Will Massa be disadvantaged for the Bahrain GP?

Ferrari has hinted that they will not be able to replace Felipe Massa’s engine for the Bahrain Grand Prix taking place this weekend, even though the Brazilian did not finish his race in Malaysia.

Massa made a small driving error and eventually had to retire after a spin that took him off the track.

However, aware that the engine has not completed a race cycle, the Scuderia is considering using it for a second weekend.

Aldo Costa, Ferrari’s technical director stated: « We will continue to keep an eye on reliability, particularly on the engine side. »

« On this point, we will probably have Massa run with the same engine used in Malaysia, even if he could change it because he did not finish the race. »

Ferrari will bring some new aerodynamic parts to its F2008 at the Sakhir circuit.

« The plans for this year 2008 are that we should have continuous updates to our single-seater throughout the season, » continued Costa.

Our goal being to improve the overall package, step by step. Changes are coming for almost every race. In Bahrain, we will introduce some new aerodynamic parts.

Although Ferrari was one of the two teams to have tested in Bahrain this year, Costa does not think the race will be easier.

« In a sport as competitive as Formula 1, any advantage we might have from our winter testing will likely have disappeared by the end of Friday’s free practice. Other teams will be on the same pace, having participated in this Grand Prix in past years, » Costa commented.

« Moreover, it will not be the same with the tires because this winter, we tested only one type of Bridgestone compound. »

The real advantage for the upcoming weekend is that the site will offer very stable conditions. These are always highly sought after when developing a new single-seater.