The 2017 Bahrain GP will be the 13th race held at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, since the track was opened back in 2004. Since then the Bahrain GP was cancelled only in one Formula One season (2011) and has been one of the highlights of the championship, with several spectacular and thrilling races throughout the years.
The first race in Bahrain also meant the first win for Scuderia Ferrari, on 4 April 2004, when the Maranello team completely dominated the Grand Prix with Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello. Seven-time Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher took pole at the end of the Qualifying session on Saturday and finished the race ahead of his teammate, completing an outstanding 1-2 for the Italian team. Jenson Button for the BAR team by finished in third position, over 26 seconds behind Ferrari’s German driver.
Three years later the Scuderia again came out on top in Sakhir, this time thanks to Felipe Massa, who started from first place after an impressive 1:32.652 lap in Q3 to beat Lewis Hamilton of McLaren-Mercedes. The Brazilian driver was in control of the lead throughout the entire race and in the end finished the Grand Prix 2.3 seconds in front of Lewis Hamilton, with the other Ferrari driver, Kimi Raikkonen, completing the top three.
Felipe Massa added another victory to his name the year after, in 2008, on 6 April, which was the third race of the 2008 Formula One season. Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber) took pole position on Saturday, but could not keep up with the strong race pace of the two Scuderia Ferrari cars, as Felipe scored his first win of the season when he crossed the line at the end of the 57th lap, 3.3 seconds in front of the second-placed Kimi Raikkonen, who completed a perfect weekend for the Maranello team.
The last win in the Bahrain GP for Scuderia Ferrari was brought by Fernando Alonso, at the wheel of the F 10, in the 2010 Formula One season. The race was the opening round of the championship and as a result of his victory, Fernando Alonso joined a selective club alongside Juan Manuel Fangio, Giancarlo Baghetti, Mario Andretti, Nigel Mansell and Kimi Raikkonen as the only driver to win for Scuderia Ferrari on their F1 debut.
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