I was back from Kuala Lumpur last Tuesday morning and after seven short days at home, I will fly to Frankfurt and on to Bahrain this Tuesday: In the first month of the F1 2008 season I seem to spend more time with the F1 circus than with my family!

Bahrain is one of my favourite stops on the F1 tour. Until five or six years ago I had never visited the Gulf region, but then came an invitation to go to Bahrain for the groundbreaking ceremony for the country´s new F1 circuit. I immediately fell in love with the country and the people and I can´t wait for another race in this part of the world, the new Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which looks destined to become the great finale of the 2009 season.

The climate - hot but dry! - the friendly and helpful people, great food and an interesting and modern circuit are the main reasons I like Bahrain. After the humid heat in Malaysia, the dry desert air in Bahrain will be a nice change. And the food? During Grand Prix weekends there is little time to visit restaurant to sample the local cuisine - I usually return to my hotel around nine or 10 in the evening, and a sandwich in a petrol station or a quick visit to a MacDonald drive-in restaurant is all there is time for. During the day, I eat in the paddock, which is great when we are in Europe and the teams have their motor-homes - these are often like five star restaurants on wheels! But outside Europe, finding lunch in the paddock is not so easy - except in Bahrain: Here, the organisers set up a fantastic Media Restaurant, which serve great food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The food is international but with a distinct middle-east flavour and one of the culinary highlights of any F1 season!

The 2008 Bahrain Grand Prix will be the fifth F1 race at the ultramodern Bahrain International Circuit. It is located near the small town of Sakhir just south of the capital Manama and has both slow and medium-fast corners plus some long straights. I am told that close to 63% of a lap is spent with “full-throttle” so the aerodynamic set-up is a compromise between top speed on the straights and grip and traction in and after the slow corners - that means the downforce level is “medium”.

The first two races of the season proved that Panasonic Toyota Racing have made great progress during the winter. Jarno Trulli´s fourth place in Malaysia indicates that “podiums” are not too far away, and I have a feeling the first just might come in Bahrain. Panasonic Toyota Racing was the only team apart from Ferrari which tested at the circuit last winter, and this should give Jarno and team-mate Timo Glock an advantage.

We will know much more about the competitiveness of the Panasonic Toyota Racing drivers when I upload my first diary report from Sakhir on Friday!

The first two practice sessions for Sunday´s Bahrain Grand Prix here in Sakhir saw Ferrari fastest while Panasonic Toyota Racing drivers Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock were 14th. and 15th. in the second session

As you know, Timo had a dramatic accident in the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne a few weeks ago, but he was OK to race in Malaysia only seven days later: “Thankfully I have no lasting effects from last week´s crash,” Timo confirmed before taking taking part in the race in Sepang. Today, Lewis Hamilton crashed dramatically in the second practice session, but he was also uninjured.

Not so many years ago,. Timo and Lewis might not have escaped so lightly. Racing will always be risky, but safety has improved dramatically over the last 15 years. The FIA has done a fantastic job and thanks to the improved safety measures - in both the cars and at the tracks - we have not experienced serious injuries in F1 for several years.

Why am I talking about safety in F1? Because the “FIA Institute Safety Summit”, took place here at the Bahrain International Circuit yesterday.

The FIA Institute conducts research into new technologies and disseminates a variety of educational materials on best practice in motor sport safety procedures. The Institute’s approach to research and close relationship with the industry has resulted in the rapid development and deployment of a number of new safety systems.

President of the FIA Institute, Professor Sid Watkins explains: “It is the FIA Institute’s commitment to rapid progress which is perhaps the most satisfying element to our work. In our first three years we have already commissioned more than 50 projects, the vast majority of which will have a very significant bearing on the way we go racing and rallying.”

Sid Watkins - also known “The Prof” - is a legend in the F1 paddock. For many years he was the official “F1 Doctor”; a job he carried out from the late 1970s until Gary Hartstein took over a few years ago.

But “The Prof” is still involved in the sport as the president of the FIA Institute, and before the summit in Bahrain, he took time to talk about his long career in motor sport.

“My father ran a garage and an automobile repair business and I worked with him until I was 25 years old. And I have always loved fast cars,” he explains.

Several drivers owe their life to Sid Watkins and the work he has done to improve safety in F1 over the years. “Saving Mika Hakkinen’s life with the Australian Medical Team in Adelaide and witnessing drivers walk away uninjured from major accidents have been very satisfying,” he says.

And when asked what have been the defining points in his career, Professor Watkins mentions the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix weekend in Imola: “Losing Ayrton Senna, Roland Ratzenberger and almost Rubens Barrichello in one weekend changed the whole approach to safety during Grand Prix races,” he says.

I will be back tomorrow with more news from behind the scenes here in Bahrain.

Qualifying for the 2008 Bahrain Grand Prix here in Sakhir saw Robert Kubica fastest ahead of Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton. Panasonic Toyota Racing underlined their strong form with Jarno Trulli seventh and Timo Glock 13th. on the provisional grid

Here in Bahrain, Jarno was one of the drivers chosen by the FIA for one of the official press conferences which takes place before every Grand Prix. One of the questions to him concerned the testing the team did here before the season - Panasonic Toyota Racing and Ferrari were the only two teams which went to Sakhir for testing this winter. Would this be an advantage for them this weekend?

“I will say yes,” Jarno answered. “It is an advantage because obviously I know what we should get. We got the car set-up and I don't think there is much change unless the circuit has changed dramatically. But I believe we have got some advantage and we have some new bits on the car which we can test here.”

With fourth place in the Malaysian Grand Prix two weeks ago, Jarno proved that Panasonic Toyota Racing is in a much stronger position than last year. But where has the improvement come from?

“It is a much better car in every area. People have been working really hard over the wintertime and they have done a really great job. From the beginning of testing I have found a completely different car compared to the previous one and pretty soon we realised we had a competitive car in our hands especially a car which we can work with and we can balance. I am enjoying driving and I am enjoying the racing. It is a completely different season I would say.”

In Malaysia Jarno had to fight hard with Lewis Hamilton in the closing stages. With the heat and humidity in Malaysia, that fourth place was hard work:

“It was hard because it was hot and especially in the last 10 laps we were pushing really hard on hard tyres which were not our best tyres for the race to hold Lewis back because he was coming up really quick,” Jarno confirmed. “It was like a qualifying run and I really enjoyed it because I could retain my position and it was nice because I gave the team a perfect weekend where we all did a great job and came away with a fourth position. Obviously I was happy even if I was exhausted. But it was hot for everyone...”

Jarno also explained why it took him some time to get out of the car after the Malaysian Grand Prix: “When I have to get out I just have to take a little bit more time compared to the others because, physically, my body reacts in a different way. We have made some studies during the years and I just have to take it easy. I didn't have to get on to the podium in Malaysia, so I took my time.”

The climate here in Bahrain is more pleasant than in Malaysia. In other words: Jarno should be able to get onto the podium tomorrow!