The second race of the 2018 Formula One season is almost upon us, which means we’re only a mere few days away from some awesome racing action! But, before the main event commences, Karting Nation has you covered in our preview of the Bahrain Grand Prix. Read on to find out all you need to know!
When Does The Event Take Place?
Unlike the Australian GP which kicked off at 6:10am UK time, the Bahrain race will commence at at 16:10 UK time on Sunday, 8 April.
History of The Race
Located at Sakhir, the Bahrain Grand Prix was first introduced into the Formula 1 racing calendar in 2004 after its construction began in November 2002. Ever since then, it has been featured every year, with the exception of 2011, when it was cancelled due to the Bahraini protests. Legendary German racer Michael Schumacher was able to storm to victory in the first ever Bahrain race, finishing just ahead of his rival Rubens Barrichello, who missed out on a win by a tiny margin.
Fast forward to today, and Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel are currently tied on overall wins in the race with three wins each.
2014 marked the tenth anniversary of the introduction of the Bahrain race, and to celebrate, the event was held under floodlights. Each year since then, the event has been held at night and continues to do so. After testing was completed in February 2014, race organisers decided to name the first corner of the track in honour of the achievements of Michael Schumacher, as well as in support of him after he was involved in an unfortunate skiing accident back in 2013 – almost losing his life in the process.
Back in 2005, Pedro De La Rosa was able to set a lap record with a time of 1:31.447 – a record that currently stands to this day. The Bahrain Grand Prix features a total of 57 laps, and is 5.412km in length.
Who Will Be The Likely Winner?
British racer Lewis Hamilton has won the Bahrain Grand Prix on two occasions in the past, in 2014 and 2015 respectively. However, he has failed to win the event in the past couple of years. He was beaten to the top podium spot by Nico Rosberg and Fernando Alonso, who were winners of the event in 2016 and 2017 respectively.
This time round, Hamilton will look to get one over on his rivals and earn his first win in three years in Bahrain. Whilst his former teammate Nico Rosberg has now retired, Hamilton will still face fierce competition from the likes of Sebastian Vettel, given his excellent performances in the race in the past. In spite of this, Hamilton will most definitely want to bounce back from defeat after his disappointment in the F1 season opener in Australia – missing out on a win due to a supposed technical fault. Can he do it? You’ll have to tune in this Sunday, 8th April to find out!