Thousands of Formula 1 fans flocked to the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir last night to get an up-close look at their favourite teams and try to spot some of the top motorsport talent competing at the venue this weekend.
Prior to the start of the racing programme today, the BIC welcomed three-day ticketholders last night for the F1 Pit Lane Walk.
“This exclusive experience gave those who participated a chance to get an up-close-and-personal look at the top flight’s teams in their respective garages, busy preparing for today’s start of racing,” a BIC spokesperson said in a statement.
“Some fans were even able to spot their favourite drivers working with their engineers and mechanics.”
Amongst the key changes at the track this year is the change of the official timekeeper of the 2025 season of F1 racing. Instead of the usual large green Rolex, red-and-green TAG Heuer clocks were spotted along the circuit and paddock as the Official Timekeeper.
Boasting a rich history in motorsport, TAG Heuer was the first luxury brand to have its logo appear on an F1 car in 1969, and the first to sponsor a team in 1971.
The Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2025 race weekend flags off today with on-track and off-track thrills planned throughout the three days at ‘The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East’.
This year’s race weekend is being held under the theme ‘The Desert Never Sleeps’.
The BIC’s gates will open today to race-goers at 9am and close at 11pm.
Off the track, today’s programme will feature all kinds of attractions for those attending, ranging from entertainment for the whole family, to an F1 drivers and teams fan forum and a concert in the evening.
These include globally renowned act Circus Cortex, made up of a team of acrobats who are experts in disciplines including parkour, tightrope, pole, BMX, unicycle, hoop, dance, and much more.
The fan-favourite Ferris Wheel is back to offer an exciting carnival ride for all those attending. There will also be a Kids Race Fest featuring popular cartoon characters; and many more spectacular shows as well as an army of roaming acts who will be engaging with fans throughout the weekend.
In the evening, the first of the weekend’s concert series will be taking place at 8.30pm featuring multi-platinum DJ and producer Fadil El Ghoul, better known as R3HAB.
R3HAB has been trailblazing his way through dance music for the past 15 years. His work has collected more than 12 billion streams to date, including more than 1.1 billion in 2024 alone.
He is the first of three international music superstars who will be taking to the stage at BIC this weekend. The others are Peggy Gou, who will be performing live tomorrow, and Axwell, who will be leading the post-race celebrations on Sunday night following the grand prix.
The kingdom’s F1 spectacle is expected to be another record-breaking event for Bahrain and BIC. All grandstand tickets to the race weekend have sold out, including seats at the Main, Turn 1, Beyon, University and Victory grandstands.
naman@gdnmedia.bh
Top stories for today:
Call to increase labour fees five-fold in 20 professions
F1 spectacle flags off today
Stained glass masterpiece unveiled at Bahrain airport
&uuid=(email))