Bahrain Grand Prix 2016, Sakhir - Race 2/21

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Sakhir

The 2004 Grand Prix of Bahrain marked the first ever round of the FIA Formula One World Championship to be held in the Middle East and the official culmination of a multi-million dollar project started back in September 2002 when the Kingdom of Bahrain signed a long-term deal to host the event.

Located at Sakhir, 30 km south-west of the island's capital, Manama, the Hermann Tilke designed circuit contains no less than five track layouts within one complex. Construction began in November 2002 and in the months prior to its March 2004 completion, work was going on around the clock. Over 12,000 tonnes of stone were used in the build, a third of it Welsh granite, chosen for the track surface due to its excellent adhesive qualities.

The original 5.412 km Grand Prix circuit was designed with the spectator in mind, with 50,000 grandstand seats, all providing excellent views. Those spectators (a total of 100,000 over a race weekend) get to see the cars heading into the external desert area, before coming back into the oasis-styled infield. Up to 500 journalists can also witness the action from the venue's purpose-built media centre.

A revised 'endurance' track layout was used for the 2010 event, with an additional complex starting at Turn Four extending the lap to 23 corners and 6.299 km, but the event is expected to return to the original track configuration for 2012. It offers the driver a unique experience in the way the circuit's width varies at the end of the different straights. This allows for diverse racing lines, and the 15-corner design provides at least three genuine overtaking opportunities.


TV Times

Sky:
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C4:
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Track Diagram & Information

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Weather Forecast

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2015 Onboard Lap

https://www.formula1.com/content/fo...15/4/Onboard_pole_position_lap_-_Bahrain.html


2015 Race Edit

https://www.formula1.com/content/fom-website/en/video/2015/4/Race_edit__Bahrain_'15.html


Tyre Set Selections Per Driver - Bahrain

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Bahrain Preview Quotes

https://www.formula1.com/content/fom-website/en/latest/headlines/2016/3/bahrain-preview-quotes.html


WDC Standings

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Constructors' Championship Standings

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Pole Positions & Winners Per Grand Prix
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Practice 1

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Practice 2

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Practice 3

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Qualifying

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Race

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Caporegime
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They tested almost exclusively for 8 days on it in Pre Season testing. They know a lot about it.

Although that logic falls down when you realize they chose these tyre allocations back in December.
 
Man of Honour
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I am, because it's funny how much of a **** up the format turned out to be. I had faith originally but the implementation was a disaster. Watching at home I don't lose anything, whatever format they do.
 
Soldato
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Wouldn't mind it being on in the background, but think I've got plans during the day Saturday (thankfully). I hope it's another farce.

Pretty pitiful that this wasn't changed. A sport run by the competing team bosses, a senile old troll, and a host of other cronies... What can you expect?
 
Associate
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Are they keeping the same qualy format? I thought they were considering changing it back for this race or was that media hype?
 
Soldato
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Its been confirmed (unsurprisingly) that Alonso's engine from Australia has gone in the bin :(. So he is down to 4 for the remaining 20 races.

I get that this is all cost saving etc but penalising a driver for having an accident seems counter-intuitive. Surely the purpose of the regulations was to stop teams running the engines flat out so they only last a race. Wouldn't an exemption for accidents make sense? (although I guess teams could intentionally crash to avoid an engine penalty but is that really likely...maybe Williams/symonds :p)
 
Caporegime
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The teams unanimously agreed last Sunday to scrap it. They took it to the WMSC and they decided not too. Seems someone back tracked.

The problem now is the possibility to quickly scrap it and move on has gone. The FIA have now set the scene for a season of them constantly fiddling and over regulating it in order to try and force it into working. Even if the elimination could work (it can't), a major issue is the lack of tyres, and the massively complicated tyre rules don't support any improvement and are already locked in for the season.
 
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Associate
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I don't think the number of tyres choices make much of a difference. The teams only need one set of the harder tyre for the race. I suppose the only risk for the Mercs is if the medium tyres get a puncture in the race.
 
Caporegime
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It's the allocation they start qualifying with. They start with 6 sets to get through qualifying and the race. 2 of those will be the Pirelli sets which have been a Medium and a Hard. That leaves just 4 (at most, the drivers could have chosen less) of the Soft. The tyres have 1 lap of ultimate pace in them and the elimination format trys to get people to do 2 or even 3 runs per session in Qualifying. The result is simply not enough tyres to do 6 to 9 flat out runs in Qualifying.

Ferrari confirmed that last weekend even if they could have gone out in Q3 again they wouldn't as they had used all the tyres. F1 has reintroduced that issue they had a couple of years back of people not bothering to run in Q3 as saving the tyres was more beneficial.
 
Soldato
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The teams unanimously agreed last Sunday to scrap it. They took it to the WMSC and they decided not too. Seems someone back tracked.

The problem now is the possibility to quickly scrap it and move on has gone. The FIA have now set the scene for a season of them constantly fiddling and over regulating it in order to try and force it into working. Even if the elimination could work (it can't), a major issue is the lack of tyres, and the massively complicated tyre rules don't support any improvement and are already locked in for the season.

McLaren and Red Bull wanted it scrapping completely, other teams all agreed to a slight change in format. That's why it wasn't implemented.
 
Caporegime
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Autosport have run articles where Force India have said they wanted to keep the format, and another where Toto has said Mercedes were part of a unanimous agreement within the teams to scrap it.

So it seems even the reporting in the farce is farcical? Either that or the teams are unable to even agree on what it is they agree on!
 
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