2019 F1 Bahrain Grand Prix
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2019 F1 Bahrain Grand Prix
2019 BAHRAIN GP PREVIEW
2019 FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX
A BIT ABOUT BAHRAIN
The fifteenth annual Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix is almost upon us, and across the Kingdom there is enormous pride to be seen in its people in bringing the world's biggest annual sporting series to the region. It made history as the first Formula One Grand Prix to be held in the Middle East, and was given the award for the "Best Organised Grand Prix" by the FIA
The Bahrain World Trade Center and Financial Harbour are open for business, the City Center Mall is thriving, new homes, leisure parks and the sheer scale of growth in Bahrain over the past 12 months are set to stagger the visiting fans and media from around the world.
"Bahrain is now poised for its most important week of the year, in terms of our international profile as a country and in terms of bringing the most important sporting and social event in the region to the people," said Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa, Chief Operating Officer at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC). "Each year Bahrain grows in its achievements and I have never seen the country looking as fit and ready as it does this year."
Click thumbnails for larger
As Bahrain International Circuit gets ready to host the Formula One Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix for the 15th time it also looks back on successful years of achievements and awards. Since its inauguration in 2004, the BIC has received many prestigious accolades including the 'Best Organised Grand Prix' in 2004, 'Best Advertising Campaign' for the Almoayyed Tower in 2006, and now the only Grand Prix circuit to be an 'FIA Centre of Excellence'.
In the 15 years since the BIC first hosted the Gulf Air Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix, the sport has taken root as one of the region's most-watched sporting passions. In that time the Manama skyline has transformed into that of a modern metropolitan city and new developments aimed at improving the employment, housing and social opportunities for a prosperous future continue to grow.
“The Formula One circus likes visiting Bahrain. Everyone's looking for more than just another paddock and there's a lively city near to the Bahrain International Circuit, where there are good places to eat and go out.
A characteristic of the course is the giant run-off areas, which have been criticised for not punishing drivers who stray off the track. However, they tend to prevent sand getting onto the track and make Bahrain one of the safest tracks in the world.[8]
Although alcoholic beverages are legal in Bahrain, the drivers do not spray the traditional champagne on the podium. Instead, they spray a non-alcoholic rosewater drink known as Waard.[8]
THE TRACK
The circuit was designed with the spectator in mind, with 50,000 grandstand seats, all providing excellent views. Those spectators (a total of 100,000 over a race weekend, compared to the350,000 we saw at Albert Park) get to see the cars heading into the external desert area, before coming back into the oasis-styled infield. Up to 500 journalists can also witness the action from the venue's purpose-built media centre. Over 12,000 tonnes of stone were used in the build, a third of it Welsh granite, chosen for the track surface due to its excellent adhesive qualities.
Lap Distance: 5.412 km (3.363 miles)
Race Distance: 191.634miles/306.614km
Number of Laps: 57
Top speed - 309kph
Lap Record: Michael Schumacher 1m30.252s
Longest flat-out section - 14s / 1.05km
Full throttle: 68%
Brake wear: Hard
Downforce level: Medium - 7/10
Gearshifts per lap - 58
Tyre usage: Medium
Average speed: 210kph (130mph)
Click for Larger
The Bahrain Grand Prix is the first night race of the season, set in the Sakhir desert in the Middle East. Despite the ‘cooler’ night conditions, track temperatures remain consistently hot, ranging from 26°C to 31°C over the last three years. These temperatures encourage the tyres to operate within their working window, providing good mechanical grip. Although, the high traction demands of this circuit together with the high track temperatures could lead to overheating of the rear tyres.
The drivers complete 71 gear changes per lap, reaching a top speed of 326 kph before Turn 1. The Fuel effect of this track is 0.31s/10Kg compared to the 2018 average so far of 0.35sec/10Kg. Fuel consumption is 1.84Kg/lap with 61% of the lap on full throttle. Pit lane length is 426m which is 59m longer than average and the fastest pit stop time from 2017 is 24.240s.
