The new three-part qualifying session was an unknown quantity as most teams admitted before it, but Fernando Alonso appeared to be quite confident about it. Kimi Raikkonen´s bad luck continued with the Finn being pitched into a high-speed accident when his McLaren´s suspension let go, bring out the red flag and probably upsetting many teams plans.  Michael Schumacher had looked confident throughout the morning and took pole position from Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso during the third session. The fact that his team mate Felipe Massa took fourth position has prompted some commentators to say that Ferrari had gone for a practice result at the expense of race strategy tomorrow, but this was denied by Ross Brawn.  The Brazilian only missed out on ousting the German from pole by 0.047s. allowing Michael to equal Ayrton Senna´s pole position record (of course terminated by his death at Imola).  Felipe Massa at the post qualifying press conference ventured  that he would have taken pole had he not been held up by former team mate Giancarlo Fisichella.  Fernando Alonso fluffed his first hot lap when his new tyres were at their best but it is also thought that the Spaniard is carrying more fuel than the three rivals in front of him.  After Kimi Raikkonen´s accident and a trouble weekend to date Juan Pablo Montoya was pleased with a fifth position ahead of the Honda of Rubens Barichello.  Only Schumacher, Massa and Button improved their times in the last session from the second session.

Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher fought a duel at Bahrain this afternoon, Schumacher leading for the first half of the race from pole position extending the lead to 6 seconds at one stage, the Ferrari pitting early, on lap 15 as anticipated, Renault going a further four laps into the race.  However with the French team were still 4 seconds adrift when they came out of the pits, the extra grip on the Bridgestones negating most of the advantage of a light fuel load on the Michelin shod car.  However by lap 26 Alonso was on Michael's rear wing.  Michael came in again for his second stop on lap 37 and the Renault team radioed their driver “These are the winning laps, mate.”  It was more difficult than Alonso had anticipated leapfrogging Michael on the second pit stop, but he just managed to do with a muscular move on the turn into the first corner and held him a bay until the chequered flag, Michael only conceding on the penultimate lap, knowing that his engine would have to do another race in Malaya next weekend.  Fernando Alonso´s race nearly came to an end during the early stages when Felipe Massa lost it under braking behind Fernando Alonso, sliding across the front wing of the Renault entering the first corner, but Alonso´s maturity allowed him to miss it and probably was responsible for part of Michael's earlier lead.  Jenson Button made a poor start (loosing 3 positions into the first corner) and during the earlier stages had an exciting duel with his new team mate Rubens Barichello, both of the Honda drivers changing position for fifth place behind Juan Pablo Montoya.  Kimi Raikkonen drove a superb race to take third place from the back of the grid and could possible share the honours with Nico Rosberg as "Driver of the Day" the 20 year old driving a very mature race for his first Grand Prix and setting fastest lap on lap 42 (1:32,408) after an early spin and an unscheduled pit stop.

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