Welcome Drivers!

The first race weekend of the year is only two days away! The season opening race is taking place is the Bahrain GP this season

Today we will bring you all of the fun facts about the Bahrain GP and some interesting trends that could give away who won’t be winning the championship this year.

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Let’s get to our overview of the 2023 season opener, the Bahrain Grand Prix!

The Bahrain Grand Prix

Track Information

The Bahrain GP takes place at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir, Bahrain. The circuit made its Formula 1 debut in the 2004 season and has been contested every season since then with the exception of the 2011 season. The 2011 Bahrain GP did not take place due to anti-government protests taking place. The 2023 season will be the 5th time the Bahrain GP has been the season opener, with the other years being 2006, 2010, 2021 and 2022.

The track itself is 5.412km in length with an average lap time of around 1 minute and 35 seconds. It contains 15 total turns (9 right-handers, 6 left-handers) and three DRS detection zones that allow for plenty of overtaking. The Bahrain GP consists of 57 laps around the circuit resulting in a total distance covered of 308.238km.

The track is harder on the rear tires for cars. This is primarily due to the number of low and medium speed corners that require good acceleration and grip when exiting these. This repeated hard acceleration out of corners puts more stress on the rear tires than it does on the front ones. How team’s manage their tire degradation is a big indicator on how they will perform during this race.

Bahrain Record Holders & Recent Memorable Moments

Now entering its 19th appearance as a race in the Formula 1 schedule, there is plenty of history to look at with the Bahrain GP. There are also tons of noteworthy happenings at the track.

Ferrari is the constructor that has seen the most success in Bahrain. Of the 18 races that have occurred here they have managed to win 7 of them. The most recent being Charles Leclerc’s opening race victory here last season in a thrilling race between him and Max Verstappen. The race saw the two title contenders of last year go back and forth overtaking each other only to see Verstappen have to exit the race due to a power unit issue.

From a driver’s standpoint, Lewis Hamilton is the leading man here. He has won the race 5 times himself and he has also had run ins with Verstappen on the track. In the 2021 Bahrain GP we saw Max overtake Lewis late in the race only to have to give the position back for passing Lewis outside of track limits. It was a pivotal call that signaled what the rest of the season would be like between those two drivers.

The current in-race lap record is 1:31.447, held by Pedro de la Rosa who was driving the McLaren MP4-20 during the 2005 race when he set the record. The overall lap record is 1:27.26, held by Lewis Hamilton when he was driving the Mercedes W11 in the 2020 Bahrain GP quali.

The 2020 race was also memorable for an entirely different reason. Romain Grosjean had a terrifying crash at the beginning of the race where he lost control and slammed nose-first into a unprotected barrier. The car slid under the barrier railing, split into two and burst into flames. Grosjean was engulfed in a fire ball for nearly 30 seconds as he struggled to get out of the mangled car. He was able to escape with only burns on his hands. He was lucky to escape with his life.

Strategy Guide

As briefly mentioned above, tire degradation will be the name of the game for the 2023 Bahrain GP. Teams who are able to manage their deg and have pace towards the end of the race usually come out on top. Most teams will be running a 2-stop strategy barring any safety cars. Last year’s winner, Leclerc, ran a 3-stop strategy (1 extra due to safety car) and had the race in hand.

Another interesting thing that drivers will have to be focused on is the second DRS zone during the lap. The new regulations allow for cars to follow much closer than in previous seasons. The less turbulent air allows people behind to stay much closer than they typically have been able to. Last year we saw Verstappen overtake Leclerc multiple times down the main straight only to have Leclerc immediately take the position back thanks to the second DRS. Drivers will likely be holding off on overtakes going into turn 1 and will be looking to take advantage of the second DRS zone to get the job done.

Win the Battle, Lose the War

There is a strange trend happening in the season opening races of F1 that have predicted who will finish 2nd in the drivers championship. For the past six seasons in Formula 1, the driver who has won the opening race of the season has always came in second in the drivers championship. It is almost as if it is a curse to win the opening race. Will this year be the 7th in a row? Or will a driver finally buck the curse, win Bahrain and go on to win it all? We cant wait to find out.

Upcoming Posts & Reader Feedback

We will be back tomorrow with a brief overview of the Bahrain GP and what the race results have foreshadowed for the last 6 seasons. Later this week we will reveal our Bahrain GP predictions!

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