#F1 Gulf Air #BahrainGP and Season 2023 Preview. #F1isBack #Formula1

2023 Bahrain GP Preview – With testing now complete, the stage is set for round one of the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship, which returns to the hot desert and under the lights in Sakhir at the Bahrain International Circuit this weekend for the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2023. This will be the 19^th Grand Prix that Bahrain has hosted.

 

 

2023 Bahrain GP Preview – A look at the Bahrain International Circuit

 

 

The Bahrain International Circuit is a permanent racing facility which opened in 2004 and is used for the FIA Formula One World Championship, FIA Formula 2 Championship, the FIA World Endurance Championship and the traditional 24 Hours of Bahrain. It is located at Sakhir, 30 kilometres south-west of the island’s capital Manama.

 

The circuit was designed by German architect Hermann Tilke, the same architect who has designed many other modern circuits on the Formula One calendar. The main contractor for the project was Cybarco-WCT. The multi-million-dollar project started back in September 2002 when the Kingdom of Bahrain signed a long-term deal to host the first ever Middle Eastern round of the FIA Formula One World Championship. The circuit costed approximately 56.2 million Bahraini Dinars (US$150 million) to build and construct. It has six separate tracks, including a 6.299km endurance circuit, a test oval and drag strip.

 

The circuit posed a unique problem as it was positioned in the middle of a desert, there were worries that sand would blow onto the track and disrupt the race weekend. However, organisers of the event were able to keep the sand off the track by spraying an adhesive on the sand around the track to keep it still.

 

The surface of the track is made of Graywacke Aggregate, shipped to Bahrain from Bayston Hill quarry Shropshire, England. The surface material is highly acclaimed by circuit bosses and Formula 1 drivers for the high level of grip it offers. The same type of material is used at the Yas Marina Circuit for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

 

The 5.412 km Grand Prix circuit was designed to give spectators the best possible experience, with 50,000 grandstand capacity seating, all providing great views of the circuit. Those spectators (A total of up to 100,000 on the race weekend) get to see the cars charging into the external desert area, before coming back into the oasis-styled infield section. Over 500 journalists from around the globe can also witness the action from the venue’s purpose-built media centre.

A modified ‘endurance’ style track layout was used for the season-opening 2010 event, with an additional complex starting at Turn Four extending the lap to 23 corners from its original 15 and 6.299 km, but the event reverted to its original track configuration for 2012. It gives the driver a unique experience in the way the circuit’s width varies at the end of the different straights. This allows for diverse racing lines, and the 15-turn design provides three great places for overtaking.

 

The circuit places a lot of great challenges on the cars including cooling, braking performance, and traction. The smooth tarmac and gentle kerbs encourage the drivers to attack the many medium speed corners. Tyre wear is normally on the cusp between a two-three stop strategy although the evening’s race takes the extreme temperatures out of the equation with track temperatures dropping fast as the sun goes down.

 

Another tough challenge for the engineers and in particular the drivers are the variable levels of grip that afflict the circuit. With high winds common, the circuit is frequently swept with dust from the desert, leading to the unusual circumstance of the circuit sometimes “devolving’ during the sessions.

 

The Bahrain International Grand Prix Circuit runs in a clockwise direction and is 5.412km (3.363 miles) in length with 15 corners.

 

The race distance is 308.238km (191.530 miles) in length with 57 laps in total.

 

Pedro De La Rosa holds the fastest lap record at the Bahrain International Circuit set in 2005 with a 1:31.447 in his McLaren-Mercedes MP4-20.

 

Lewis Hamilton has the most Bahrain Grand Prix victories with five to his name.

 

Scuderia Ferrari are the most successful Constructor at the Bahrain Grand Prix with seven victories.

