Nithyanandam Ramasamy
Bahrain International Circuit will host the 15th round of the 2020 Formula 1 season. The circuit, which hosted their first race in 2004, will host their 16th Formula 1 world championship race. With both the championships having been already decided, the midfield teams are ready to pounce on each other and deliver a desert storm in the fight for the 3rd spot in the constructor’s championship.
Bahrain International Circuit, located at Sakhir, has been a permanent figure in the Formula 1 calendar since 2004 except 2011. Bahrain is the second track after Singapore to host a night race when they hosted it in 2014 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of first staging a race. After a successful race, they have been predominantly hosting night races along with Singapore and Abu Dhabi.
Track Stats:
- Grand Prix circuit has hosted 14 races, and the endurance circuit hosted a race in 2010
- The front row starter has won 10 races with 6 of them coming from the pole position
- Five races have been won by the second-row starter with 4th being the furthest grid position to win a race
- Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button are the only two drivers to win a race from 4th on the grid
- Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton are the only active drivers to have won races
- Valtteri Bottas, Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel are the only active drivers to have pole positions
- All active drivers except Nicholas Latifi have raced in Bahrain
- 15 active drivers have scored points
- Antonio Giovinazzi, George Russell, Carlos Sainz and Lance Stroll are the only active drivers to have raced and not score a point in Bahrain
- Seven active drivers have stepped on the rostrum in Bahrain
- Mercedes have 100% points-scoring record in Bahrain since their return in 2010
Bahrain is #Mercedes' most favourite circuit. Why?
– They have scored points in EVERY #BahrainGP since they rejoined F1 in 2010. 9 races, 18 points finishes.
– They have a 100% podium rate in the hybrid era. 6 races, 12 podiums.Reminder it's a double-header at Sakhir.#F1
— Sundaram Ramaswami (@mpformula1) November 24, 2020
Driver records:
Most Race Wins (4): Sebastian Vettel
Most Pole Position (3): Sebastian Vettel
Most Podiums (8): Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton
Most Points (165): Lewis Hamilton
Constructor records:
Most Race Wins: (6) Ferrari
Most Pole Position: (5) Ferrari, Mercedes
Most Podiums: (14) Ferrari
Most Points: (273) Mercedes
Track Layout:
Like most of the modern F1 tracks, Bahrain International circuit was also created by Hermann Tilke. It was first opened in 2004. For the first time in their short history, they are hosting a race in November. Since the temperature between the start and the end of the year are quite similar, the data from the previous year are still beneficial for the teams to prepare for the race.
Bahrain Grand Prix circuit has 15 turns with 2 DRS zones. Pirelli has opted for a step softer and brought C2, C3 and C4 tyres for the circuit with requisite of minimal downforce. Along with their conventional tyre allocations, teams will also be handed two sets of 2021 C3 sample tyres to test on Friday. Bahrain Grand Prix circuit is a combination of 3 straights and a few tight corners, which will be challenging for drivers as we can expect lock-ups after a full throttle. The race may not be as great as Turkey, but a step softer from the previous year brings tyre strategies into play as two pit stops are widely expected in the race.
Talking Points:
Mercedes
Having already secured their constructor’s championship, and the driver’s championship with Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes would be determined to support Valtteri Bottas in the pursuit of the second spot. Valtteri Bottas currently occupies the second spot in the driver’s championship, 27 points ahead of his nearest rival Max Verstappen. In Bahrain, he has secured his first-ever career pole position in 2017. On top of it, he has secured a pole position and 3-podium finishes in Bahrain. Valtteri Bottas, who has won only 5-races in his career from pole positions, needs a strong finish to the season to secure the second spot in the driver’s championship.
However, Lewis Hamilton could equal Sebastian Vettel’s pole and win record this weekend while breaking podium record set by Kimi. That’s just another day in the office for the man from Stevenage.
Red Bull Racing
Red Bull Racing come to Bahrain after a disappointing outing in Turkey. Their record in Bahrain in the hybrid era doesn’t give a happy sight. They have never qualified or finished the race in the top-3 since 2014. Their best grid position and the race finish in Bahrain is only 4th in the hybrid era.
Should Max Verstappen or Alex Albon finish in the top-3 this weekend, they will be the first Red Bull Drivers to step on the Bahrain rostrum since Sebastian Vettel in 2013.
Mid-field battle
The battle for the 3rd spot in the constructor’s championship has to be the talk of this season. Four teams are separated by only 24 points with 3-rounds to go. Teams fighting for the 3rd spot Renault, Mclaren, Ferrari and Racing Point have 7-drivers among them who has stepped on the rostrum this season. The midfield is all set to deliver another mouth-watering bout this weekend.
Ferrari
Ferrari are back in contention for the 3rd spot after a strong show in Turkey. They are back to the den where they have been domineering with 6-wins, 14-podiums and 5-pole positions. Moreover, they have been on the rostrum every time they have raced in Bahrain from 2015. Ferrari have shown progress throughout the season, but it remains to be seen if they can repeat the same in power-hungry Bahrain circuit.
Renault
Renault hope to turn their screws after a poor weekend in Turkey. They have never finished or qualified in the top 5 in Bahrain GP since their comeback to the sport in 2016. However, a strong show at low downforce circuits like Monza and Spa this season puts them outright favourites for the best of the rest battle for this weekend. Their driver Esteban Ocon needs a solid performance to put the disappointment behind from his last two races in Imola and Turkey where he failed to register a point.
Meanwhile, his teammate Daniel Ricciardo is indulged in a battle for 4th in the driver’s championship against Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez. The trio is separated by only 4 points.
McLaren
McLaren are just 5-points behind Racing Point heading into Bahrain. The papaya outfit have missed out on points only once this season. The team battle between their drivers is the closest battle other than Alfa Romeo. Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris are separated by only one point as McLaren would be hoping to leapfrog Racing Point for the 3rd spot before the curtains are closed. However, their recent record in Bahrain is not something they would like to savour as they last finished the Bahrain GP in the top 5 in 2010 and have never won a race.
Here's a graph on the percentage points share between teammates.
Which team battle has been fascinating so far this season?#F1 #F12020 #BahrainGP #sakhir pic.twitter.com/INKf5b5N2i
— Pits To Podium (@pitstopodium) November 23, 2020
Racing Point
Racing Point are fresh off their second podium this season. On top of it, they are on an active point-scoring streak of 20, which is second only to Mercedes on 47-race point-scoring streak. However, their record in Bahrain is as dismal as their midfield rivals Renault and McLaren. They last finished in the top 5 in Bahrain in 2014. Since then their best grid slot and race finish have been 8th and 7th respectively.
Their outcast Sergio Perez has secured his first podium of this season in Turkey. A strong result in Bahrain would consolidate the 4th position in the driver’s championship. However, in 8 Bahrain GP he competed, he has scored only 34 points with only 4 points finishes to his name.
What’s expected from others?
Alpha Tauri have lost ground to Ferrari in the battle for 6th after they failed to score a point in the Turkish GP. Moreover, their 10-race points scoring streak have come to an end in Istanbul. Alpha Tauri have finished on points in Bahrain only thrice in 13 outings. They would need a major boost in their race results from Pierre Gasly and Daniil Kvyat to bury their demons in Bahrain.
Kimi Raikkonen has secured more podiums in Bahrain without winning a race. However, he would be happy with a top 10 finish this year as the man with the experience and fine brewing is ready to show he’s still got it.
As the season nears its curtain, the first of two races in Bahrain promises to deliver a desert storm after all. Rare rain in Bahrain this weekend would make things spicier. It’s 2020, we never know, what it throws!
