Nestled in Sakhir and the southern half of the island kingdom, Bahrain International Circuit presents a complicated problem for F1.
A night race in desert terrain sees the air and track temperatures drop rapidly, impacting the balance of the car and tires.
Sakhir’s circuit was the first Middle Eastern track on F1’s schedule and built on a former camel farm.
The design by German engineer Hermann Tilke has the usual long straights but also features fairly tight corners, meaning there will be plenty of heavy braking. Between the straights and DRS zones, fans should expect to see a decent number of overtaking battles.
While the track map may seem straightforward and the drivers will know it well given preseason testing also took place here, there is a critical factor here: the sand.
Organizers sweep the track regularly and even spray an adhesive on the surrounding desert to minimize sand moving about, but they can’t eliminate the threat totally.
If a driver is slightly off of the ideal racing line, the car can start to slide.
Key circuit facts include:
- Circuit length: 5.41 km (3.36 miles)
- Laps: 57
- Lap record: 1:31.446 (Pedro de la Rosa, 2005)
- First GP: 2004
You can take a trip around Sakhir in Madeline Coleman’s circuit breakdown, which is linked below.
GO FURTHER
Bahrain GP track breakdown: F1 speeds into the sands of Sakhir