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2023 Bahrain GP Preview – A lap of the Bahrain International Circuit

 

 

Here is the onboard pole position lap of the Bahrain International Circuit from last year’s event, set by Charles Leclerc in his Scuderia Ferrari F1-75 racer. The reigning World Champion posted a solid 1:30.558. You can watch the footage right here at the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSIAT0UYotQ

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2023 Bahrain GP Preview – The Last Five Winners

 

 

2022: Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari. 2021: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG F1. 2020: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG F1. 2019: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG F1. 2018: Sebastian Vettel, Scuderia Ferrari.

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2023 Bahrain GP Preview – Tyres

 

 

Pirelli will be bringing with them the red-marked C3 “Soft” tyres to Bahrain alongside the yellow-branded C2 “Medium” compounds and the white-marked C1 “Hard” rubber over the race weekend including the green-marked “Intermediate” and blue-marked “Full Wet” tyres in case of rain.

 

Drivers will have eight sets of the softs, three sets of the mediums and two sets of the harder compounds.

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2023 Bahrain GP Preview – DRS Zones

 

There will be three DRS Zones for the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend. The first detection point is 50 metres before turn one with the activation zone 23 metres after turn three. The second detection point is 10 metres before turn nine with the second activation zone 50 metres after turn 10. The third detection point is 108 metres before turn 14 with the third activation zone 170 metres after the final corner.

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What’s Changed For 2023, Technical Regulation Updates

 

 

Reducing Porpoising

 

Due to the large amounts of porpoising last season with the new rules and regulations, sport’s governing body, the FIA introduced changes to the regulations to limit excessive porpoising. The car’s Floor edges are now raised by 15 millimetres and the diffuser’s throat was also raised by 10 millimetres. The diffuser’s edge stiffness is increased, and another sensor has been mandated to monitor porpoising more effectively. Lateral floor deflection tests are also to be stricter.

 

Changes To Roll-Hoop Design Regulations

 

Following Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu’s heavy crash at last season’s British Grand Prix, a rounded top is now required on the roll hoop, which reduces the chance of it digging into the ground during an accident; a change was made to ensure a minimum height for the point of application of the homologation test; there is now a new physical homologation test where the load will push the roll hoop in the forward direction; there will be new tests, carried out by calculation.

 

Weight and Fuel Temperatures

 

The cars’ set weight was on course to be decreased from 798 kilograms (1,759 pounds) to 796 kg (1,755 pounds). However, this planned change was later aborted due to the introduction of heavier tyres by Pirelli. The power-trains’ weight are increased for the 2023 campaign from 150 kilograms (331 pounds) to 151 kilograms (333 pounds). The minimum fuel temperatures have been changed to 10 °C (50 °F), down from 20 °C (68 °F) in the 2022 season, or 10 °C (18 °F) below ambient temperature when cars are operated outside their designated garage areas.

 

Slot Gap Seperators on the Front Wing

 

The sport’s governing body, the FIA at first altered the wording of the aerodynamic regulations after Mercedes made a front wing which exploited a potential grey area in the rules. The Silver Arrows introduced slot gap separators on their front wings at last season’s United States Grand Prix, although the Brackley based-outfit did not intend to run them at the race weekend. It’s competitors argued that the new front wing was illegal. Mercedes stated that the rules allowed slot-gap separators as they were “primarily” there for “mechanical, structural or measurement reasons”, and therefore any secondary aerodynamic benefit would be ok. However, the FIA ruled that the brackets were illegal at the following the 2022 Mexico City GP. The wording of the rules was refined so that slot gap seperator brackets must perform a structural role, and the sentence, which explained that the primary purpose must not be aerodynamic was removed. This regulation change was with the intention to ban slot gap seperators. However, this rule change had the opposite effect, which meant that slot gap seperators are ok if they provide structural support, how much aerodynamic gains they provide no longer has any bearing on their legality. Ferrari launched their new challenger, the SF-23 with the slot gap separators on the front wing.

 

2023 Sporting Regulation Changes

 

With the sport’s intention of making the usage of tyres more sustainable in the future, Formula One will trial a reduction in allocated tyre sets from 13 to 11 at two Grands Prix this campaign. At these race weekends, the use of tyres in qualifying will be set as hard in Q1, medium in Q2 and soft in Q3, assuming that the weather’s condition is dry. Teams are usually free to choose which tyre compound they use during qualifying.

