Onboard Lap - Bahrain Grand Prix Circuit
The 2021 Formula 1 World Championship gets underway this weekend with the Bahrain Grand Prix in the Gulf nation. To prepare for the start of the new F1 season, watch our onboard video of the Sakhir circuit below.
Since making its debut on the F1 calendar in 2004, the grand prix layout of the Bahrain International Circuit has remained virtually unchanged - save for the addition of floodlights to mark the 10th anniversary of the event in 2014.
The 5.4km Herman Tilke-designed circuit features three DRS zones, with the latest one added in 2019.
The first DRS zone is located on the nearly 1km-long pit straight, where drivers accelerate to speeds in excess of 320km/h. The second DRS zone is placed after the opening sequence of corners, allowing drivers to overtake into Turn 4 - already one of the favourite locations for passing rivals on track. And finally, the third DRS zone follows the double apexed Turn 9/10 sequence that leads up to the back straight .
The Bahrain venue offers a good mix of slow and medium speed corners, making it one of the most demanding tracks on brakes on the entire calendar.
High horsepower is also rewarded, as attested by Mercedes record of winning all but two races in Bahrain since the start of the V6 turbo hybrid era eight years ago.
The track has delivered some memorable races over the years, with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg’s enthralling duel for the lead in 2014 still fresh in the memory of several F1 fans.
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