Need To Know brings you every little thing you… must know, forward of each Grand Prix and Sprint of the season. Bahrain kicks off the 2023 marketing campaign, and we have got the lowdown on every little thing: Strategy perception, key driving challenges, kind information and trivia. Plus, you may see how followers have voted utilizing our F1 Play predictor recreation.
Bahrain International Circuit hosted three days of pre-season testing, and one week later it is time for the primary Grand Prix of the season on March 5, with Free Practice 1 and a pair of on March 3, and Free Practice 3 and qualifying on March 4.
READ MORE: How to stream the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix on F1 TV Pro
Vital statistics
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First Grand Prix – 2004
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Track Length – 5.412km
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Lap file – 1m 31.447s, Pedro de la Rosa, McLaren MP4-20, 2005
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Most pole positions – Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel (3)
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Most wins – Lewis Hamilton (5)
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Trivia – Turn 1, ‘Michael Schumacher’, is the one nook on the circuit with a reputation
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Pole run to Turn 1 braking level – 353 metres
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Overtakes accomplished in 2022 – 131
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Safety Car likelihood – 63%
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Virtual Safety Car likelihood – 38%
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Pit cease time loss – 22.56 seconds (together with 2.5s stationary)
FAN VIEW: Verstappen had early-season reliability points in 2022, however F1 Play avid gamers count on no repeat in Bahrain on Sunday. The Dutchman is polling virtually 80% of votes to face on the highest step of the rostrum, whereas Leclerc accounts for simply over 10%.
DESTINATION GUIDE: What F1 followers can eat, see and do after they go to the Bahrain Grand Prix
Max Verstappen is but to win a Bahrain Grand Prix
The driver’s verdict
Jolyon Palmer, former Renault F1 driver: The most difficult half might be braking into Turn 10 since you’re approaching it with a good quantity of pace from the Turn 8 hairpin and thru the Turn 9 kink, and also you unload the front-left tyre as you’re turning left. It’s simple to lock up, we’ve seen that so many instances.
Turn 11 is essential as a result of it’s quick, it may be fairly wind-affected there as effectively, the gust can decide up, and also you’re going by way of an extended radius, so getting the steadiness proper I feel is especially difficult. If you’re pushing with understeer you may’t get on the throttle; when you’re preventing oversteer, it’s troublesome since you’re attacking with quite a lot of pace and then you definitely’re overheating the rear tyres by way of the excessive pace afterwards as effectively.
Overtaking alternatives are clear in Bahrain: into Turn 1 and Turn 4, the place the 2 DRS zones finish.
The different problem right here is the transition from day to nighttime. The observe comes alive at evening, the automobile works so a lot better – and one qualifying lap underneath the lights feels superb.
Last 5 Bahrain GP pole-sitters
- 2022 – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- 2021 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- 2020 – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
- 2019 – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- 2018 – Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
Last 5 Bahrain GP winners
- 2022 – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- 2021 – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
- 2020 – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
- 2019 – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
- 2018 – Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
FAN VIEW: The indicators from Red Bull in testing not too long ago had been that the RB19 is likely to be even higher than their dominant 2022 automobile. No shock then that now two-time world champ Max Verstappen has greater than 50% of votes on F1 Play, effectively away from Charles Leclerc (16%). There is just a little assist for Lewis Hamilton too.
Charles Leclerc took pole in Bahrain final yr
Strategy and set-up keys
Bernie Collins, former Aston Martin F1 strategist: Bahrain combines extremely popular situations with a really tough observe floor. That means excessive tyre degradation and is why exhausting compounds are equipped by Pirelli – the C1, C2 and C3 being chosen for 2023. Despite some tyre tweaks over the winter, together with a brand new compound, we should always nonetheless see multiple-stop races.
The different massive impact with tyres across the Sakhir venue is that the morning and afternoon classes usually result in very completely different conditions by way of administration. Your hotter classes – the noon FP1 and FP3 – are going to wish slower cool-down laps and slower out-laps in comparison with the twilight FP2 and qualifying. The new drivers gained’t be used to the distinction.
BEYOND THE GRID: Charles Leclerc on driving Schumacher’s Ferrari, his title hopes, and the way he switches off from F1
On push laps, drivers can usually discover themselves having a extremely good Sector 1, as a result of they push actually exhausting to start with, nevertheless it then results in a extremely dangerous Sector 3, so they should attempt to steadiness the lap primarily based on the tyres, and never instantly take every little thing out of them.
Another consider Bahrain is that there’s usually a change of wind by way of the day. We noticed that occur on the pre-season check, with headwinds turning into tailwinds. Turn 12 is an effective instance of the place drivers can get caught out; it’s uphill after which, as they arrive round it, there’ll be a gust of wind and the automobile turns into a handful.
There are different little issues, reminiscent of completely different steering wheel sprint settings or completely different brightness for the gear shift lights, and drivers will generally have a day time and an evening time visor. Also, numerous drivers have moved groups; given the order of the pit garages and pit bins, there’s all the time a threat that they cease the place they shouldn’t…
FAN VIEW: The nice information going into 2023 is that we’ve an actual chance there shall be 4 groups going into every race with the agency perception they’ll get onto the rostrum. The new child on the block is Aston Martin, and Fernando Alonso has actually good assist right here after a terrific race run in testing final weekend.
F1 FANTASY: Use our useful device to choose your group earlier than the brand new season begins
The 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix noticed each Red Bulls retire earlier than the chequered flag
Current kind
We’ve solely seen the ten groups check to date, however after three days of operating in Bahrain – the identical venue that this Grand Prix is being held – it appears that evidently Red Bull maintain the playing cards. They did not have any main reliability hitches, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez appeared assured, and topped the charts on Day 1 and Day 3.
Ferrari had been additionally robust, although, and Team Principal Fred Vasseur stated the temper within the group was “excellent”. As for Mercedes, the Silver Arrows’ boss Toto Wolff stated that they’re nonetheless taking part in “catch-up” in his race preview.
Aston Martin turned heads throughout testing and Alpine appeared strong – however predicting how the race will prove primarily based on what we noticed throughout pre-season operating is a harmful recreation…
WINNERS AND LOSERS: Who aced pre-season testing and who has work to do forward of the Bahrain GP?
Are Mercedes taking part in “catch-up” going into the primary race?
FAN VIEW: Outside of the massive 4, there’s a terrific battle in play for the opposite points-scoring positions. Lando Norris has good assist on F1 Play regardless of McLaren’s testing struggles, whereas the Alfa Romeo pair of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyou are additionally attracting curiosity. Ditto the Alpine pair of Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon.
Iconic second
The 2014 Bahrain Grand Prix, now referred to as the ‘Duel within the Desert’, noticed Lewis Hamilton and then-Mercedes group mate Nico Rosberg go wheel-to-wheel in what was the primary correctly fascinating race of the turbo-hybrid period, the brand new period that noticed V6 hybrids exchange the V8s.
Formula 1’s 900th race was the third spherical of the 2014 season and the primary Bahrain Grand Prix held underneath the lights.
Watch the way it unfolded beneath.
Classic Moments – 2014 Hamilton v Rosberg in Bahrain
