Bahrain entered Formula One in 2004 when it was the first F1 Grand Prix to be held in the Middle East, and has been ever-present since albeit with a cancellation in 2011.
The race takes place at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, around 30km south of the capital, Manama. Since 2014 the race has taken place during the early evening in Bahrain under floodlights, the second Grand Prix on the calendar to do so after Singapore.
Britain’s Lewis Hamilton and Germany’s Sebastian Vettel are the race’s most successful drivers with four victories each. All four of Hamilton’s wins came with Mercedes whilst Vettel has two with Red Bull and two with Ferrari.
Next Race: Sunday, 28th March 2021
The Bahrain Grand Prix will next race on 28th March 2021. Tips will be added shortly before qualifying starts.
Last Race: 29th November 2020
- Winner: Lewis Hamilton
- Team: Mercedes
- Total Time: 2:59:47.515
- Margin: 1.254
Bahrain International Circuit Map
Bahrain Grand Prix Betting Tips
Note: The following tips are from the 2020 grand prix. Tips for next year will be added the week of the race.
The 2020 Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix will take place at the Bahrain International Circuit at the weekend and though the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships have been decided, fans will still enjoy the spectacle. Since the first edition in 2004, we have been treated to several spectacular races at this venue. This will be the first of back-to-back Grands Prix in Bahrain, with the next one taking place on a slightly different circuit for the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix on 6th December. After 14 successful races in Europe, this will be the first event of the season to be held away from the European continent.
Lewis Hamilton secured his seventh Drivers’ World Championship title with victory at the Turkish Grand Prix last time out. The Great British ace has been the dominant force in the sport once again this season, chalking up a staggering 307 points so far. Since a third place in Russia, Hamilton has won four races in a row, sealing successive wins in Germany, Portugal, Italy and Turkey. The title may be all sewn up, but Lewis will be looking for another race victory on Sunday.
Lewis Hamilton Fastest Lap & Race Winner – 6/4
2020 has been a strange year for all of us, but Hamilton has had a year to remember in Formula One. Not only has he won a seventh title, the Stevenage-born star has also overtaken the great Michael Schumacher’s Grand Prix winning record. Hamilton has won 10 of the 14 rounds, including five of the last six. Two weeks ago, the No. 44 stormed to victory in the wet in Istanbul to make sure of championship number seven. His sporting achievement is being lauded by many within and outside of the sport, with tennis star Andy Murray calling for Hamilton to be knighted.
The World Champion is the odds-on favourite to claim an 11th Grand Prix victory of the season this Sunday. Hamilton has picked up three Bahrain Grand Prix wins in his career, with only Sebastian Vettel boasting a better record. The 35 year old Brit would equal the German’s record of four race wins with victory this weekend. To up the odds slightly, we think backing Hamilton to get the fastest lap and win the race at the decent price of 6/4 could be the way forwards.
Lewis Hamilton & Max Verstappen Podium Finish – 4/9
The title race was essentially a foregone conclusion months ago, but the battle for second place could go to the wire. Hamilton’s Mercedes’ teammate Valtteri Bottas is in pole position to claim the silver medal, but Red Bull’s Max Verstappen will not go down without a fight. Bottas sits second in the standings at present on 197 points, while Verstappen is currently 27 points behind in third place.
In Turkey a fortnight ago, Bottas struggled in the fierce rain, going on to finish outside of the points in 14th place. Max would have been hoping for better than sixth in Istanbul, but at least he closed the gap slightly. With three races to go, a hatful of points are still up for grabs. Verstappen has retired from three of the last seven races, but the 23 year old has finished second on two occasions and third once during that time. You can get odds of 4/9 for Hamilton and Verstappen to finish on the podium in Bahrain.
Bahrain Grand Prix Recent Winners
| Year | Winner | Team | Time | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 2:59:47.515 | 1.254 |
| 2019 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:34:21.295 | 2.980 |
| 2018 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1:32:01.940 | 0.699 |
| 2017 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1:33:53.374 | 6.660 |
| 2016 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:33:34.696 | 10.282 |
| 2015 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:35:05.809 | 3.380 |
| 2014 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:39:42.743 | 1.085 |
| 2013 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull | 1:36:00.498 | 9.111 |
| 2012 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull | 1:35:10.990 | 3.333 |
| 2011 | Cancelled | |||
About the Bahrain Grand Prix
As the second grand prix of the season and the first night race that takes place, the Bahrain Grand Prix has fast become one of the highlights of the F1 calendar. The race has been running since 2004 and in that time has seen some quality racing from within the 5.412km circuit.
