Bahrain track is opposite of Suzuka: race pace and tire management take the spotlight. At the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain, Ferrari works on balance, McLaren focuses on drivers.

The Circus moves to a scenario that is the complete opposite of Suzuka, not only geographically. The Bahrain circuit, different in layout, asphalt, and environmental conditions from those visited so far, will provide important feedback on the cars, also assessing their development since testing. The highly abrasive asphalt brings the race to the center of the weekend, just a few days after a Japanese Grand Prix that was decided in qualifying. In the background, teams continue working on their cars, making updates and setup experiments.

The Track

With an average lap speed of less than 220 km/h in qualifying, the Bahrain track differs from Suzuka, which, with its 240 km/h, represented a high-speed circuit. In contrast, the Sakhir track is filled with medium-low speed corners, shifting the focus to traction on exit and mechanical grip. There are still high-speed bends, but nothing resembling the fast direction changes seen in Australia, China, and Japan. As a result, the maximum lateral accelerations are the lowest experienced this season. As always, finding a good balance between high and low-speed corners will be important, but this time, the focus will be more on the latter.

The level of aerodynamic load doesn’t drastically change, with teams sticking to an intermediate configuration. What changes is its distribution, with more emphasis on the rear axle. Teams will aim to strengthen the aerodynamics and reduce sensitivity to gusts of wind, which are particularly intense in the desert of Bahrain.

Finally, the sequence of straights and hairpins highlights the importance of braking. Brembo rates the Bahrain circuit a 4 out of 5 for braking severity, in contrast to Suzuka, which was one of the least demanding in this area. In Bahrain, brakes are used for 18% of the time, and in five braking zones, deceleration exceeds 4.1 g. At Sakhir, the race will depend a lot on traction, but braking can be equally decisive.

Race Management

In the first Middle Eastern race, the emphasis will be on managing the rear tires and preventing overheating. In fact, Suzuka’s race was already limited by rear tire degradation, due to the new asphalt on the fast corners of the first sector, but nothing comparable to what is expected in Bahrain. The Sakhir surface is the roughest and most abrasive of the entire season, increasing mechanical grip at the expense of the tire’s adhesive grip, which works differently. The asphalt grains also increase hysteresis, the micro-deformations in the tire that generate heat, causing overheating and degradation.

Without the variable of a new track surface, as seen in the last two races, a two-stop strategy is the most likely. High degradation shifts the focus from qualifying to the race, with the awareness that overtaking is possible thanks to the pit stops and three DRS zones. Pirelli brings the hardest compounds, C1, C2, and C3, highlighting the demanding nature of Bahrain for the tires. Finally, the pressure requirements increase, set to 23 and 21 psi for the front and rear, compared to 22 and 19 psi last year.

The Starting Point

Teams head into the weekend with the experience gained from the tests less than two months ago on the same track. Back then, conditions were rather unusual, with winter temperatures below 20°C, limiting the representativeness of tire data. Teams can, however, rely on numerous references, providing a good baseline for further adjustments.

It is no surprise, therefore, that some teams plan to use the first free practice session to complete one of the four mandatory rookie sessions. Dino Beganovic will replace Charles Leclerc, Frederic Vesti will replace George Russell, and Luke Browning will take over Carlos Sainz’s Williams. This decision is influenced by the limited representativeness of FP1, which, held at sunset, takes place on asphalt that is more than 10°C warmer than the conditions during qualifying and the race.

McLaren Works on Drivers

The Woking team, current leaders of the championship, arrives at a track where they certainly didn’t shine last year. However, since then, development has shifted McLaren’s strengths and weaknesses, and by the end of 2024, the team had become a reference in medium-low speed corners, dominating, for example, in Singapore or the final sector in Abu Dhabi. Managing the rear tires seems to be a strong point of the MCL39, but Norris is not particularly optimistic. The reason may lie in the different driving styles between him and Oscar Piastri, who is more aggressive in traction. McLaren, however, plans to work on the package to accommodate the preferences of its drivers, starting in Bahrain.

Max Verstappen and Red Bull come off a victory in Suzuka. However, repeating this success will be very difficult on a track less favorable to overtaking, which will expose Red Bull’s race pace deficit compared to McLaren. Nevertheless, the Milton Keynes team continues to grow steadily, and it will be interesting to assess its progress relative to testing. Bahrain is also set to be a test of maturity for Mercedes, which has appeared convincing, versatile, and robust in the early races. The Brackley team is eager to assess its progress in managing rear tire overheating, a chronic weak point for the Silver Arrows in recent years.

Ferrari, Focus on Balance

The Maranello team finds in Sakhir a track free from the compressions and fast corners of Suzuka, making it much less demanding on the floor’s wear, allowing them to lower the ride height. Ferrari will continue working on the setup and balance, needing more rear grip, which has emerged as the weak point of the SF-25. Additionally, there could be the debut of updates on the Red car, which would significantly add to Ferrari’s prospects.