The 2019 race will be Bahrain’s fifteenth Formula One Grand Prix. This year’s Bahrain Grand Prix will be held from March 29-31. The establishment of the Bahrain International Circuit and Bahrain’s hosting of the F1 was a ground-breaking event in 2004, with Bahrain becoming the first Middle Eastern country to host this race, in what was designed to be the first desert track.
Bahrain champions
For both 2018 and 2019 Bahrain hosted the second race of the season. For the 2018 race in Bahrain Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel won first place. Meanwhile Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton, both from Mercedes, came second and third place respectively. However, Hamilton went on to win overall for the season.
The winners of the Grand prix in 2017 were Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, coming in first place, followed by Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in second and Valterri Bottas in third. Nico Rosberg from Mercedes won in Bahrain in 2016 although his retirement at the end of that season means that he won’t be a contender in 2017. In both 2014 and 2015 Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton won the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Fernando Alonzo has a strong record for Bahrain, with wins in 2005, 2006 and 2010, although he won’t be participating in the 2019 race. Felipe Massa and Sebastian Vettel have both won twice here, with Vettel coming first in 2013. Jenson Button and Michael Schumacher are Bahrain’s other one-time winners.
Track vital statistics
The 5.421-kilometre layout features 15 corners — nine right turns and six left.
The track features four long straights. The longest of these is the pit straight, which is 1,090 metres.
The main race requires 57 laps of the track, giving a race distance of 308.238 KM.
Safety & technical excellence
The Sakhir circuit was the first Grand Prix circuit to be awarded the prestigious FIA Institute Centre of Excellence award, for “excellent safety, race marshal and medical facilities”, as well as for “high standards of technology”.
Safety is prioritized with generously-sized run-off areas alongside the track, measuring 140,000 square metres — enough to hold 344 tennis courts.
Around 400 palm trees are planted along the circuit, behind 4,100 metres of tyre walls, made up of an incredible 82,000 tyres.
If that isn’t enough, there are also 12,000 metres of guard rails and 5,000 metres of safety fencing!
A 190 member medical crew along with 11 ambulances and a helipad have been prepared to provide medical assistance throughout the race.
Six hundred dedicated marshals around the track are also there for quick responses to accidents and any incidents, to ensure minimum disruption to the race.
Entertainment
Bahrain has increasingly sought to enrich the Grand Prix events by providing additional entertainments around the motor racing. This has included major music performances, as well as activities for children and families at the racing track itself. For example; the F1 Fanzone is located at the Formula 1 Village, offering various competitive activities and challenges, such as racing video games, where fans get to race against each other.
Benefits to Bahrain’s economy
It has been estimated that the Formula One directly and indirectly brings in around half a billion dollars of revenue to the Bahrain economy; providing hundreds of jobs and providing a welcome economic boost. The leisure and tourism sectors are major beneficiaries; with hotel occupancy soaring and visitors to the Grand Prix enjoying the many other amenities and entertainments that Bahrain has to offer.
First race
Bahrain’s first Grand Prix in 2004 made history as the first Formula One Grand Prix to be held in the Middle East. Bahrain fought off fierce competition from elsewhere in the region to stage the race, such as the UAE and Egypt. The first 2004 Grand Prix was dominated by Michael Schumacher and Ferrari. The seven-time world champion won from pole and set fastest lap.
Lap record
The lap record of 1 minute 30.252 seconds went to Michael Schumacher in 2004. The hairpin Turn One at the Sakhir Circuit was last year named “Schumacher”, in tribute to this champion of Formula 1. After a subsequent change in the route, Pedro de la Rosa holds the current lap record, with 1:31.447 in 2005 (McLaren)
2014 night race debut
Bahrain marked its 10th anniversary as a Grand Prix venue with a new approach in 2014 by holding a night race for the first time. As well as providing a spectacular and captivating environment for spectators, this helps make the racing more conveniently-timed for viewers around the world. Adjusting to the night race system required substantial investments: The night race lighting system cost around $14.51 million.
Infrastructure & personnel
Bahrain’s infrastructure underwent a major revamp ahead of the 2015 Grand Prix, including large areas of extra parking spaces, highway maintenance and new counters at the BIC site to expedite entry procedures. Habitually, around 14,000 personnel are involved in the massive Formula One operation. This includes catering staff, security, medics and maintenance.
Facts about the track
The circuit lies close to the western edge of Bahrain Island, and is surrounded by desert. The local topography is mostly flat, but the circuit itself does have significant variations in elevation. The difference between its highest and lowest points is 18 metres.
The Bahrain International Circuit at Sakhir is 5.412 km long. The cars racing in the 2018 Grand Prix will have to complete 57 laps. This contrasts with Bahrain’s 6.3 km Endurance Circuit which was used in 2010 to mark the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of Formula One.
The circuit was designed by Hermann Tilke, a German architect who also designed Malaysia’s Sepang Circuit. The circuit cost approximately $150 million to construct. It has six separate tracks, including a test oval and a drag strip.
The long straights of Bahrain’s track give it a reputation as a power-dominated circuit. The circuit has 15 corners, including three hairpin bends.
The lack of rain (averaging just 70 mm of rain per year) or storms means that drivers don’t usually have to worry about unpleasant surprises from the weather. However, strong winds can be a factor. Construction of the Sakhir circuit was initiated by the Crown Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa. The Crown Prince is the Honorary President of the Bahrain Motor Federation.
The track is made up of crushed Greywacke aggregate rock from a quarry in Shropshire in the UK. In the desert climate, sand blowing onto the track can be an issue. Among the measures to deal with the sand is the practice of spraying glue on to the sand around the track, which clumps the sand together and makes it less prone to blowing onto the track.