 

Pirelli announced a change to the available tyre compounds for the 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship season, with a new compound to be added between the old C1 and C2 rubber. This change is supposed to provide the teams with more flexible strategy options after criticism towards the original C1 tyre for the large drop in grip compared to the other compounds.

 

Also, following criticism over the race-ability of their blue-branded full-wet tyre in previous campaigns, Pirelli has made a new full-wet tyre with the hopes of reducing the need for safety cars and red flags in wet conditions. This new full-wet tyre is scheduled to be ready for use from the 2023 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix onwards. Formula One will also be aiming to test wet weather-specific bodywork designed to improve visibility and reduce spray during the 2023 season with the aim of implementing it by the start of the 2024 FIA Formula One World Championship campaign at the latest.

 

Sprint Races

 

The sprint format will be run at six Grands Prix from this season onwards, compared to just three in the 2021 and 2022 seasons. During the Sprint Race weekends, teams will be given greater freedom with which parts they are allowed to change under parc fermé conditions. The six events where the Sprint Race Format will take place are the Azerbaijan Austrian, Belgian, Qatar, United States and Sao Paulo Grands Prix.

 

Points Awarded For Shortened Races

 

The 2022 sporting regulations only specified that Grands Prix ending early by a red flag used a points system that gradually increased points awarded based on the completed race distance. This caused confusion at last season’s Japanese Grand Prix, where full points were awarded despite less than 75% of the race distance completed, as the race ended under the green flag. The regulation’s wording has now been refined: all races where less than 75% of the race distance has been completed now use the sliding scale system to determine the points being given, regardless of whether they finish under the red or green flag. This regulation change satisfies the original intention of the gradual scale points system when it was introduced last year.

 

2023 Financial Regulation Changes

 

The sport’s budget cap has been reduced to 135 million US Dollars. It was originally set at $140 million USD in 2022 before being increased to $142.5 million USD to account for inflation. It was first agreed by the Formula One Commission to increase the cost cap by $1.2 million USD to account for additional costs caused by the increased number of Grands Prix. The commission agreed to adjust to the level of future cost cap increases to $1.8 million USD per race when the Formula 1 calendar is over twenty-one races to account for the greater costs of fly-away races compared to European rounds. The teams have also agreed give the FIA easier access to their respective factories when cost cap audits are being carried out in order to more easily ensure that teams are following the cost cap. A winter shutdown of factories was brought in alongside the existing summer shutdown.

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2023 Bahrain GP Preview – F1 2023 Pre-Season Testing Round-Up

 

 

2023 Formula One Pre-Season Testing is now over, and for the most part things were pretty seamless for the teams as they took their new contenders around the Bahrain International Circuit.

 

We take a look at some stats from this year’s test, as Red Bull’s Sergio Perez set the fastest time on the final day, which was already quicker than last year’s Bahrain GP pole lap time set by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. The tyres were softer than what will be available for this weekend’s season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, but now the testing programmes are complete, we will see how much faster the cars will be this weekend.

 

It was an extremely productive days of Formula One pre-season testing in Bahrain for the teams, with a total of 3,988 laps completed between each car and driver and an average of 100 tours per day per team, proving that there’s a solid baseline for reliability from the get-go.

