2024 Bahrain Grand Prix: Fast Facts

As the Formula 1 season ignites under the desert stars, the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix is poised to deliver an exhilarating opening chapter. Set against the backdrop of the Bahrain International Circuit, a track renowned for its blend of high-speed straights and challenging corners, the Grand Prix remains a fixture that never fails to excite. With a lap record that has stood since 2005, set by Pedro de la Rosa with a time of 1:31.447, the stage is set for modern contenders to make their mark.

2024 Bahrain Grand Prix Scheduling

The scheduling of the Bahrain Grand Prix this year from Thursday to Saturday is a consideration for Ramadan, the holy month of fasting in the Islamic calendar. During Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn until sunset, which can impact the daily routines and activities. Holding the race events outside of the usual Friday to Sunday schedule allows for greater accommodation of the cultural practices associated with Ramadan, ensuring that the event is respectful of the local customs and the participating community. This adjustment reflects Formula 1’s commitment to cultural sensitivity and inclusivity as it continues to host global events.

How to Watch the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix

Formula 1 fans around the globe can catch all the action from the Bahrain Grand Prix through various broadcasters and streaming services.

In the United Kingdom, viewers can watch every session live on Sky Sports F1, with comprehensive coverage of the practice sessions, qualifying, and the race itself.

For fans in the United States, the Bahrain Grand Prix will be available through ESPN and its associated channels. ESPN offers extensive coverage of F1, including live broadcasts and replays. Cord-cutters can also stream the race live through various over-the-top (OTT) services that carry ESPN channels.

Viewers in Australia can tune in to watch the Grand Prix weekend unfold live on Fox Sports, which offers complete coverage of F1 races. For online streaming, fans can subscribe to Kayo Sports, a streaming platform that includes all Fox Sports content.

Additionally, F1 TV Pro offers live streaming of every track session to viewers in many countries around the world. This subscription service provides access to onboard cameras, team radios, live timing, and more, for an immersive viewing experience.

Remember to check the local listings and services for the most up-to-date information regarding broadcast times and availability in your region.

2024 Bahrain Grand Prix Betting

For those looking to place bets on the Bahrain Grand Prix, a range of options are available, from outright race winners to podium finishes and fastest lap times. Here are some current odds to consider:

• Race Winner: Keep an eye on the favorites, with drivers from top teams usually having lower odds due to their higher chances of winning.
• Podium Finish: Betting on drivers to finish in the top three can offer more favorable odds than betting on the race winner.
• Fastest Lap: This bet can be unpredictable but may provide good odds for those looking for a high-risk, high-reward option.

As odds fluctuate based on real-time developments, it’s recommended to check multiple bookmakers for the best available odds before placing your bets. Live odds will be available on sports betting websites and through various betting apps.

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Max Verstappen Chasing Fourth Title

Although it seems unlikely there will be many surprises this season, Max Verstappen still needs to go out and do the job to get his fourth World Championship trophy.

If he does, he will be in rarified air, joining Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel. Only Juan Manuel Fangio (5) and Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton (7) will have more titles.

‘I am looking forward to the weekend ahead in Bahrain. We had a good few testing days and learned a lot from the car. Of course, we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves and we still need to make sure we do everything right to have a strong first weekend. Everyone has done plenty of laps here in Bahrain, so hopefully shouldn’t encounter too many surprises in terms of set up direction for the week ahead. All in all, I am excited to get the season underway and start racing again,’ said Verstappen.

Opening Race For Some New Faces

There are no rookies on the grid, and no new teams, however, there has been some rebranding going on during the offseason.

For the Stake and VCARB teams, expectations are high…

“The start of a new season is always an important moment, full of expectation: it’s the culmination of months of collective effort from everyone in the team and the first time we get a meaningful confrontation with our rivals. We are satisfied with the work we have done during the winter and in testing: we achieved all our objectives during the three days on track, without any significant issues, and we feel ready for the first race weekend. I think what we have done is a testament to the work of everyone back in Hinwil, and with our partners at Ferrari, and we are grateful to all of them for the relentless push since the end of last season. We now have a solid foundation, and everything will depend on what we build upon it. We need to keep progressing, bring updates that allow us to move forward, and maximise everything we can from each session. We also need to be conscious of the long season that awaits us: we have seen last year that fortunes can ebb and flow, that development will play a big role in the final standings and that every session, every race weekend can be the one that offers the best opportunity to score well,” said Alessandro Alunni Bravi of Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber.

Daniel Ricciardo will race his first full season with Visa Cash App RB, and the affable Aussie is ready to go!

“At last, it’s time to go racing again. I can’t wait to be honest. In contrast to last year, this time it’s been good to have a proper pre-season. After 2022, I needed that time off, so it was great to jump in mid-season, but in terms of being fully prepared, this year has been a better way to get ready.

“I do feel that this is like the start of the second part of my career. Having some time off gives you a new perspective. I’m putting a lot of focus into what is a second opportunity for me, but at the same time, it’s not putting pressure on myself. I’m hungry and motivated without any negative weight on my shoulders or stress attached to it, to interfere with my life.

