THE D-day is finally here with the Formula 1 2018 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix set to kick off today at the iconic Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir.
Doors open to the biggest sporting, cultural and entertainment event on the island at 11am, to be followed by a Formula 2 practice session. But all eyes will be on the two Formula 1 practice sessions, the first at 2pm in day light and the second at 6pm under the state-of-the-art flood lights.
It will be the start of the ultimate experience in motor sport which culminates with the actual race, the second of the season, on Sunday, starting 6.10pm.
The highlight of the off-track activities today is a concert by the legendary Carlos Santana, a first of three live performances this weekend by major international artists, immediately after all the racing action.
Meanwhile, the Pirelli Hot Laps was successfully launched yesterday with an exclusive group of participants enjoying the all-new activity, part of the F1 Experiences which included Formula 1 Pit Lane Walk and Truck Tour.
The Pit Lane Walk, in particular, was a big hit with hundreds of die-hard racing fans feasting their eyes on some cutting-edge technology being assembled in the garages for today’s practice sessions.
Top stars like four-time and defending champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes, another four-time champion Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari and two-time champion Fernando Alonso of McLaren were also seen in the pit lane as they soaked in the wonderful atmosphere on a bright, sunny day.
Fans can expect much more today as top racing action and colourful off-track entertainment are set to combine to give everyone something to cheer for and cherish.
The event gets even bigger and richer on Sunday as lucky fans seated in the Main Grandstand will be able to win spectacular prizes.
BIC’s ‘10 Every 10’ raffle will see 10 fantastic prizes being given out every 10 minutes during the 57-lap night race on Sunday.
“Fans must be seated in their allotted Main Grandstand seats to be able to win prizes. Winners will be announced by BIC staff, so fans are advised to hurry and get to their seats well before the 6.10pm start time of this year’s Bahrain Grand Prix,” said the organisers.
The list of prizes includes all brand new, high-end electronic devices, including iPhones, iPads, Apple Airports, Samsung smartphones, and many more, according to the organisers.
Fans looking to buy their tickets at the last minute may do so at the BIC Sales Tent located right next to the Sakhir Petrol Statin on the way to the circuit.
Ticket prices: Main Grandstand seats cost BD150 each for the three days, while Batelco Grandstand tickets are BD120 and Turn One tickets BD100. University and Victory Grandstand tickets cost BD60.
Fans will also be able to purchase a single Friday ticket for the Batelco Grandstand at BD60, or they can buy a two-day ticket for Saturday and Sunday, also for the Batelco Grandstand for BD100.
For further information on the Formula 1 2018 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix at BIC, visit bahraingp.com or call the BIC Hotline on +973-17-450000.
Also, find BIC on Facebook (facebook.com/OfficialBahrainInternationalCircuit), follow BIC on Twitter (@BAH_Int_Circuit) and Instagram (instagram.com/bah_int_circuit), and subscribe to BIC’s YouTube channel (youtube.com/Bah_Int_Circuit) for regular updates on all happenings at the world-class Sakhir circuit.
Today's Schedule
Time Series Session
11.30am Formula 2 Practice Session
12.30pm Paddock Club Paddock Club Pit Lane Walk
12.40pm Porsche GT3 Cup Practice
2pm Formula 1 First Practice Session
3.50pm Formula 1 Formula 1 Pirelli Hot Laps
3.50pm Paddock Club Paddock Club Pit Lane Walk
4pm Formula 1 FIA Press Conference
4.15pm BIC Activity Parachute Display
4.40pm Porsche GT3 Cup Qualifying
6pm Formula 1 Second Practice Session
8pm Formula 2 Qualifying
8.40pm Paddock Club Paddock Club Truck Tour
9pm Formula 1 Drivers’ Meeting
9.15pm BIC Activity Marshal Pit Lane Walk
10.15pm Formula 2 Press Conference
BIG FACT FILE
Lap distance: 5.412km. Total distance: 308.238km (57 laps)
2017 pole: Valtteri Bottas (Finland) Mercedes. One minute 28.769 seconds.
2017 winner: Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Ferrari.
Race lap record: 1:31.447. Pedro de la Rosa (Spain), McLaren, 2005.
Start time: 6.10pm
RACE WINS
Hamilton has 62 victories from 209 races and is second in the all-time list behind seven-times world champion Michael Schumacher (91).
Vettel has 48.
Ferrari have won 230 races since 1950, McLaren 182, Williams 114, Mercedes 76 and Red Bull 55. Former champions McLaren and Williams have not won since 2012.
POLE POSITION
Hamilton has a record 73 career poles. Vettel has 50.
Max Verstappen, at 20 years old, can become the youngest ever pole sitter this season. The current youngest is Vettel, who did it at the age of 21.
PODIUM
Hamilton has 118 career podiums and is second on the all-time list behind Schumacher (155). Vettel has 100, Raikkonen 92.
POINTS
Hamilton now has 26 scoring finishes in a row and can equal Kimi Raikkonen’s all-time record of 27.
Four drivers on the grid have yet to score points in their F1 careers: Rookies Charles Leclerc (Sauber) and Sergey Sirotkin (Williams) and the Toro Rosso pair of Brendon Hartley and Pierre Gasly.
Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson last scored a point in 2015.
BAHRAIN
Vettel and McLaren’s Fernando Alonso have won three times in Bahrain, Hamilton twice.
This year’s race is the 14th edition. The Grand Prix was first held in 2004 and not run in 2011 due to civil unrest. It switched to a floodlit event in 2014.
The driver on pole in Bahrain has been the winner in five of the 13 races to date. It has never been won by anyone starting below the front two rows.
Eleven out of 13 winners have been from the team that ended up winning the constructors’ title that season. The exceptions were Alonso for Ferrari in 2010 and Vettel in 2017.