A launch event for the 2024 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix officially kicked off the countdown yesterday for the three-day spectacle, which will be held at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) from February 29 to March 2 and mark 20 years since the first race was held in the kingdom in 2004.
The grand ceremony was held in the main foyer of The Avenues, causing unsuspecting shoppers to crowd around the cordoned-off area to see what was going on as co-hosts stand-up comic Imran Al Aradi and famous F1 commentator David Croft interviewed Bahrain’s minister of tourism Fatima Al Sairafi, BIC chief executive Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa and Gulf Air CEO Captain Waleed Al Alawi before an audience of exclusive invitees.
Shaikh Salman told the GDN that he expects the iconic race – for which the BIC has coined the slogan ‘20 Years of a Modern Classic’ – to be sold out, just as the 2023 edition was, with 99,500 people turning out for the three-day race weekend and 36,000 packing into the stands on the race day alone.
“I mean, I know, looking at it, we’ll probably sell out before the start of the race, just based on the numbers,” he said, smiling.
“But I want to do that even earlier and push that even more. The corporate boxes are sold out, there’s a lot of grandstands that are filling up.
“We just have to be ready to provide everything to our fans: a safe environment, a fun environment to capture memories and to create new ones and, for them to leave saying, I want to come back and buy tickets for next year as early as possible!”
But Shaikh Salman refused to be drawn into speculating who he thought would win the Bahrain Grand Prix or dominate the season.
“There’s really no way to tell at this point, is there?” he explained.
“It’s the start of the season so there’s no way to compare performances. Obviously, Red Bull dominated last year and one would expect them to carry on in the same way but, again, this is a new season and we won’t be able to tell which team is likely to do what until it’s well underway.”
Seasoned F1 TV commentator David Croft, whose first commentary gig was the 2006 Bahrain Grand Prix and who recently did live commentary on his 350th race at the season ending 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last December, agreed with Shaikh Salman.
“I would imagine we’ll start the season with a fairly similar pecking order to the way the 2023 season finished,” Croft, who is the lead commentator for Sky Sports’ F1 coverage, told the GDN in an exclusive interview.
“But there are so many unknowns. I could say, on form, Red Bull would still be the car to beat. They switched off any developments to last year’s car very early and prioritised this year so they’ve had plenty of time to get this year’s car as well designed and researched as they possibly can but there might be some way they’ve gone that might be wrong.
“That’s the beauty of this time of the year because everyone’s on nil points and no wheels have turned yet. I would imagine McLaren will carry on where they left off after the excellent second half of the season they had last year while Ferrari have said their car will be 95 per cent different to the one they had in 2023.”
Croft added that he was intrigued by Aston Martin’s decision to abandon their final upgrade last year.
“We’ve got to find out why they went in the direction they went at the back end of last year before they decided to abandon the final upgrade.
“And then, there’s Mercedes who were going to make big changes to their car.
“So I’d like to tell you I know exactly what’s going to happen but a) where would be the fun in that? And, b) I haven’t got a clue!” he laughed.
“Seriously though, you would think Red Bull, which was the best team last year, and Max, who was the best driver (he is the world champion with three consecutive titles since 2021, after all), will do well again.
“I don’t see them getting any worse but I want to see the others get better … and then we’re in for a real grand slam championship!”
Meanwhile, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton was still driving as well as he ever had but just hadn’t been given a car to match his ability, Croft said.
“There’s nothing wrong with Lewis, nothing wrong at all. his pole position in Hungary last year showed that,” he continued.
“Lewis still has a great appetite for competition, for success. He just hasn’t had the car underneath it so he can perform to the level he’s performed at, for the rest of the years in his career.
“And Lewis got plenty of podiums last year; he was always still there or thereabouts in qualifying but he just didn’t have a car underneath him which could get him a pole, time after time and win a race, time after time.”
Turning to the Bahrain Grand Prix, Croft said he always loved coming to Bahrain and was absolutely thrilled to see how F1 has grown in the kingdom over the past 18 years.
“I have seen the F1 grow in Bahrain, have seen the kingdom grow,” he said.
“My fiancé was here for the 2004 race and she says the same thing: It’s a fabulous place to come and watch Formula 1.
“But what I love now is that added extra passion, from a group of local fans that embrace, get excited about, devote their time to and worship F1. And they’ve grown up with their race – the Bahrain Grand Prix – helping them with their fandom and helping them to say to their mates: ‘Come on, F1 is great, you need to come and join in too!’”