The anticipation we are feeling at BIC ahead of our 2022 race is like nothing we have seen before. From the masses of international fans arriving in Bahrain for the race, the teams arriving to the circuit with a spring in their step ahead of the new season, or the tangible excitement from fans all over Bahrain, the build up to this race has been something special. As you will have seen, that’s shown in our ticket sales, with just a handful left at the time of writing. The Bahrain Grand Prix kicks off the season, with fans set to pack the grandstands, in anticipation of a truly memorable weekend. So what’s all the fuss about?
Well, let’s start with the new era of F1. The rules for 2022 have been subject to some of the biggest changes in F1’s history. Hopefully you will have had a chance to see our F1 show car over the last few weeks, but it’s pretty striking. Most noticeably, the front and rear wing designs have been revolutionised, the wheel size has increased from 13 to 18 inches and the floor of the car has been substantially modified. These new rules are designed to encourage closer racing and facilitate more overtaking. In essence, it’s all about the aerodynamics and downforce. With the old cars, they would lose 35 per cent of their downforce when they were 20 metres from the car in front. With the new cars, tests have shown that the loss is just 4pc.
We have seen a glimpse of these new cars here last week in pre-season testing and there were certainly a few surprises in there. A few teams had been suffering from something which became described as ‘porpoising’, or hopping around like a kangaroo for the more casual spectator. There will have been much work done by teams to address this in time for race week and they are working incredibly hard on other upgrades to ensure they are ready and competitive for the start of the season. Consensus was that Ferrari looked particularly quick in testing, as did Red Bull, whilst Mercedes admitted themselves that they had a lot of work to do. Having said that, many people reckon that you can’t gauge too much from times in pre-season testing and that is probably even more the case with these new cars. The reality is that no one knows which team will have the best setup until we get racing. And it’s that uncertainty, the expectation from passionate fans that it could be ‘your year’ is what makes the first race in this new era so compelling.
We should also not forget what happened last season as that has hooked many more fans into the world of F1. It was, by many opinions, one of the most exciting seasons of all time. The rivalry between Verstappen and Hamilton delivered countless epic races, not least here in Bahrain, and the season went right down to the wire. Literally, the last lap of the last race. For those watching (108 million of them on live TV), it was one of those truly epic moments in sport that lives in the memory forever. It was a moment of unforgettable tension and drama that had – and still does – have the world talking about F1. Whichever team you supported, F1 became the topic of the moment. From the water cooler office chats to the family discussions, it was everywhere.
Whilst the TV drama of last season was dramatic, the Netflix Drive to Survive series, the latest season of which launched last week, offered its own unique spin on the season. It’s now in its fourth season and the behind the scenes drama, showcasing the highs and lows of those at the heart of the sport remains a fruitful avenue for attracting new fans. The entire season is well worth a watch to get you in the mood for the weekend (including the first couple of episodes showcasing our race), but it’s also worth checking out the final episode which gives a spine-tingling perspective on that end of season. Without doubt, this series is doing phenomenal work in attracting new fans to the sport.
There are other elements of the sport this year that have changed, which won’t go unnoticed by many fans. George Russell has a new seat at Mercedes, partnering with Lewis Hamilton and it will be fascinating to see how that new pairing of talented British drivers will work. Guanyu Zhou is F1’s rookie this year, driving for Alfa Romeo and there have also been a number of sporting regulation changes.
For us, however, the biggest change is having our grandstands packed full with passionate fans again. We are working hard to make this a major celebration of motorsport and entertainment and we can’t wait to welcome you here from tomorrow. Time’s running out for those last few tickets. You won’t want to miss this one…
* Laurence Jones is senior manager, Marketing and Communications, Bahrain International Circuit
l.jones@bic.com.bh
n Norris confident ahead of big race – Page 15
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