Bahrain Grand Prix 2005 Media Review

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Bahrain gave us a cracking race – but what did the wider world make of it? We take a look at the coverage of the Bahrain Grand Prix in the major British papers, in this week’s media review.

Most of the Bahrain reactio focussed on the Fernando Alonso-Michael Schumacher battle, surely the first of many we will see this season. “Schumacher is eclipsed by rising star Alonso,” reports the Daily Express. “Alonso looks the real deal now.”

The second Bahrain Grand Prix at the now 100% complete circuit provided proper wheel-to-wheel racing from lights to flag. But this seems to have been lost on a few sports editors. Not least of which the Daily Mail, who hide their race review 18 pages in from the back cover and adorn it with a dull, indifferent photograph.

The Independent too give the race review too low a ranking (page 54 of 64) but the write-up is excellent. A shame that the only pictures are of a pit stop and Alonso’s face – the race could have taken place in the arctic wastes of Siberia for all you can glean from the photographs. At least they make mention of Pedro de la Rosa’s impressive drive.

No mistaking where the race took place for readers of The Sun – yes, it’s punchline time again. This week: “It’s not a mirage: Schuey hit by first KO.” We also get “Too clutch for Button.” Am I the only one who’s not entirely sure what this is supposed to mean? “Tough luck for Button”? “Too much for Button”? At what point do The Sun’s subeditors start cursing the unwritten rule that their every headline must be a bad joke?

The Daily Telegraph are sufficiently moved by the ending of Schumacher 58-race streak with no mechnically-induced retirements to put a column on the first page of their sports pullout on, “the passing of Ferrari’s legacy in Formula One.” In a few races time that one will either look mildly prophetic, or as if the cliche “one swallow doesn’t make a summer” is alien to reporter Kevin Garside.

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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