season, the Etihad Aldar Spyker Formula One Team is undoubtedly hoping that this event will yield its first double finish of the year. The team made good progress with the new aero upgrade introduced in Malaysia, however was disappointed it could not validate the improvement under race conditions. Building nevertheless on the information gathered in the practice and Qualifying sessions, the team goes to Bahrain confident of drawing ever-closer to the back of the field.
Colin Kolles, team principal and managing director: 'Of course it was very disappointing not to get two cars to the finish for the second time this season, but that just makes us more determined to set the record straight in Bahrain. The team continues to move forward: the upgrade made a difference in Sepang, we now need to have the opportunity to show it under race conditions.'
Mike Gascoyne, chief technical officer: 'Obviously we're moving on from a difficult event in Malaysia. As we weren't able to participate in the Bahrain test before the start of the season, we will be in a similar position to Malaysia where the other teams had a head start, but we've got to ensure we do better this time round. Now we've got the mileage on the new upgrade we should be able to put in a more competitive performance.'
Christijan Albers: 'I like the Bahrain circuit very much - seeing the track appear out of the desert from seemingly the middle of nowhere is very impressive. There's only one aim this time: to finish. It's been disappointing so far not to get to the end of both races, particularly as there's been so much improvement from the start of the season. We all now want to show what we can do.'
Adrian Sutil: 'I'm looking forward to this race after the hard weekend in Malaysia. We introduced the aero update and worked hard to get as much information as possible, but unfortunately we missed the chance to get the data from the race. But I am sure with the info we did get, we will be better in Bahrain.'