The layout of the 5.412 km (3.363 miles) track shares some similarities with the no longer with us Sepang, but the surface in Bahrain is smoother and due to the desert sands blowing constantly onto the track often provides less grip. Looking at the pic below, it looks more like an abstract painting, a beige-and-black depiction of a racetrack in the desert.
There’s a real mix of corners at the Bahrain circuit and the long straights followed by tighter corners mean it’s a good place for overtaking. It’s quite tricky to find the right set-up, it’s a medium downforce circuit so that always brings a compromise. And the changing wind conditions, the winds here can be quite strong, also make it harder to get the car working over the whole weekend.
There are six long straights at the Bahrain International Circuit and to achieve the maximum possible straightline speeds, the cars run with less wing than at either Melbourne or Sepang. The resultant reduction in aerodynamic grip creates balance problems through the twistier sections of the lap, where the overriding handling characteristic is oversteer. The circuit itself follows the template created by now famous track designer Hermann Tilke, and features long straights leading into tight corners to maximise overtaking opportunities plus the obligatory state-of-the-art paddock buildings and grandstands. The drivers admit that its slow, fussy corners offer them little that they can really get their teeth into. The key corners of the circuit are Turn 1, where the cars brake from maximum speed down to first gear, and the final corner. Both present potential overtaking possibilities.
As the circuit is located in the desert, the ambient temperature can be in the high 30s, although this weekend is forecast to be c30C. It's a dry heat, similar to that experienced in Melbourne, and shouldn't pose any reliability problems for the teams. Well maybe Ferrari..... However, sand from the surrounding desert poses a genuine threat to reliability because tiny particles get sucked into the car's internal systems and the teams have to be extra diligent in their cleaning processes. Filtration for the engines is always increased here because of the potential of the sand to damage.
OVERVIEW
This of course is all change this year and the 'low downforce' (if you believe that given the planned speed reduction has shown faster lap times) spec of the cars, combined with the dusty / sandy nature of the track could mean we see more brake locking and flat spotting of the tyres. However, drivers adapt, and Formula One drivers should be able to adapt rather quicker than the average driver, some better than others, and pre season testing times showed that the cars are not likely to be any slower than last year here...... unless we get a sandstorm thrown into the mix.....
Like half the races on the calendar, Bahrain is close to sea level, just 10m above, and has an average pressure (1,011 mbar), so engine power will be good.
This year of course the established order has been shaken up by new regulations designed to make the action on the track better and closer than ever. As a result the big guns of Ferrari are struggling
HISTORY
In 2014, to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the first staging of the Bahrain Grand Prix, the race was held as a night event under floodlights.[6] In so doing it became the second Formula One night race after the Singapore Grand Prix in 2008. Bahrain's inaugural night event was won by Lewis Hamilton. Subsequent races have also been night races.
Shortly after the Formula One February 2014 testing, Grand Prix organizers for Bahrain announced a decision to name the first corner of the iconic track after former seven-time champion German driver Michael Schumacher in honour of his achievements and also in support after the driver suffered an almost fatal skiing accident late December 2013
Previous Years
2004 Germany Michael Schumacher Ferrari Sakhir Grand Prix Circuit
2005 Spain Fernando Alonso Renault Sakhir Grand Prix Circuit
2006 Spain Fernando Alonso Renault Sakhir Grand Prix Circuit
2007 Brazil Felipe Massa Ferrari Sakhir Grand Prix Circuit
2008 Brazil Felipe Massa Ferrari Sakhir Grand Prix Circuit
2009 United Kingdom Jenson Button Brawn-Mercedes Sakhir Grand Prix Circuit
2010 Spain Fernando Alonso Ferrari Sakhir Endurance Circuit
2011 Cancelled Sakhir Grand Prix Circuit
2012 Germany Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault Sakhir Grand Prix Circuit
2013 Germany Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault Sakhir Grand Prix Circuit
2014 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Sakhir Grand Prix Circuit
2015 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Sakhir Grand Prix Circuit
2016 Germany Nico Rosberg Mercedes Sakhir Grand Prix Circuit
2017 Germany Sebastian Vettel Ferrari Sakhir Grand Prix Circuit
2018 Germany Sebastian Vettel Ferrari Sakhir Grand Prix Circuit
Wins Constructor Years won
6 Ferrari 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2017, 2018
3 Mercedes 2014, 2015, 2016
2 Renault 2005, 2006
2 Red Bull 2012, 2013
SETUP
The Bahrain circuit demands a compromise when it comes to aerodynamic set-up. On the one hand the many slow corners require a high level of downforce, while on the other the exceptional breadth of the track encourages the drivers to overtake, which means teams can't leave maximum speed out of the equation. So for car set-up you have to compromise between straightline speed and grip in the slower corners, which is quite a tricky balance to achieve.