The Circuit cost over $150 million to create and is another that has been masterminded by that of Hermann Tilke, a now infamous F1 track architect. With it, the circuit has been able to host a number of other motor sports events as well, including the FIA WEC 6 Hours of Bahrain, World Series Formula V8, V8 Supercars and the FIA GT, to name just a few.
TRACK HIGHLIGHTS
The race takes place under the floodlights of the Bahrain International circuit, measuring 5.412km in total length. The tracks width varies at the end of different straight, allowing for diverse racing lines. With that creates up to 3 different racing lines that the drives are able to take, allowing for multiple overtaking manoeuvres where possible.
The track has been designed with spectators at the forefront of the track, resulting in plenty of vantage points around the circuit. The start of the race takes place down near the paddock, before drivers navigate up the hill towards turn 4, almost as if it were heading into the desert and the dead of night.
There are 2 DRS zones located on the start/finish straight and between turns 10 and 11, allowing for the biggest overtaking opportunities. The late-night race allows for some stunning views when the sun goes down and is easily one of the most aesthetically pleasing of all the tracks.
As driver’s head over the start finish line and head towards turn 1, they will be doing in excess of 330kmph. They have to then hammer the break peddle to slow down enough to make it round the tight corner, creating up to 5G in force.
The trick at turn 1 is to keep the car as tight to the kerb so that the driver can then get the best exit from turns two and three, which are taken at full throttle as the car works back up the hill to turn 4. The turn itself has a very short apex, so the driver will be hanging on as they try and get enough drive out to really attack the chicane at turns 5 and 6.
The car then drops back down the bank and drivers will be attacking the breaking zone into turn 8. The line through 8 isn’t all that important as drivers generally able to get a good drive out given how wide the track is. But, as they approach turn 9 it’s imperative that they nail the line as breaking in lateral mode all the way into turn 10 then allows a good drive out of the slow corner.
Drivers then head along the back straight and through the DRS zone where they will be flat out. Turn 11 is another short apex corner where the driver will take just a little bit of kerb before driving hard out and using as much as the track as possible.
Turns 12 and 13 are both two more corners that are high speed, but cars will often suffer from understeer here as they are put under immense pressure from both the lateral G Force and the subtle, but noticeable elevation changes.
Another long straight greets the drivers and again they are having to deal with subtle elevation changes along the whole of the straight. Many drivers state it’s much like a rollercoaster and whilst it looks flat on TV, it makes a big difference on the downforce that some cars are able to get.
Turns 14 and 15 are the final two corners. Drivers will be looking to head into these late and pretty much flat out. They will be short apex corners and drivers will then head full throttle through the start/finish line to finish the lap.
HISTORY
The construction of the circuit began in 2002 in what a widely anticipated development within the country. What was interesting is that no deal had been put in place to host F1 when the development started, but they were able to fend off competition from the likes of Egypt, Lebanon and the UAE to eventually be given hosting rights for the 2004 F1 Grand Prix.
2012 – NEARLY NO RACE
The 2012 Grand Prix was nearly a race that never took place. The year previously it was announced that the Grand Prix would be cancelled because of protests within the country. In 2012, it was called that it should also be cancelled due to the countries failure to adhere to basic human rights. The decision at the time was highlighted as “controversial” by many news and sports outlets.
The race was eventually won by that of Sebastian Vettel, although the whole race weekend was overshadowed by the protests, albeit small, from outside the stadium.
2014 – ALL OF THE LIGHTS
To celebrate 10 years of the Bahrain Grand Prix (albeit, its 9th running) the Bahrain added in numerous floodlights on the track and the race was run as the first night race in the country and the first on the F1 calendar. The inaugural race was won by Lewis Hamilton and it’s been run as a night race ever since, with great success as well.