Race Week in Bahrain
It's Race Week in Bahrain!
Bahrain GP History
The Bahrain Grand Prix officially became part of the Formula One World Championship in 2004. It has been a consistent feature on the F1 calendar, with only one significant alteration made to the circuit layout throughout twenty races. This alteration occurred during the 2010 Grand Prix, which utilized a variation of the track known as the "endurance" layout, measuring approximately 1 km (0.5 miles) longer. This layout was only used for that single race before returning to the standard Grand Prix configuration. Ferrari holds the record for the most wins at the Bahrain Grand Prix, with seven victories, while Lewis Hamilton has achieved the most wins at this race, with five Grand Prix victories.
The Grand Prix will draw around 35,000 spectators on race day and over 100,000 throughout the weekend; roughly a third are international travelers. Bahrain is a destination race for many fans. Bahrain Grand Prix has signed a deal to remain on the F1 calendar until 2036.
About the Track: The Bahrain International Circuit is a dedicated race track designed by Hermann Tilke and began construction in 2002. Bahrain has hosted various racing series, including Formula 1, V8 Supercars, the World Endurance Championship (WEC), and Porsche Cup events. The Formula 1 circuit features fifteen turns and spans 5.41 km (3.36 miles). The race is 57 laps.
TOP TAKEAWAYS
MCLAREN: McLaren is the clear leader in the constructors; both cars are fast, drivers are getting dialed in, and 2025 should create a new trophy case at the McLaren HQ. While Max outclassed Mclaren all weekend in Japan, I wouldn't overthink it too much; a lot of things lined up for Verstappen: excellent track history, a challenging circuit to pass on, ideal weather for a long, boring race, and a cracking qualifying lap for pole position. McLaren showed a two-car dominance like no other team on the track. McLaren needs to keep their head down, make no mistakes, and stay focused; it will be a fruitful season.
Mercedes. George "Mr. Consistent" Russell is getting every drop out of that car, and during every session--Dialed in George is competing for podiums and maybe even a few wins this season. Kimi is shaping up well, staying consistent, following in the wake of "Big Bro George," exactly where Kimi should be. Kimi also became the youngest person to lead a race; at 18 years and 224 days, he led the race for 10 laps. All positives leaving Japan. Tighten up the chinstraps and put down some pressure, Mercedes; you might be able to catch McLaren on the back foot and capitalize.
Red Bull. After an eventful week of media hype with the Yuki and Liam driver switch, a lot of eyes were on Red Bull, specifically Yuki. Quietly, Max Verstappen stole the whole weekend away with the absolute beauty of a qualifying lap and a flawless race from green flag to checkered flag; it was typical Max Verstappen. I don't know if this is something to expect every weekend because McLaren seems to have a slight car competitive edge at the moment, but when things line up correctly for Red Bull, they can still compete with the best of the best; I definitely do not think this is a solo win season for max. Looking at Yuki's weekend, overall, he did very well. He handled the home GP pressure, showed pace during the weekend, and didn't have the best experience in qualifying, which hampered his race, but Yuki is going to be ok. This does give some validity to the Red Bull second car conspiracy. Why is that second car so challenging to maintain? The VCARBs were on a similar trajectory to their season, with Isack scoring points and both cars in Q2 and Isack in Q3. I think Yuki solves it, though, and triumphs. Yuki is hungry and scrappy; he's been disrespected, and he's getting some justice at the moment; it lines up to be an exciting year for Red Bull.
Ferrari. It was not a great weekend, but not necessarily a bad one. Ferrari is still recovering a bit from the double disqualification in China. Japan was a step forward, but there is another gear Ferrari can kick into. Ferrari was fast in Bahrain last season, finishing third and fourth.
Williams. Another race weekend, another Albon points finish. Simply put, the long wait for Albon at Williams is finally making some true progress; it's an exciting time for Alex. Carlos is still finding his legs in the new team, which is not the typical Carlos groove, but I wouldn't be worried yet. Heading into the second leg of a triple header, I expect Carlos to have a solid finish in one of the following two races. Carlos did have a podium in Bahrain last season.
Haas. Haas walked away with another point from Japan. The midpack is still wide open for a team to go on a points streak to solidify the 5,6,7 spots in the constructors. Bearman looks very consistent, which is an excellent sign for a rookie season early on. I expect hit-and-miss weekends for Haas all season, but if they can tip those odds into the more hit weekends, they can carry over the moment from '24 and stay a solid midpack team.
Aston Martin. Aston Martin is at an inflection point after Alsonso just missed out on points in eleventh. Lance could not keep his points streak alive with a disappointing last-place qualifying and race-finishing position. As Williams and Haas chip away at the points, Ason Martin will be forced to respond even stronger to return to that fifth-place position. More answers will be given by the end of the triple-header.
VCARB. After being on the receiving end of the Yuki and Liam driver switch, Liam stepped back into the VCARB for the first time in 2025. What looked like an improvement, both VCARB cars got through Q2 and back into Q3. It almost seems VCARB has a better two-car balance than the big sister team RB. Isack would start the race in 7th place and finish in 8th place. The team walked away with four more points, and Isack got some much-needed redemption. Let's see how the next two races go for VCARB; they may be able to overtake a slightly stalled Aston Martin team in the constructors.
Kick-Sauber. Overall, it was not a really good weekend; KS missed out on Q2 and struggled with race pace. Being fast and sweepy, Japan is close to the layout in Jeddah, SA; this middle stop of the triple header may be a better-suited circuit for the kick sauber. Bahrain is the best opportunity if there is a shot at points during this triple header. Hulkenberg is in the usual ironclad Hulkenberg style, and Bortoleto is showing great potential; this team can strike in the right circumstances.
Alpine. I expect a breakout performance for Pierre Gasly soon, the most consistent driver on the 2024 grid (repair cost-wise); Pierre has struggled to get his footing this season without a points finish. Expect a Gasly points finish, perhaps during this triple header. Jack Doohan's introduction to F1 has been a bit brutal, literally dealing with the repercussions of the 50g crash in Japan. I want to see Jack figure this out and show his true talents, but F1 can be cutthroat, and the rumors of Colapinto will only get louder every weekend; Jack must have a banger weekend as soon as possible.