With the low-speed corners, traction and brake balance play a major role. Brake wear on this circuit is particularly high, especially in the turn after the start-finish straight and in turn 4. At night the wind regularly sweeps sand onto the track. During the day the wind comes in across the desert and can change direction from lap to lap. This can make the cars a bit unstable if it blows in the wrong direction Generally conditions improve as the day goes on, but tyre wear can nevertheless be fairly high on account of the sand. That is an important factor for the race strategy."
Car dynamics
Average turn angle indicates the average angle of a circuit's corners expressed in degrees. The higher the average turn angle, the more acute the corners in the circuit's configuration and the greater propensity for understeer to compromise lap time. At Bahrain, the average turn angle is 123.560, against a season average of 110.0, ranking it as the circuit with the 5th highest average turn angle across the Championship.
The end of straight (EOS) speed at Bahrain was 303kp/h in 2008. Bahrain ranks as having the 8th fastest EOS speed on the 2009 calendar, and this is one indicator of the wing level typically selected to optimise the downforce/drag ratio. As the average speed around Bahrain is the 8th fastest of any of the tracks, a compromise is required.
BRAKES
The Bahrain race is one of the more demanding circuits on the brakes, being similar to Montreal as one of the most severe tests of the year. With three big stops from over 320kph into first or second gear corners, the car needs good stability to avoid locking tyres during the race. The frequency of braking is also significant, especially between Turns 4 and 13, where the brakes are constantly running at high temperatures without the chance to cool down. Braking is further complicated this year by the reduced / lack of downforce
STRATEGY
The pitlane length and profile (i.e. corners in the pitlane entry) contribute to the determination of the optimum fuel strategy. The pitlane loss at Bahrain is approximately 23 seconds, the 5th most penalising pitlane in the Championship. To complete a normalised distance of 5km around the Bahrain circuit requires 2.66kg of fuel against an average of 2.42kg per 5km across all circuits this season, making the circuit the 4th least demanding track of the year in terms of fuel consumption.
TYRES
Courtesy of Pirelli Sport
The key thing to remember this weekend is that because the Bahrain Grand Prix is a night race, track temperatures continue to fall during the race, consequently changing the tyre behaviour and level of grip
Track temperatures are much hotter in the afternoon, which is why FP1 and FP3 are largely unrepresentative, making FP2 more important for high fuel long runs to try and understand the tyre behaviour in representative race conditions
What are the challenges of Bahrain?
"Bahrain is a technically interesting circuit. The layout means a lot of braking and a lot of accelerating out of low speed corners. Maximising traction out of the corners is the key to a good lap time, but if a car has less than ideal traction, additional unwanted heat can be created, and this will make matters more difficult for competitors. There is a lot of heavy braking here too, and it will be interesting to see how the different braking characteristics between the KERS and non-KERS cars affects lap times, and also the racing."
How much of a challenge should the tyre allocation be in Bahrain?
"Tyre management and minimising unnecessary tyre heat in what could be very hot conditions are very important considerations here. We have the medium and super soft tyres and we expect the medium tyre to be very durable. The super soft should present more of a challenge in terms of durability than the medium, however the data from the Bahrain pre-season tests show that this tyre can be managed well on this track if the correct set-up is found."
