Felipe Massa won for Ferrari in a race that reshuffled the 2008 championship standings after only three rounds.
Key Facts
- Race winner
- Felipe Massa (Ferrari)
- Laps completed
- 57 laps
- Pole position
- Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber)
- Championship round
- 3rd race of the 2008 season
- Constructors' lead after race
- BMW Sauber
- Drivers' Championship leader after race
- Kimi Räikkönen (19 points)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Robert Kubica secured his only career pole position alongside Felipe Massa on the front row, while Lewis Hamilton nearly stalled on the grid and dropped positions before colliding with Fernando Alonso's Renault, losing his front wing and falling to the back of the field.
The 2008 Bahrain Grand Prix, held on 6 April 2008 at the Bahrain International Circuit, saw Felipe Massa lead a Ferrari 1–2 finish ahead of Kimi Räikkönen, with Kubica crossing in third for BMW Sauber. Massa passed Kubica into the first corner, and Räikkönen moved past Kubica on lap three, leaving the Ferraris to dominate the remaining distance.
Ferrari's 1–2 result gave Räikkönen the lead in the Drivers' Championship with 19 points, three ahead of Nick Heidfeld, while Kubica's strong finish lifted BMW Sauber to the top of the Constructors' Championship. Ferrari and McLaren trailed by one and two points respectively, setting up a close three-way title battle with 15 races remaining.