 

Testing Laps Completed

 

1. Scuderia AlphaTauri – 456 Laps (Nyck de Vries – 246, Yuki Tsunoda – 210).
2. Williams Racing – 439 Laps (Logan Sargeant – 229, Alexander Albon – 210).
3. Scuderia Ferrari – 416 Laps (Carlos Sainz – 217, Charles Leclerc – 199).
4. MoneyGram Haas F1 Team – 414 Laps (Kevin Magnussen – 218, Nico Hulkenberg – 196).
5. Oracle Red Bull Racing – 413 Laps (Sergio Perez – 209, Max Verstappen – 204).
6. Alfa Romeo F1 Team STAKE – 401 Laps (Valtteri Bottas – 202, Zhou Guanyu – 199).
7. Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team – 398 Laps (Lewis Hamilton 220, George Russell 178).
8. Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team – 387 Laps (Fernando Alonso – 207, Felipe Drugovich – 117).
9. BWT Alpine F1 Team – 353 Laps (Esteban Ocon – 178, Pierre Gasly – 175).
10. McLaren Racing – Oscar Piastri – 170, Lando Norris – 141).

 

Fastest Lap In Testing By Driver

 

1. Sergio Perez, Oracle Red Bull Racing – 1:30.305 (Day 3)
2. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG Petronas – 1:30.664 (Day 3)
3. Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo F1 – 1:30.827 (Day 3)
4. Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari – 1:31.024 (Day 3)
5. Carlos Sainz, Scuderia Ferrari – 1:31.036 (Day 3)
6. Yuki Tsunoda, Scuderia AlphaTauri – 1:31.261 (Day 3)
7. Kevin Magnussen, Haas F1 – 1:31.381 (Day 3)
8. George Russell, Mercedes AMG Petronas – 1:31.442 (Day 3)
9. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin F1 – 1:31:450 (Day 3)
10. Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo F1 – 1:31.610 (Day 2)
11. Max Verstappen, Oracle Red Bull Racing – 1:31.650 (Day 2)
12. Felipe Drugovich, Aston Martin F1 – 1:32.075 (Day 3)
13. Lando Norris, McLaren Racing – 1:32.165 (Day 3)
14. Nyck de Vries, Scuderia AlphaTauri – 1:32.222 (Day 2)
15. Nico Hulkenberg, Haas F1 – 1:32.466 (Day 2)
16. Logan Sargeant, Williams Racing – 1:32.549 (Day 2)
17. Pierre Gasly, Alpine F1 – 1:32.762 (Day 3)
18. Alex Albon, Williams Racing – 1:32.793 (Day 3)
19. Oscar Piastri, McLaren Racing – 1:33.175 (Day 2)
20. Esteban Ocon, Alpine F1 – 1:33.257 (Day 3)

 

Testing Lap-Time Improvements 2022 vs 2023

 

1. Williams Racing: -2.378s
2. Aston Martin F1: -2.371s
3. Alfa Romeo F1: -2.158s
4. Mercedes AMG Petronas: -2.095s
5. Scuderia AlphaTauri: -1.741s
6. Oracle Red Bull Racing: -1.415s
7. Scuderia Ferrari: -1.391s
8. McLaren Racing: -1.011s
9. Haas F1: -0.860s
10. Alpine F1: +0.064s

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2023 Bahrain GP Preview – Formula 1 2023 Driver Line-Ups

 

 

Oracle Red Bull Racing – Max Verstappen #1, Sergio Perez #11: They didn’t secure one-two in the driver’s standings, but the Milton Keynes based-outfit swept everything else before them in 2022 including their first Constructor’s Championship title since 2013. Can they continue this form heading into the 2023 campaign? Reigning world champion Verstappen will be pushing even harder for his hattrick of World Driver’s Championships, whilst Perez will be looking to score more than the two victories, he managed last year.

 

Scuderia Ferrari – Charles Leclerc #16, Carlos Sainz #55: The Scuderia continue with their same line-up for a third successive season. They started strongly in 2022 before their challenge fell, but now have two proven race winners in their ranks thanks to Sainz’s victory at the British Grand Prix. Leclerc has made it very clear that he expects to be in the title fight again this year – but can Ferrari solve their strategy woes and deliver another race-winning and reliable car?

 

Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team – Sir Lewis Hamilton #44, George Russell #63: It was more of the same for the Silver Arrows as well, with a difficult last campaign for Mercedes in Formula One’s new raft of rules and regulations. It was the first season of his F1 career that Hamilton failed to score a pole position or victory, but Russell managed to do both and is set to build on that experience this year.