A lap of Bahrain with Honda’s Alexander WurzRemember him?
“It's usually quite windy in the afternoons, which results in sand getting blown onto the track. The knock-on effect of this is felt most in qualifying, when everyone wants to be the last person on the track, when the circuit is at its cleanest. Therefore there's usually a lot of traffic to negotiate.
“The BIC is one of the slower tracks that Hermann Tilke has designed, but it's still quite interesting. From a technical point of view, braking and traction are crucial, and you break very hard into Turn One, from seventh gear - more than 300km/h - down to first gear. This provides the best overtaking opportunity on the lap.
“Turn Two is a left kink, which, without traction control, is going to be quite challenging because you're going to have a lot of slip. We might see some snap oversteer here as a result. Turn Three is easy flat and leads to the right-hander Turn Four, which is taken in third gear. It's off-camber and could pose quite a traction problem without TC.
“Then you come to a very interesting part of the track, the fast right-left chicane. It's enjoyable, but it can be frustrating from a car set-up point of view because if it wasn't for this section you'd soften up the car. As it is, you have to keep some roll stiffness in the car for this quick change of direction.
“You then come to the hairpin, which picks up a lot of grip throughout the weekend. The exit goes uphill, into a long left-hander, which tightens up into a sharp left. Everyone locks up a bit because it's off-camber and over a crest, so the inside front is unloaded. Traction is really important on the exit because the back straight follows, where you get up to sixth gear before slowing for the third-gear left-hander. I would set up my car's aero balance - the amount of wing I carry - for this corner.
“After this corner there's a long uphill stretch into a flat right-hander. The front left is loaded for a long time through here and then you come into another right-hander, which is an overtaking opportunity if the car in front is using its tyres too much. A very long straight leads to the last corner, where it's easy to out-brake yourself. You lose more than you can win through here because it's really important to have a clean exit onto the start-finish straight.”
We have had some fun races here over the years.... most memorable was the final laps dice between the mercs of Rosberg and Hamilton. Maybe the newly invigorated Bottas and a pissed off Lewis 'WHy am I so slow' Hamilton may give us a show. Dont expect Ferrari to have found the missing minute they suffered over a race distance in Aus. Red BUll, well can their Hondas hold together 2 weekends in a row? Can Danny Ric have some good luck for once?
Will Lando Norris win? Probably not but more likely than Russell.
No sign of a Mongol invasion in the past 12 months. Happy to be corrected by those more knowledgeable than I.
2019 FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX
A BIT ABOUT BAHRAIN
The fifteenth annual Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix is almost upon us, and across the Kingdom there is enormous pride to be seen in its people in bringing the world's biggest annual sporting series to the region. It made history as the first Formula One Grand Prix to be held in the Middle East, and was given the award for the "Best Organised Grand Prix" by the FIA
The Bahrain World Trade Center and Financial Harbour are open for business, the City Center Mall is thriving, new homes, leisure parks and the sheer scale of growth in Bahrain over the past 12 months are set to stagger the visiting fans and media from around the world.
"Bahrain is now poised for its most important week of the year, in terms of our international profile as a country and in terms of bringing the most important sporting and social event in the region to the people," said Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa, Chief Operating Officer at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC). "Each year Bahrain grows in its achievements and I have never seen the country looking as fit and ready as it does this year."
Click thumbnails for larger
As Bahrain International Circuit gets ready to host the Formula One Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix for the 15th time it also looks back on successful years of achievements and awards. Since its inauguration in 2004, the BIC has received many prestigious accolades including the 'Best Organised Grand Prix' in 2004, 'Best Advertising Campaign' for the Almoayyed Tower in 2006, and now the only Grand Prix circuit to be an 'FIA Centre of Excellence'.
In the 15 years since the BIC first hosted the Gulf Air Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix, the sport has taken root as one of the region's most-watched sporting passions. In that time the Manama skyline has transformed into that of a modern metropolitan city and new developments aimed at improving the employment, housing and social opportunities for a prosperous future continue to grow.
