Schedule
FRIDAY 3rd MARCH
Practice 1 14:30 - 15:30
Practice 2 18:00 - 19:00
SATURDAY 4th MARCH
Practice 3 14:30 - 15:30
Qualifying 18:00 - 19:00
SUNDAY 5th MARCH
Grand Prix (56 Laps or 120 Mins) 18:00 - 20:00
Track Stats
First Grand Prix 2004
Number of Laps 57
Circuit Length 5.412km
Race Distance 308.238 km
Lap Record 1:31.447 Pedro de la Rosa (2005)
Tires on the Track - Provided by Pirelli Media
-
The new C1 makes its debut at the first race of the season in Sakhir. This year, Pirell has expanded the range of available compounds to six, with three still chosen for every race. The brand new C1 compound fills the gap between the hardest C0 (used as the C1 in 2022) and the C2, which is unchanged from last year.
-
At the Bahrain Grand Prix, C1 will be the P Zero White hard, C2 will be the P Zero Yellow medium and C3 will be the P Zero Red soft. The teams will have at their disposal two sets of hard tyres, three sets of mediums, and eights sets of soft per car, as well as the usual allocation of Cinturato intermediate and full wet tyres.
-
The Bahrain International Circuit features some of the most abrasive asphalt of the year while the track – consisting of low to medium speed corners – mainly places traction and braking demands on the tyres. The layout also requires a good level of stability at the rear of the car.
-
The wide range of temperatures is a factor to take into consideration. Asphalt temperatures can reach 45 degrees centigrade during the day, dropping by at least 15 degrees as evening falls. FP2, qualifying and the race – which all begin at 18:00 – will therefore be run in very different conditions to the remaining sessions, which take place in the early afternoon.
-
The Bahrain Grand Prix takes place on a circuit surrounded by the Sakhir desert. Wind can sometimes blow sand onto the track, affecting the grip levels during the sessions. The support races include Formula 2 and Formula 3, with the resulting rubber laid down influencing track evolution.
-
Tyre degradation will be a key factor when it comes to deciding the strategy. Last season, all the drivers bar one stopped three times (rather than the anticipated two-stopper) due to a late-race safety car. The winner Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) carried out his first two stints on the soft, before swapping to the medium. The safety car allowed him to put the soft back on for the final run to the flag, ahead of his team mate Carlos Sainz.
(images provided by BWT Alpine F1 Team/James Moy Ltd)
