Bahrain Grand Prix

The 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix is the first race of the 2024 Formula 1 World Championships, held on February 29 – March 2, 2024, in Sakhir, Bahrain.

The first time that the Bahrain Grand Prix appeared in the F1 calendar was in 2004. This debut made the Bahrain GP the first-ever Formula 1 race in the Middle East. Since then, three more Middle East races have been added to the calendar - the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, and the Qatar Grand Prix.

Initially starting as a daytime race, Bahrain GP transitioned into a night race in 2014 due to the hot and harsh conditions that it presented. As of now, the race is still held at night. Thousands of lights illuminating the track is a spectacular sight to behold.

The track layout offers a great combination of fast and slow technical turns and long straights. Such a great mix of conditions makes for a great representation of most of the other circuits in the calendar.

Consequently, pre-season testing has been held here in recent years. F1 teams come to the Bahrain International Circuit to test and adjust their cars before the first race of the season, which takes place here a week later.

The track now features three DRS zones, making it easier for the drivers to overtake. First and second DRS zones come right after each other and have produced great battles in the past, such as Lewis Hamilton vs Nico Rosberg and Charles Leclerc vs Max Verstappen. Most overtakes happen at turn one and turn four.

Located in the middle of the desert, this circuit presents multiple challenges for the drivers, such as gusty wind and wide temperature fluctuations in between the sessions. The driver coping best with these conditions in the past has been Lewis Hamilton, who holds a record here for the most wins - 5 in total.