“The Formula One circus likes visiting Bahrain. Everyone's looking for more than just another paddock and there's a lively city near to the Bahrain International Circuit, where there are good places to eat and go out.
A characteristic of the course is the giant run-off areas, which have been criticised for not punishing drivers who stray off the track. However, they tend to prevent sand getting onto the track and make Bahrain one of the safest tracks in the world.[8]
Although alcoholic beverages are legal in Bahrain, the drivers do not spray the traditional champagne on the podium. Instead, they spray a non-alcoholic rosewater drink known as Waard.[8]
THE TRACK
The circuit was designed with the spectator in mind, with 50,000 grandstand seats, all providing excellent views. Those spectators (a total of 100,000 over a race weekend, compared to the350,000 we saw at Albert Park) get to see the cars heading into the external desert area, before coming back into the oasis-styled infield. Up to 500 journalists can also witness the action from the venue's purpose-built media centre. Over 12,000 tonnes of stone were used in the build, a third of it Welsh granite, chosen for the track surface due to its excellent adhesive qualities.
Lap Distance: 5.412 km (3.363 miles)
Race Distance: 191.634miles/306.614km
Number of Laps: 57
Top speed - 309kph
Lap Record: Michael Schumacher 1m30.252s
Longest flat-out section - 14s / 1.05km
Full throttle: 68%
Brake wear: Hard
Downforce level: Medium - 7/10
Gearshifts per lap - 58
Tyre usage: Medium
Average speed: 210kph (130mph)
Click for Larger
The Bahrain Grand Prix is the first night race of the season, set in the Sakhir desert in the Middle East. Despite the ‘cooler’ night conditions, track temperatures remain consistently hot, ranging from 26°C to 31°C over the last three years. These temperatures encourage the tyres to operate within their working window, providing good mechanical grip. Although, the high traction demands of this circuit together with the high track temperatures could lead to overheating of the rear tyres.
The drivers complete 71 gear changes per lap, reaching a top speed of 326 kph before Turn 1. The Fuel effect of this track is 0.31s/10Kg compared to the 2018 average so far of 0.35sec/10Kg. Fuel consumption is 1.84Kg/lap with 61% of the lap on full throttle. Pit lane length is 426m which is 59m longer than average and the fastest pit stop time from 2017 is 24.240s.
The layout of the 5.412 km (3.363 miles) track shares some similarities with the no longer with us Sepang, but the surface in Bahrain is smoother and due to the desert sands blowing constantly onto the track often provides less grip. Looking at the pic below, it looks more like an abstract painting, a beige-and-black depiction of a racetrack in the desert.
There’s a real mix of corners at the Bahrain circuit and the long straights followed by tighter corners mean it’s a good place for overtaking. It’s quite tricky to find the right set-up, it’s a medium downforce circuit so that always brings a compromise. And the changing wind conditions, the winds here can be quite strong, also make it harder to get the car working over the whole weekend.
There are six long straights at the Bahrain International Circuit and to achieve the maximum possible straightline speeds, the cars run with less wing than at either Melbourne or Sepang. The resultant reduction in aerodynamic grip creates balance problems through the twistier sections of the lap, where the overriding handling characteristic is oversteer. The circuit itself follows the template created by now famous track designer Hermann Tilke, and features long straights leading into tight corners to maximise overtaking opportunities plus the obligatory state-of-the-art paddock buildings and grandstands. The drivers admit that its slow, fussy corners offer them little that they can really get their teeth into. The key corners of the circuit are Turn 1, where the cars brake from maximum speed down to first gear, and the final corner. Both present potential overtaking possibilities.
As the circuit is located in the desert, the ambient temperature can be in the high 30s, although this weekend is forecast to be c30C. It's a dry heat, similar to that experienced in Melbourne, and shouldn't pose any reliability problems for the teams. Well maybe Ferrari..... However, sand from the surrounding desert poses a genuine threat to reliability because tiny particles get sucked into the car's internal systems and the teams have to be extra diligent in their cleaning processes. Filtration for the engines is always increased here because of the potential of the sand to damage.
