Sakhir Grand Prix: F1 will use the outer layout of the circuit known as the “oval”
Formula 1 has just announced that the second Bahrain Grand Prix will be held on a different layout from the usual circuit.
Like Austria and Great Britain, Formula 1 will visit Bahrain twice on the Sakhir track. The Bahrain Grand Prix will take place from November 27 to 29, while the Sakhir Grand Prix will occur the following weekend, from December 4 to 6, on the same circuit. Both races will count towards the Formula 1 World Championship and will be held at night. However, the two Grand Prix will take place on two different configurations of the circuit.
Indeed, the international circuit of Sakhir has several configurations that are all homologated by the FIA with a Grade 1 license: the Grand Prix version (5.412 km), the Endurance version (6.299 km), the Oasis version (2.554 km), the Outer version (3.543 km), and the Paddock version (3.823 km).
The first race will take place on the Grand Prix version that Formula 1 has been using since the first edition of the Bahrain Grand Prix, except in 2010 when the endurance layout was used.
The second Grand Prix (from December 4 to 6) will take place this time on the outer layout, sometimes called “oval.” With a distance of 3.543 km, it is the shortest layout on the circuit with only 11 turns. It will be the second shortest track on the calendar after the Monaco layout. This configuration has never been used in an international race. According to calculations made by F1, the qualifying lap should be 55 seconds, and the race lap should be completed in 60 seconds. Due to the circuit’s short distance, 87 laps will be required to reach the regulatory 305 km.
We can see in the tweet below the 2 configurations that will be used this year on the Sakhir circuit. The Grand Prix layout in red and the outer track in white:
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⚪️ #SakhirGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/YuqONouk7C— Formula 1 (@F1) August 28, 2020
