Presentation – Bahrain GP: The scent of asphalt and warm sand at dusk

« The Bahrain circuit is really interesting, I like it but it’s very hard on the tires. The race becomes nocturnal, which leads to changing conditions and the tarmac can become slippery, uncertain with all the sand, which brings its own set of new challenges. »

Author of a magnificent comeback to claim the 3rd spot on the podium in Shanghai, Max Verstappen shares his affection for the Sakhir track. Held late in the day (starting at 6 p.m. local time), the race quickly becomes nocturnal, even though the massive lighting setup around the track might make one forget that there’s no more sunlight in the sky. Moreover, the intense heat of the Arabian Peninsula spares neither bodies nor engines during the day but provides almost ideal conditions as night falls.

A circuit set in the middle of the desert

The Sakhir track was inaugurated in 2004, and the first Grand Prix saw Michael Schumacher’s victory, the only one on this circuit for the seven-time German world champion. Nonetheless, he was honored by having the first corner of the track named after him.

This 2017 edition will only be the 13th in 14 years of being on the Formula 1 calendar. In 2011, the Grand Prix was canceled due to the internal social conflicts the country was experiencing. The previous year, the race opened the season and the circuit was extended with a few corners before returning to its original layout for 2013.

The last major change occurred in 2014 with the move to a late schedule, making the Grand Prix take place at night, like in Singapore and Abu Dhabi, which are the two other Grand Prix held at night.

The most memorable edition remains undoubtedly that of 2014, where a fratricidal duel pitted the two Mercedes drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, against each other. Wheel to wheel for several laps at the end of the race, the two arch-rivals offered the public and viewers a battle that would go down in history and foreshadow their future clashes over the next three years. For the record, it was the Briton, the future world champion that year, who emerged victorious from this fight. But Rosberg would get his revenge in 2016, the year of his world title.

One all, back to square one between Hamilton and Vettel

After two Grand Prix races, the battle seems to be confirming between Ferrari and Mercedes in the Constructors’ Championship and between Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton for the Drivers’ Championship. With one win and one second place each, the two men are tied, so Bahrain will be a first opportunity to break the deadlock. Both have two wins on the Sakhir track, making the duel all the more iconic. Last year, Vettel’s Ferrari stopped during the formation lap, while Hamilton was held back against Rosberg, who won his fifth consecutive race despite the Brit starting from pole position.

Behind Mercedes and Ferrari, then Red Bull, the positions are hard to come by. Toro Rosso, Force India, and Williams are battling to be “the best of the rest” and for the moment, Toro Rosso is slightly ahead. The Faenza team stood out last season for its innovation and performance despite having a 2015 Ferrari engine; this season, they have the 2017 Renault engine and are showing an even higher level.

Despite being two points down, Force India displays good consistency despite the issues Esteban Ocon faces during the race. The Frenchman manages to keep up his goal of scoring points every weekend.

More withdrawn but still in the business, the start of the season is mixed for Williams. With two retirements, Lance Stroll pays for his youth in this first year in F1. The points acquired by the Grove team are linked to Felipe Massa’s 6th place finish in Australia, as the Chinese Grand Prix was very complicated.

Despite strong performances in qualifying, Nico Hülkenberg and Renault have still not managed to score points in the first two Grand Prix of the season. Jolyon Palmer is in even more trouble and is suffering painfully from the comparison with his new teammate. The Briton is losing his grip, making mistakes, and must quickly pull himself together before his place is already threatened.

Finally, with three retirements and a last place, the start of the season is quite bleak for McLaren despite a very colorful car. The last place in the current Constructors’ standings is a heavy burden for the Woking team, especially since the Honda engine is heavily criticized for its lack of power compared to the competition and its reliability was questioned following the winter tests, it was not the reason for the retirements in Australia and China. Due to the track configuration and weather conditions, this weekend will be another challenge for McLaren-Honda and the team is not expecting a miracle to bounce back in the standings.

To (really) know everything…

With three wins to his name, Fernando Alonso is the current “king of Bahrain,” but he may have to share his title after this weekend. With two victories each on the Sakhir track, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel—favorites for the win at the start of this season—are both in a position to join the Spaniard at the top of the record for most wins.

As with Australia and China, Pirelli remains the sole decision-maker on tire sets and the number of each type of rubber brought to Bahrain. As for last weekend’s Grand Prix, the medium, soft, and super-soft compounds were favored by the Italian manufacturer.

From 🇨🇳 to 🇧🇭. There’s no pause on the #F1 season. Get ready for the #BahrainGP: https://t.co/XOLJmiKUYt pic.twitter.com/d0eSEbzQwQ

— Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) 11 avril 2017

Regarding the DRS activation zones, there are two. The first is traditionally on the start-finish straight with a detection point before turn 14. The second is positioned on the straight parallel to the pit straight at mid-track, and its detection zone is placed in the downhill section between turns 9 and 10.

On the weather front, there’s no need for concern for this race weekend. The sun will be omnipresent, the only variable to note is slightly lower heat expected for Sunday, with an average of 31°C, compared to over 35°C on Friday and Saturday.

Don’t forget the TV schedule!