OVERVIEW
This of course is all change this year and the 'low downforce' (if you believe that given the planned speed reduction has shown faster lap times) spec of the cars, combined with the dusty / sandy nature of the track could mean we see more brake locking and flat spotting of the tyres. However, drivers adapt, and Formula One drivers should be able to adapt rather quicker than the average driver, some better than others, and pre season testing times showed that the cars are not likely to be any slower than last year here...... unless we get a sandstorm thrown into the mix.....
Like half the races on the calendar, Bahrain is close to sea level, just 10m above, and has an average pressure (1,011 mbar), so engine power will be good.
This year of course the established order has been shaken up by new regulations designed to make the action on the track better and closer than ever. As a result the big guns of Ferrari are struggling
HISTORY
In 2014, to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the first staging of the Bahrain Grand Prix, the race was held as a night event under floodlights.[6] In so doing it became the second Formula One night race after the Singapore Grand Prix in 2008. Bahrain's inaugural night event was won by Lewis Hamilton. Subsequent races have also been night races.
Shortly after the Formula One February 2014 testing, Grand Prix organizers for Bahrain announced a decision to name the first corner of the iconic track after former seven-time champion German driver Michael Schumacher in honour of his achievements and also in support after the driver suffered an almost fatal skiing accident late December 2013
Previous Years
2004 Germany Michael Schumacher Ferrari Sakhir Grand Prix Circuit
2005 Spain Fernando Alonso Renault Sakhir Grand Prix Circuit
2006 Spain Fernando Alonso Renault Sakhir Grand Prix Circuit
2007 Brazil Felipe Massa Ferrari Sakhir Grand Prix Circuit
2008 Brazil Felipe Massa Ferrari Sakhir Grand Prix Circuit
2009 United Kingdom Jenson Button Brawn-Mercedes Sakhir Grand Prix Circuit
2010 Spain Fernando Alonso Ferrari Sakhir Endurance Circuit
2011 Cancelled Sakhir Grand Prix Circuit
2012 Germany Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault Sakhir Grand Prix Circuit
2013 Germany Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault Sakhir Grand Prix Circuit
2014 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Sakhir Grand Prix Circuit
2015 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Sakhir Grand Prix Circuit
2016 Germany Nico Rosberg Mercedes Sakhir Grand Prix Circuit
2017 Germany Sebastian Vettel Ferrari Sakhir Grand Prix Circuit
2018 Germany Sebastian Vettel Ferrari Sakhir Grand Prix Circuit
Wins Constructor Years won
6 Ferrari 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2017, 2018
3 Mercedes 2014, 2015, 2016
2 Renault 2005, 2006
2 Red Bull 2012, 2013
SETUP
The Bahrain circuit demands a compromise when it comes to aerodynamic set-up. On the one hand the many slow corners require a high level of downforce, while on the other the exceptional breadth of the track encourages the drivers to overtake, which means teams can't leave maximum speed out of the equation. So for car set-up you have to compromise between straightline speed and grip in the slower corners, which is quite a tricky balance to achieve.
With the low-speed corners, traction and brake balance play a major role. Brake wear on this circuit is particularly high, especially in the turn after the start-finish straight and in turn 4. At night the wind regularly sweeps sand onto the track. During the day the wind comes in across the desert and can change direction from lap to lap. This can make the cars a bit unstable if it blows in the wrong direction Generally conditions improve as the day goes on, but tyre wear can nevertheless be fairly high on account of the sand. That is an important factor for the race strategy."
Car dynamics
Average turn angle indicates the average angle of a circuit's corners expressed in degrees. The higher the average turn angle, the more acute the corners in the circuit's configuration and the greater propensity for understeer to compromise lap time. At Bahrain, the average turn angle is 123.560, against a season average of 110.0, ranking it as the circuit with the 5th highest average turn angle across the Championship.
The end of straight (EOS) speed at Bahrain was 303kp/h in 2008. Bahrain ranks as having the 8th fastest EOS speed on the 2009 calendar, and this is one indicator of the wing level typically selected to optimise the downforce/drag ratio. As the average speed around Bahrain is the 8th fastest of any of the tracks, a compromise is required.
