MOTORSPORT – IT’S Formula 1 race week in the kingdom, and it’s time for Team Bahrain to shine brightest and showcase to the world all that the country has to offer.
The highly anticipated F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2025 takes Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) by storm this Friday to Sunday as the fourth round of this year’s FIA F1 World Championship.
The upcoming race weekend celebrates the 75th anniversaries of both F1 and Bahrain’s national carrier and grand prix title sponsor Gulf Air.
Following exciting races in Australia, China, and Japan, the stage is now set for an epic event in Sakhir.
“It’s a major opportunity for BIC, and more importantly for Team Bahrain, to showcase the very best of what we do and what we have,” BIC marketing and communications senior manager Laurence Jones told the GDN yesterday.
“We’re really excited about that. F1 only comes once a year in the full force of a race weekend, and we’re really excited about showcasing, from our perspective, what we have at BIC and welcoming our guests all throughout the week.
“And of course the broader Team Bahrain and our partners across the government and private sector to really showcase everything that Bahrain has to offer for all of our guests – the thousands who are travelling over the race weekend to come and see us.”
Jones was speaking on the sidelines of a media briefing ahead of the grand prix weekend, held at the BIC Media Centre in Sakhir.
Also in attendance were BIC chairman Aref Rahimi, BIC chief executive Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa, BIC chief commercial officer Sherif Al Mahdy, BIC corporate services director Beshara Abdu Beshara, General Directorate of Traffic operations and traffic monitoring director Lieutenant Colonel Adel Al Doseri, and officials from the National Community Centre.
All grandstand tickets to the F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2025 have completely sold out and in record time – all signs thus point towards BIC surpassing last year’s record turnout of 37,000 spectators on race day, 100,000 over the weekend, and 11,000 fans from overseas.
“The numbers have been very good [this year],” Jones highlighted. “We weren’t the first race this season – we’re the fourth – so we were keen to see how that would work in terms of the demand compared to when we were the first race the previous few seasons.
“I think what’s been really encouraging is the fact that we have sold out even earlier than we did last year and the years before that. We sold out earlier than we ever have done before, which tells me that people want to come here because it’s Bahrain, and not because it’s the first race, so that’s really exciting.
“The numbers we will see at the end of the race weekend, but we’re pretty confident that it will be up there for this year, which is great.”
Sunday’s 57-lap main event will be the first night race of the season, taking place under BIC’s bright, state-of-the-art floodlights. It will be showcasing to the world that “The Desert Never Sleeps” and Bahrain’s key standing in international motorsport’s pinnacle series.
BIC has been gearing up for this annual spectacle over the past several months, and it is ready to welcome the world’s biggest and most popular drivers and teams.
While the on-track action gets underway on Friday, fans will already be able to enjoy an exclusive F1 experience on the Thursday night of F1 week with the F1 Pit Lane Walk.
Open to three-day ticket holders, the Pit Walk will take place from 7pm to 8.30pm, and all are invited to make the most of the opportunity to get an up-close-and-personal look at the F1 teams in their garages.
Fans could also possibly spot one of their favourite F1 drivers hard at work on their cars with their engineers and mechanics.
Fans who have missed out on grandstand tickets can still get passes to BIC’s last remaining hospitality option, The Dome by F1 Experiences, but there is only very limited availability. This is a unique way to enjoy the F1 weekend, with plenty of exclusive offerings throughout the three days.
BIC’s other hospitality options, including the Paddock Club, Corporate Lounges, and Champions Club, are all also completely sold out, so fans interested in being a part of the F1 spectacle must act fast to secure their passes to The Dome by F1 Experiences.
For more information on The Dome by F1 Experiences or to make a booking, call +973-17451086.
The F1 action will be supported by three leading racing series, including the FIA Formula 2 Championship, the FIA Formula 3 Championship, and the Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East.
There will also be plenty of off-track attractions for the whole family to enjoy.
Headlining these are live concerts on all three nights of F1 weekend. On the Friday night on 11 April, multi-platinum DJ and producer Fadil El Ghoul, better known as R3HAB, will be hitting the stage at BIC. International dance music superstar Peggy Gou will then be putting on a show on Saturday, 12 April. Then, on Sunday, 13 April, Grammy-nominated artist, DJ, and producer Axwell will be bringing the curtain down on the grand prix weekend with a spectacular post-race celebration off the track.
All those with tickets to F1 weekend will be able to enjoy the concert series at no extra cost.
Also, the fan-favourite Ferris Wheel is back, the world-renowned Circus Cortex will be amazing race-goers, there will be a Kids Race Fest for children, roaming performers will be interacting with fans, an F1 Fanzone will be offering fun F1-themed activities, a first-of-its-kind Bahraini Village will be showcasing the kingdom’s rich culture and heritage, and so much more will be on hand.
A special charity auction has been launched by BIC in the lead-up to F1 weekend, aiming to raise money for the Royal Humanitarian Foundation. With the generosity of many of the F1 teams, BIC has gathered an incredible selection of unique items of F1 memorabilia along with some amazing donations from Gulf Air. The auction is now live and will continue until race day on 13 April. It can be accessed on the mazad.app under the ‘BIC Memorabilia’ category.
A preview of what’s to come during F1 weekend can be enjoyed until tomorrow at the Beyon Money BIC Fan Village, open daily at Block 338 in Adliya.
Entrance to the village is free of charge, and it is a celebration of motorsport as it brings the spirit of the F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix to the public, in the heart of Bahrain’s capital.
The entertainment includes daily live performances from a mix of bands and DJs, motorsport activations such as racing simulators and a giant Scalextric, an F1 show car, reaction games, Beyon Money activations, a photo booth, a craft village, roaming family entertainment, street artists, various kids’ attractions, and so much more.
The experience is open from 6pm to 12am.
For more information on the F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2025 or other events and experiences at BIC, visit bahraingp.com, call the BIC Hotline, or follow the circuit’s social media channels.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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