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Massa claims Ferrari victory from pole in
Bahrain's desert conditions
Felipe Massa claimed his first victory of the 2007 Formula One season at Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix as Scuderia Ferrari's battle with rival McLaren
intensified.
Round Three of the FIA Formula One World Championship at the 5.4 kilometre desert circuit saw the seesaw fight between Ferrari and McLaren swing back in Ferrari's favour. Massa controlled the
race from the start and team mate Kimi Räikkönen took third position, with McLaren's Lewis Hamilton claiming the other podium position.
"We have made up ground in both classifications
and now we plan to make the most of the weeks leading up to the race in Barcelona to try and improve every aspect of our package, from performance to reliability," said Ferrari CEO Jean
Todt. "I want to thank our technical partners, first and foremost Shell and Bridgestone…"
The Ferrari-McLaren battle from the season's first two races had already continued in Bahrain's
preliminaries. Ferrari was fastest in two of the three free practice sessions leading up to qualifying but who would take pole position? Brazilian Massa provided the answer, claiming his second pole
position in a row. Team mate Räikkönen, hampered by traffic during his qualifying runs, claimed third position. McLaren cars were alongside the two Ferraris at the start, Hamilton in second position
and Malaysian Grand Prix winner Fernando Alonso in fourth.
Massa leapt into the lead at the start of the race with Hamilton in pursuit, while Räikkönen scrapped
through the first turns with Alonso before emerging in fourth position. But a crash toward the back of the grid, which retired Honda's Jenson Button and Toro Rosso's Scott Speed, brought out the safety car.
On the restart, the top four kept their positions. The early laps developed into two battles, one between Massa and Hamilton and the second between Alonso and Räikkönen, held up behind the second McLaren.
The first round of pit stops helped Massa extend his lead. Hamilton pitted first. Massa kept his Ferrari out for two additional laps before stopping for 8.5 seconds for more Shell V-Power Racing fuel and
fresh tyres. Räikkönen also ran longer on the first stint than Alonso and emerged in third position after his quick, 8.4-second fuel stop.
Massa built his lead during the second stint while
Räikkönen worked to close the gap to Hamilton. Meanwhile, Alonso was slipping back, passed by Nick Heidfeld of BMW-Sauber for fourth position.
Round two of the pit stops saw Massa pit first
followed by Räikkönen and Alonso, while Hamilton briefly inherited the lead. Massa's 8.2-second stop kept him comfortably in the lead for the final run to the flag. Räikkönen was chasing Hamilton for second spot.
While attrition from the tough, desert conditions claimed runners further down the field, the top three continued their pace toward the chequered flag. Hamilton was able to close some of Massa's
margin but the final finishing spots remained unchanged, Massa securing victory to keep Ferrari's early-season momentum strong.
Trackside in Bahrain, Shell Formula One Technology
Manager, Lisa Lilley, said: "Bahrain is a tough race in hot, dusty and windy conditions, so today was not only about winning. It was also about protecting the Ferrari engines running no-holds-barred against the
elements. So we're pleased that our package of Shell V-Power Racing fuel and Shell Helix lubricants provided the right combination for Ferrari today."
Heidfeld finished in fourth position, ahead of Alonso.
BMW's Robert Kubica, Toyota's Jarno Trulli and Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella rounded out the points positions.
With today's results, Ferrari (39 points) has narrowed McLaren's lead to only five points in the
Constructors' Championship. Räikkönen is in a three-way tie with Alonso and Hamilton for first place in the Drivers' Championship with 22 points. Race-winner Massa is in fourth place with 17 points.
The Formula One teams now return to Europe for the next race, the Grand Prix of Catalunya in Spain on 13 May.
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