Coulthard Not Expecting Much Overtaking in Bahrain

David Coulthard was critical of the designers of the new Bahrain International Circuit on Friday and claimed Sunday's inaugural Bahrain Grand Prix could see very little overtaking.

Formula One bosses had hoped the new track - which was created by renowned designer Herman Tilke with advice from World Champion Michael Schumacher - would be full of overtaking places to spice up the racing.

But after taking to the desert circuit in his McLaren-Mercedes for the first time on Friday, Coulthard claimed the slippery sandy circuit will fail to spice things up - and said the designers have disappointed him.

"It remains to be seen but, you know, people sit back and give it 'ah, yeah, the sand will make it interesting...'," said Coulthard. "Well if someone runs wide and they will look very silly - but we want to see a motor race.

"We really need to discuss this for the future because there are so many tight and slow corners that are obviously designed to try and promote overtaking but people have to understand the concept of how to overtake.

"To overtake, a driver has to be on a different line to a normal racing line so to go on a different line there has to be sufficient width of track that you can get the car round on and make it stick. A lot of these corners, they are like 110 degree corners, so the motion is going to take you wide and the car is going to pass you back.

"Plus you are going to go onto the marbles and make your tyres dirty."

Bahrain joins Shanghai, which will host the inaugural Chinese Grand Prix on September 26, as one of two new circuits on the calendar and is the first all-new circuit since the Sepang track in Malaysia was introduced in 1999.

McLaren's trip to Bahrain, however, began in disappointing fashion when Coulthard's teammate Kimi Raikkonen was forced to stop on the track in the second session after the rear of his car burst into flames. Scot Coulthard admitted the design of the new track has left him concerned over climbing up through the pack.

"It is all risk versus gain," said Coulthard. "You gain a place then you will lose it immediately and you might lose another place. There is no margin for error and that again doesn't allow you the chance to overtake.

"The whole concept of overtaking is that you have to go off line to get past, but if you go off line onto a dusty track your tyres lose grip and you won't be able to do it."