 

BWT Alpine F1 Team – Pierre Gasly #10, Esteban Ocon #31: With double world champion Fernando Alonso off to Aston Martin, Pierre Gasly has filled the Spaniard’s seat at Alpine and joining an all-French line-up alongside Esteban Ocon. Both drivers have a Grand Prix victory each to their respective names, and both could be evenly matched, although Ocon will want to use his prior experience at the Enstone based-squad to lead the charge. Alpine was the best-of-the-rest behind the top three last season and are aiming to close the gap down to third place in the Constructor’s Championship.

 

McLaren Racing – Lando Norris #4, Oscar Piastri #81: Norris begins his fifth campaign with the Woking based-outfit alongside rookie Piastri who replaces his fellow Australian-compatriot Daniel Ricciardo. Piastri is hot property, with McLaren signing him over Alpine. Can one of Formula One’s iconic teams fight their way back to the front of the midfield this year? Norris was the only driver out of the big top three teams to clinch a podium last season – and he wants more this upcoming season.

 

Alfa Romeo F1 Team STAKE – Zhou Guanyu #24, Valtteri Bottas #77: A strong start for the Hinwil based-squad in 2022 helped them to grab sixth in the World Constructor’s Championship standings, despite running an all-new driver line-up. The pairing continue in 2023, the combination of experience with Bottas and the excitement of Zhou. Now the Chinese driver is no longer a rookie in the sport, can he push on and start to match his Finnish team-mate on every race weekend?

 

Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team – Fernando Alonso #14, Lance Stroll #18: Stroll continues on at the Silverstone based-outfit, but has replaced one world champion team-mate for another. The Canadian now has to go one-on-one with double world champion Fernando Alonso, who has switched blue for green in 2023. Will the swap of teams get the Spaniard back to the front of the field, which he most definitely desires.

 

MoneyGram Haas F1 Team – Kevin Magnussen #20, Nico Hulkenberg #27: It was a duo being criticised by many when initially announced, with “super-sub” Nico Hulkenberg returning full-time into Formula 1 after sitting out the past three campaigns. He joins Magnussen at the Kannapolis-Banbury squad, with the latter making a solid comeback name for himself. Haas have put their eggs in the experience basket in the hopes of rising up the field in 2023, after achieving a much improved eighth in the World Constructor’s Championship standings and scoring their maiden pole position courtesy of Magnussen in Brazil.

 

Scuderia AlphaTauri – Nyck de Vries #21, Yuki Tsunoda #22: It’s time for Tsunoda to step up as a leader of the Faenza based-outfit in his third season in Formula One, with the experience of Gasly moving over to Alpine. The Japanese driver is joined by rookie Nyck de Vries, who comes very highly rated from the Mercedes family, scoring points on his debut in Monza last year. How these two will get along together will be interesting to watch – with AlphaTauri looking on improving from a disappointing ninth-placed finish in the World Constructor’s Championship standings.

 

Williams Racing – Logan Sargeant #2, Alexander Albon #23: Albon remains at the Grove based-squad for the 2023 campaign. But the Thai-Briton has a new team-mate in the form of rookie Logan Sargeant, who achieved his Super Licence points with a sensational rookie performance in the FIA Formula 2 World Championship. Will the American manage to make the step up in the pinnacle of motorsport in style? Williams need him to, as they seek to move up the field once more.

 

Who will come out on top in 2023?

 

The Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2023 race weekend begins Friday March 3 with Free Practice 1 and 2, followed by Free Practice 3 and Qualifying Saturday March 4 and the 57 lap Race Sunday March 5.

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#F1 Bahrain Test Day 3: @SChecoPerez quickest on final day of running.

#F1 Bahrain Test Day 2: @ZhouGuanyu24 tops time-sheets as @GeorgeRussell63 stops on track.

#F1 Bahrain Test Day 1: @Max33Verstappen edges out @alo_oficial.