Karthikeyan Hopeful of Strong Showing

The Jordan driver, racing at the Sakhir circuit for the first time, was the quickest of the three Jordan drivers in today's practice session.

Karthikeyan, who has finished his first two Grands Prix in Australia and Malaysia, wound up 18th quickest, over three seconds off the pace. 

"It is very interesting to go to new tracks as you always have so much to learn and try in a limited amount of time. I am happy with the changes we have made today and the information we have been able to gather for the rest of the weekend.

"Bridgestone is doing a very good job here and I am pretty confident for tomorrow."

Karthikeyan's teammates Robert Doornbos and Tiago Monteiro were 19th and 21st respectively, the Portuguese rookie happy with his showing.

"I really like the circuit here in Bahrain as it suits my style of driving," said Monteiro. "We have tried some different new parts in the car; they were small changes but they have already made a significant difference. I have been pretty quick so I am happy with my performance today."