BRAKES
The Bahrain race is one of the more demanding circuits on the brakes, being similar to Montreal as one of the most severe tests of the year. With three big stops from over 320kph into first or second gear corners, the car needs good stability to avoid locking tyres during the race. The frequency of braking is also significant, especially between Turns 4 and 13, where the brakes are constantly running at high temperatures without the chance to cool down. Braking is further complicated this year by the reduced / lack of downforce
STRATEGY
The pitlane length and profile (i.e. corners in the pitlane entry) contribute to the determination of the optimum fuel strategy. The pitlane loss at Bahrain is approximately 23 seconds, the 5th most penalising pitlane in the Championship. To complete a normalised distance of 5km around the Bahrain circuit requires 2.66kg of fuel against an average of 2.42kg per 5km across all circuits this season, making the circuit the 4th least demanding track of the year in terms of fuel consumption.
TYRES
Courtesy of Pirelli Sport
The key thing to remember this weekend is that because the Bahrain Grand Prix is a night race, track temperatures continue to fall during the race, consequently changing the tyre behaviour and level of grip
Track temperatures are much hotter in the afternoon, which is why FP1 and FP3 are largely unrepresentative, making FP2 more important for high fuel long runs to try and understand the tyre behaviour in representative race conditions
What are the challenges of Bahrain?
"Bahrain is a technically interesting circuit. The layout means a lot of braking and a lot of accelerating out of low speed corners. Maximising traction out of the corners is the key to a good lap time, but if a car has less than ideal traction, additional unwanted heat can be created, and this will make matters more difficult for competitors. There is a lot of heavy braking here too, and it will be interesting to see how the different braking characteristics between the KERS and non-KERS cars affects lap times, and also the racing."
How much of a challenge should the tyre allocation be in Bahrain?
"Tyre management and minimising unnecessary tyre heat in what could be very hot conditions are very important considerations here. We have the medium and super soft tyres and we expect the medium tyre to be very durable. The super soft should present more of a challenge in terms of durability than the medium, however the data from the Bahrain pre-season tests show that this tyre can be managed well on this track if the correct set-up is found."
A lap of Bahrain with Honda’s Alexander WurzRemember him?
“It's usually quite windy in the afternoons, which results in sand getting blown onto the track. The knock-on effect of this is felt most in qualifying, when everyone wants to be the last person on the track, when the circuit is at its cleanest. Therefore there's usually a lot of traffic to negotiate.
“The BIC is one of the slower tracks that Hermann Tilke has designed, but it's still quite interesting. From a technical point of view, braking and traction are crucial, and you break very hard into Turn One, from seventh gear - more than 300km/h - down to first gear. This provides the best overtaking opportunity on the lap.
“Turn Two is a left kink, which, without traction control, is going to be quite challenging because you're going to have a lot of slip. We might see some snap oversteer here as a result. Turn Three is easy flat and leads to the right-hander Turn Four, which is taken in third gear. It's off-camber and could pose quite a traction problem without TC.
“Then you come to a very interesting part of the track, the fast right-left chicane. It's enjoyable, but it can be frustrating from a car set-up point of view because if it wasn't for this section you'd soften up the car. As it is, you have to keep some roll stiffness in the car for this quick change of direction.
“You then come to the hairpin, which picks up a lot of grip throughout the weekend. The exit goes uphill, into a long left-hander, which tightens up into a sharp left. Everyone locks up a bit because it's off-camber and over a crest, so the inside front is unloaded. Traction is really important on the exit because the back straight follows, where you get up to sixth gear before slowing for the third-gear left-hander. I would set up my car's aero balance - the amount of wing I carry - for this corner.
“After this corner there's a long uphill stretch into a flat right-hander. The front left is loaded for a long time through here and then you come into another right-hander, which is an overtaking opportunity if the car in front is using its tyres too much. A very long straight leads to the last corner, where it's easy to out-brake yourself. You lose more than you can win through here because it's really important to have a clean exit onto the start-finish straight.”
