Bahrain Internation Circuit, Sakhir - Track Check

After much controversy and uncertainty surrounding the event, we are finally going racing in Bahrain. The Bahrain Internal Circuit at Sakhir played host to its first Formula 1 race in 2004. In the recent past, Sakhir was the venue for the opening race of the season, until it was stricken off the calendar in 2011 due to brewing unrest in the country. The original track layout is 5.412 km long with 14 corners. The 2010 Bahrain GP was run on a different, longer layout of the track. It was won by Fernando Alonso in his Ferrari that year. According to the official Formula 1 site, this year’s race will be run for 57 laps on the original layout.

The circuit itself is located in the middle of the desert. The tarmac surface is smooth, yet induces high tyre wear due to the ambient temperature, the loads of sand that gets swept onto the track and the track layout that mixes straights with slow corners. The track is pretty wide, and like a typical modern race track, has a good mix of corners, but none that stand out as specially challenging for the drivers. The track layout gives a distinct advantage to cars with higher straightline speed, and teams can afford to sacrifice a bit of downforce without compromising overall pace. With that said, let’s take a look at the circuit map.

Sector -1The first sector is basically two straights linked by a couple of turns. The run down to turn-1 from the start-finish straight is also the DRS zone. Cars reach over 300 kph over the straight, and as they brake to 65kph for turn-1, it provides for ample opportunity for overtaking. The pitlane exit also leads out into the braking zone for turn-1, and has been a site for some hairy moments in years past. The right handed turn-1 leads into a fast S-bend, which the cars enter in 3rd gear, and exit in 5th. A good exit is vital, as the run down to turn 4 sees the speeds build up to 300kph again, before braking hard for the 110kph 2nd gear right hander at turn-4. The exit leads to the sector marker and the infield section.

Sector -2Secor-2 is the slower infield section with a series of stop-start sequences, with the track twisting itself and then unwinding out towards the back straight. This sector will test the mechanical grip of the cars, and drivers’ bravery on the brakes. The cars climb up through the left-right-left sequence of turns 5-6-7, changing directions constantly. There is considerable leeway here, but this part hardly sees any overtaking. Over the crest at turn-7 and the cars shoot downhill into the braking zone for the right handed hairpin at turn-8. Cars that are heavy on their tyres will struggle to get traction out of this corner, and the out of the next double-apex right hander at turn 9-10. The apex at turn-9 is particularly tricky to hit while decelerating downhill, yet trying to carry enough speed through the corner. The track starts opening up out of turn-10, as the cars build up speed over a short straight burst before plunging left at turn-11. You have to be brave on the brakes to carry speed through this sharp corner as it leads onto the sweeping left-right bend climbing up the hill at turn-12. The rear tyres take a real beating while negotiating this sector.

Sector -3The climb through turn-12 leads into sector 3, which is again just one straight enveloped by two sharp right handers. A good exit through turn-13 is vital for the cars to build speed over the long back straight. The DRS evaluation zone exists at the end of this straight, which makes it even more important for the front runnners to maintain that one second gap and for the trailing cars to catch up so that it has a chance to get the jump in the DRS zone on the start-finish straight. The back straight leads on to the last corner of the lap, a fast, wide right hander at turn-14-15 that slingshots the car onto the finish line. The cross-wind and the sand on track makes braking for this corner, and for turn-13 a fairly tricky affair.

Due to the high percentage of straights and emphasis on tyre-wear, we might see cars like the Ferrari and the RedBulls struggle a bit on this track. McLaren look to be the best bet to take this one, and Mercedes try to prove that they indeed have a car that can compete across the board. The Bahrain GP was more or less a processional race in its last few runnings, which makes qualifying that much important. Saturday will likely decide the fate of most of the teams. Expect the podium to be seized by Mercedes again. Until Sunday, cheerio!