Bahrain Grand Prix – The Prospects for the Race
Several questions arise before the Formula 1 race in Sakhir. Let's take a moment to discuss the key issues of the Bahrain Grand Prix and review the possible strategies.

The Bahrain Grand Prix qualifications were a very good reflection of the season, with Mercedes and Red Bull solidly occupying the first two rows of the grid, while the order is then well mixed with a Racing Point (Sergio Perez), both Renaults, an AlphaTauri (Pierre Gasly), and a McLaren (Lando Norris).
How many pit stops during the race?
The degradation of the tires plays a big role. Even though the race takes place at night, the temperature in the Bahraini desert remains much higher than what has been experienced this season, since it was still 26°C during the nighttime qualifying session.
That’s why many drivers tried to reach Q3 with yellow-banded tires, meaning the mediums, to avoid being too disadvantaged during the first stint of the race. Usually, only Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, or even Max Verstappen, attempt this aggressive strategy.
As a result, the relative advantage of being 11th and 12th may not be as significant as in other races for the Ferrari drivers, who are clearly far from their performance levels of last season. Their potential climb back into the top 10 will be even more challenging.
Can Max Verstappen do better than 3rd?
For the eighth time this season, Max Verstappen will start from third place on the grid as Mercedes has just achieved its 11th double in qualifying, the 75th in its history. While he has never managed to secure a pole position this season, his race pace has often been faster, earning him one victory and five second places.
This weekend in Sakhir, he showed speed during free practice, recording the best time in the third session. In Q3, he was even second after the first attempt before being overtaken by Valtteri Bottas. The hopes are therefore allowed for the Red Bulls, especially since Alex Albon managed to forget the disappointment of his major crash yesterday and positioned himself alongside his teammate. He thus matches his best career position. But it’s known that the Thai driver is not a sure bet and is capable of the best as well as the worst. If he wishes to continue his career in F1, it would be better for him to shine under the spotlights of Sakhir.
Who will stand out in the pack?
Once again, Sergio Perez delivered a very strong qualifying performance in Bahrain. He narrowly beat the two Renaults, with whom the battle for the third place in the Constructors’ championship is in its final stages. However, the French team was the only one to place both its drivers in the top 10, which could indicate the potential to score significant points by the end of the race.
The performance of the Mexican is all the more remarkable given that his teammate, Lance Stroll, could not do better than 14th. Once again an illustration of the gap that separates the two drivers in the standings, with 100 points and 4th place for Sergio Perez compared to 59 and 11th place for the owner’s son.
Be careful not to dismiss McLaren too quickly. Indeed, the grid may seem disappointing since Lando Norris is 9th and Carlos Sainz, 15th. But the Spaniard was a victim of a technical issue, with his rear brakes locking up at the end of the straight. He was even more disappointed as this emergency braking destroyed his set of medium tires, so precious in the race: « We do not yet know what caused this problem (Editor’s note: since then, the team confirmed it was a rear brake failure) but it’s very disappointing because I got out of Q1 with only one set of tires. I had saved softs for later in the qualification. And this set of mediums, which are so important this weekend, looks completely flat. I won’t be able to use them. »
But McLaren has proven this season that it has a very good race pace, which could allow it to climb up the hierarchy. With only 24 points separating the four teams, the battle promises to be tighter than ever, and every position will be worth its weight in gold! On a track with many overtaking zones, this promises us some great battles and television images.