Formula 1 returns to action this weekend for the second round of the championship, to be held at Bahrain’s floodlit Sakhir Circuit. Motorsport Week provides the key information.
History
Bahrain joined the Formula 1 calendar in 2004 at a purpose-built circuit 30km from the capital, Manama, as the championship’s first venture into the Middle East and has been absent only once since – when political unrest in the Gulf state resulted in the cancellation of the 2011 event.
Bahrain has typically been the second or third round of a campaign – giving it a new-season feel but with the cobwebs of winter truly shaken off – though it held the honour of opening the campaign in both 2006 and 2010.
Since 2014, the event has been held at twilight, making it one of three venues on the calendar where the action takes place beneath the lights.
Circuit
The 15-turn 5.412km circuit has remained relatively unchanged since its debut in 2004, the layout having been used for all bar the 2010 event, when the unloved ‘Endurance’ section was trialled.
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The track features a mix of corners, including tricky braking zones into slow corners and long-radius high-speed turns, which tests various elements of both man and machine. The relatively wide nature of the circuit, and cutback ability of several turns, has frequently resulted in wheel-to-wheel battles, especially through the opening sector of the lap.
The presence of four long straights mean the circuit is sensitive to engine power, while the high quantity of traction zones, allied to the rough track surface, places the emphasis on preserving rear tyres. The wind can also have an influencing factor, changing direction to cause set-up headaches, and sometimes blowing sand onto the track.
“Turns 1 and 2 are pretty challenging,” explains Haas’ Romain Grosjean. “It’s a busy hairpin with big braking. Then you really want to go early on throttle as you’ve got a long straight line. Turn 2 is always a bit tricky on the rear end.
“I quite like Turns 5, 6 and 7. They’re high-speed as you approach the downhill hairpin. You get a good feeling. The corners are flying together.”
What happened in 2017?
Valtteri Bottas claimed his maiden pole position in a Mercedes front-row lock-out – but on race day Sebastian Vettel hit back.
Vettel jumped Lewis Hamilton on the opening lap before shadowing Bottas, and profited from a well-timed Safety Car period, caused by Carlos Sainz Jr. colliding with Lance Stroll at Turn 1.
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Vettel, having already pitted, moved into the lead when Bottas was serviced, and resisted a spirited attempt from the Finn into Turn 4 at the restart.
From there, Vettel pulled clear, as Bottas struggled with tyres, and ceded position to Hamilton, who ran an alternative strategy off the back of a time penalty for impeding Daniel Ricciardo upon entering the pits for his first stop.
Vettel’s victory was his third at Sakhir, following on from triumphs during his Red Bull days in 2012 and 2013, and he drew level on three Bahrain wins with Fernando Alonso (2005, 2006, 2010).
Hamilton is the only other active driver to have savoured victory at the track, famously beating team-mate Nico Rosberg in a thrilling battle in 2014 and following it up with another win in 2015.
Vettel and Hamilton have both taken two pole positions in Bahrain, with Alonso (2005) and Bottas (2017) the other current drivers to have chalked up the feat.
Kimi Raikkonen, meanwhile, has never taken a pole or front-row start in Bahrain, nor has he won – but has finished on the podium eight times, more than any other driver.
Other details
Tyre supplier Pirelli has nominated the Supersoft, Soft and Medium tyres for this weekend’s event.
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In the safe assumption that dry conditions will prevail for the 57-lap encounter, either the Soft or Medium compound must be run for one stint of the race.
Danny Sullivan will act as the driver steward.
The first round of the 2018 Formula 2 championship will begin this weekend and as usual there will be a Feature Race (on Saturday) and a Sprint Race (on Sunday).
Formula 2 will join Formula 1 at 12 events this year as the next generation of youngsters battle it out to succeed current Sauber driver Charles Leclerc as champion.
Of the 20 participants, 12 have an alliance or official role with a Formula 1 team.
Weather forecast:
Friday: Partly cloudy, 26°c|
Saturday: Partly cloudy, 25°c
Sunday: Partly cloudy, 26°c
Timetable: (GMT+3)
Friday 6 April
FP1: 14:00 – 15:30
FP2: 18:00 – 19:30
Saturday 7 April
FP3: 15:00 – 16:00
Qualifying: 18:00 – 19:00
Sunday 8 April
Race: 18:10 (57 laps or two hours)
Get session times in your local timezone with our F1 calendar.
Any milestones?
Sebastian Vettel is in line to make his 200th race start on Sunday – though a word of caution: the 2016 Bahrain Grand Prix was the only DNS of his F1 career when an engine failure left him on the sidelines on the formation lap.
What next?
China’s Shanghai Circuit will host the third round of the season from April 13 to 15