We have had some fun races here over the years.... most memorable was the final laps dice between the mercs of Rosberg and Hamilton. Maybe the newly invigorated Bottas and a pissed off Lewis 'WHy am I so slow' Hamilton may give us a show. Dont expect Ferrari to have found the missing minute they suffered over a race distance in Aus. Red BUll, well can their Hondas hold together 2 weekends in a row? Can Danny Ric have some good luck for once?
Will Lando Norris win? Probably not but more likely than Russell.
No sign of a Mongol invasion in the past 12 months. Happy to be corrected by those more knowledgeable than I.
* I started life with nothing, and still have most of it left
“Good drivers have dead flies on the side windows!” (Walter Röhrl)
* I married Miss Right. Just didn't know her first name was Always
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Great post, will read through later!
The 2010 race was 'interesting' since it used that horrible, pointless and incredibly bumpy extension.
Or you can see here from Schumacher's onboard, which is probably the worst onboard camera angle I've EVER seen.
The 2010 race was 'interesting' since it used that horrible, pointless and incredibly bumpy extension.
Or you can see here from Schumacher's onboard, which is probably the worst onboard camera angle I've EVER seen.
Developer of the 1967v3 Historic Mod for Grand Prix Legends: viewtopic.php?t=17429
King of the Race Track, Destroyer of Tyres, Breaker of Lap Records
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- John
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If the 2011 race here hadn't been cancelled, this would have been GP #1000.
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- Circuitmaster
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I'm going to say the same thing I say every year: I wish that just once they'd use the outer layout
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pretty bland track in itself, but a good racing track. looking forward to this one!
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Never seen this one before, it’s hilarious.
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They had a similar angle last year... With the halo for added interest.
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2012 GTP Non-Championship Champion | 2012 Guess the Kai-Star Half Marathon Time Champion | 2018 GTP Champion | 2019 GTP Champion
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- Antonov
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wouldn't that be an extremely short circuit?
- Circuitmaster
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Yes I imagine so, distance and lap time would be very short. But it'd be fast. And it'd be different. And there'd be plenty of laps which means they'd go down the main straight a lot.. which means plenty of passing opportunities. Hell I think that almost every single turn would be an overtaking spot..
I'm quite up for circuits with multiple layouts to mix it up year on year, but why they decided that one year to use that stupid extra twisty bit is beyond me.
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Ferrari will have to perform at this track - imagine it disappoints again, I can't see it coming out of top in the development race vs. Mercedes.
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you mean this way, right?Circuitmaster wrote: ↑5 years agoYes I imagine so, distance and lap time would be very short. But it'd be fast. And it'd be different. And there'd be plenty of laps which means they'd go down the main straight a lot.. which means plenty of passing opportunities. Hell I think that almost every single turn would be an overtaking spot..
I'm quite up for circuits with multiple layouts to mix it up year on year, but why they decided that one year to use that stupid extra twisty bit is beyond me.
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=7354689
with just over 3,5 km per lap, it is actually a bit longer than I thought.
a race distance would cover approximately 87 laps.
- Circuitmaster
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That Link's not doing it for me.. but it's the layout that has a connection between turns 4 and 13.Antonov wrote: ↑5 years agoyou mean this way, right?Circuitmaster wrote: ↑5 years agoYes I imagine so, distance and lap time would be very short. But it'd be fast. And it'd be different. And there'd be plenty of laps which means they'd go down the main straight a lot.. which means plenty of passing opportunities. Hell I think that almost every single turn would be an overtaking spot..
I'm quite up for circuits with multiple layouts to mix it up year on year, but why they decided that one year to use that stupid extra twisty bit is beyond me.
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=7354689
with just over 3,5 km per lap, it is actually a bit longer than I thought.
a race distance would cover approximately 87 laps.
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- Picci
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This is usually a very Ferrari-esque track so this is the best we'll ever see them. If they can't win this one they're not going to win anything this year.
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