After a 3-month break and 3 days of testing on the Middle Eastern circuit, Formula 1 is ready to get serious with the first free practice sessions, qualifying and race of the new championship. Let’s explore the historical and technical aspects of the Bahrain GP with an analysis of the circuit that hosts the first race of the 2024 Formula 1 season.
Bahrain Circuit… A Very Recent History
The Bahrain International Circuit, known by the acronym BIC, is a 5.4km long circuit located in Sakhir, south of the capital Manama.
In 2004, the first and famous race in the Middle East took place, remembered for numerous tire punctures on the Michelin tires due to a grate that remained open during free practice.
Except for the 2011 edition, which was not held, the circuit has always remained on the F1 calendar, with 2 races in 2020 on two different layouts.
The Bahrain circuit will remain on the calendar until 2036, when the agreements between the FIA and the Bahrain Motor Federation expire. In total, 18 races have been run on the Sakhir circuit. Ferrari dominates with 7 victories, the last in 2022 with Charles Leclerc, followed by Mercedes with 6. Then Red Bull with 3 triumphs, including Max Verstappen’s recent victory last year.
The most successful driver on the Middle Eastern circuit is Lewis Hamilton with 5 victories, 3 of which were consecutive in the years 2019-2022. Following him are Sebastian Vettel with 4 and Fernando Alonso with 3. Regarding the fastest lap in a race, the record is still unbeaten since 2005 and is held by Pedro de la Rosa. The Spanish driver managed to clock a 1:31.447 in the McLaren MP4-20.
Sakhir and the High Challenge for Engineers in terms of Setup
Comprising 15 turns and 3 DRS zones, the Arab circuit presents itself as one with numerous overtaking points. The track has several characteristics that challenge engineers to define the ideal setups for the weekend.
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The first aspect to analyze is the circuit’s location, in the middle of the desert. With the strong wind characteristic of Bahrain, the track is always dirty and full of sand at the beginning of the weekend.
Other aspects engineers must account for are the high temperatures and the high degree of abrasion of the Arab track’s asphalt, among the worst in the calendar for tire wear.
These two factors lead to the opening of numerous vents in the cars and the use of the harder Pirelli compounds, namely the C1 (hard), the C2 (medium), and the C3 (soft). The high degradation gives a significant advantage in using the undercut in race strategies.
This year, an additional unknown will be the climate. Qualifying and the race are expected to see the lowest temperatures ever recorded in a race weekend in Bahrain.
The Turns of the Bahrain Circuit
The straight leading to Turn 1 is the most exploited by drivers for overtaking, thanks to the first DRS zone available and its considerable length of 1.1km. This braking point is also where many drivers decide to sacrifice the entry into turn 1; this strategy allows for better entry (and with throttle at 100%) into turns 2-3 and thus reaching the second most utilized point for overtaking.
With turns 4-5-6, here drivers manage the tires to reduce degradation, ending the first sector.
We then enter the second sector, much more technical than the first, which features the two most important and challenging turns for drivers.
Due to the “bumps,” it is crucial for drivers to avoid setup errors in T9; this would lead to a mistake in the braking phase and a subsequent locking of the tires entering turn 10.
Following is the third and last DRS zone ending in the “S” of turns 11-12. In these turns, concluding the second, it’s easy to lose the rear mid-corner. Turn 13 begins the third sector, composed of a mini straight leading to turns 14-15. In the last two turns, having a good exit is crucial to gain more speed on the main straight leading to the finish line.
Source: f1ingenerale
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