Lewis hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen are looking to put their Malaysian disappointment behind them this week as the duo fly out to the Bahrain International Circuit for the third race in the season.
Hamilton, who was almost certainly denied a podium in Kualua Lumpur last week by a problem in his pit-stop, heads to Bahrain with his championship lead sliced to just three points after Kimi Raikkonen stormed to red victory at the Sepang circuit.
The British hero is nonetheless excited about returning to the track where he memorably seized the lead in the world championship from team-mate Fernando Alonso last year.
"I love the Bahrain race, it is one of the ones I really look forward too, like Monaco and Spa," enthused the 23-year-old.
"I have a lot of good memories of the track, last year I had a fantastic race. It was great fun and I took my third podium in Formula 1 and took the joint lead of the World Championship, it was a bit unreal."
Heikki Kovalainen – who was satisfied but not ecstatic with his second career podium at Malaysia last week after a grid-penalty for blocking in qualifying dashed the Finns hopes of a higher result – is also looking forward to the Bahrain challenge, unique in its sand-related surface problems.
"The most obvious thing is that the sand makes the grip level lower and the tyres do not bite to the tarmac quite as well and it can be slippery in places," explained the 26-year-old.
"The track evolution also is quite high at Bahrain because when we start driving round the track, the sand flies away.
"It also puts some more stress on the engines, as there can be some dust in the air that goes into the engine. The weather is also quite changeable, and I guess this can happen very quickly because we are in the desert."
The Finnish sensation is particularly relishing the opportunity to power his MP4-23 through the high-speed corners.
"Turns six and seven, which are a fast right the fast left. They are a great feeling in a Formula 1 car. It is a high speed chicane that we take in fifth gear," the McLaren ace exulted.
crash.net