“Like everyone else, I’ve only had a few hours testing in this year’s car. It’s natural for a new car to be an improvement on the previous one, but what counts is where we stand compared to everyone else. Have we improved more than them or have they improved more than us? It does feel better, but you’re only as good as your competition lets you be. I’ve stayed in Bahrain since the test, and with the engineers we’ve spent a lot of hours studying all the data from the three days on track, so we know what we want to do as soon as we hit the track for Free Practice.

“I like Bahrain, it’s a nice track and a good place to start the season. It’s pretty challenging, especially on the rear tyres as the track is very rough. I’ve had some good moments there, never on the podium, but I’ve scored plenty of points. Of course, there’s something special about the first race of the season. When you haven’t raced for a few months, it feels a bit more intense. You can spend time in the simulator driving the track, but you can’t practice racing intensely, wheel to wheel with 19 of the best guys in the world, and that makes for a pretty exciting feeling at the first race of the year,” added Ricciardo.

Toto Wolff Cautiously Optimistic

After a disastrous couple of seasons, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is looking ahead with optimism as he gets set to embark on the final season with Lewis Hamilton at the wheel of a Mercedes.

‘A new season brings new opportunity and it’s exciting to be heading into a new campaign with all the drama it will inevitably bring.
 
‘Each of the last two seasons, we’ve headed to the first race of the year on the back foot. There was inherent goodness in the W13 and W14, but it often proved too difficult to unlock. They were inconsistent machines. Our main aim going into 2024 therefore was clear: create a consistent and stable platform. A car that would react as we expected. One that the drivers could consistently push. And one that we can develop throughout the year, in the knowledge that we are bringing real-world performance to the track.
 
‘Over these first two races, we will get a much better understanding of the job we have done. After pre-season testing though, we can draw some initial conclusions. The drivers are much happier with the overall balance. The basic platform is working as we expected. The correlation to our simulations looks to be accurate. This is all encouraging. It’s a good foundation that we can build on.
 
‘Our focus at the test was on learning about the car we have. Our attention can now turn to tuning performance for the Bahrain race weekend. Red Bull, as is to be expected, look to be at the head of the field. The chasing pack looks tight. We will soon get an idea of where we stack up in that. And the task that is ahead of us to close the gap to the front.
 
‘Wherever we net out though, the whole team is relishing the challenge ahead. There is a palpable sense of energy running through the factories and those trackside. The year ahead is long. There will be many ups, along with the inevitable downs. But this is why we love racing. And now, we can’t wait to get going,’ said Wolff.

Bahrain Grand Prix Fast Facts

• Located in the middle of the desert, on what was formerly a camel farm, the Bahrain International Circuit features 1,120 palm trees.
• Being situated in a desert, you may expect sand to be an issue. However, the surrounding desert is sprayed with a sticky adhesive substance to minimize the amount of sand blowing on to the track.
• From the first breaking of the ground to build the Bahrain International Circuit to completion took just 496 days.
• The length of the tyre barriers is 4100 metres and a total of 82,000 tyres are used to do this.
• The total run-off area is 140,000 sq. metres.
• The Bahrain International Circuit has five FIA certified track layouts.
• Focus for car set-up is on optimising low and medium-speed corner performance. Mechanical grip is crucial out of the slower corners, whilst the high-speed sections are easily taken flat-out.
• The track surface is made from a special aggregate that was shipped from a quarry in England.
• Owing to the abrasiveness of the track, which is one of the roughest of the season, tyre degradation tends to be amongst the highest seen at any race across the calendar.
• One of the most challenging corners on the track is Turn 10. It’s long, combined corner entry that tightens before dropping away at the apex. Drivers must apply the brakes whilst completing the wide corner arc of Turn 9; this causes the front-left tyre to go light and increases the risk of a lock-up.
• The 5.412 km layout comprises seven braking events, including two classified as ‘heavy.’
• This year marks the 20th anniversary of the first Bahrain Grand Prix and will be the 21st F1 Championship round at the Sakhir circuit. The race was cancelled in 2011 due to civil unrest, while the track hosted two races in 2020.
• This will be the sixth time that the Bahrain Grand Prix will serve as the opening round of an F1 season (2006, 2010, 2021, 2022, 2023).
• Four drivers have multiple wins at the event. Lewis Hamilton has the most with five.
• George Russell made his first start for Mercedes in Sakhir in 2020, deputising for Lewis.
• For the first time in its history, the race will take place on a Saturday.
• At least one Mercedes-engined car has finished in the points in each of the last 300 Grand Prix, dating back to the 2008 Chinese Grand Prix.
• Max Verstappen’s victory in the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix was the first time he’d won the opening race of a Formula One season.
• Last year saw Max Verstappen become only the third driver in F1 history to complete every racing lap in a season, following on from Michael Schumacher (2002) and Lewis Hamilton (2019).