Bahrain International Circuit (Bahrain)

SAKHIR, BAHRAIN: An Aerial view taken 07 February 2004 of the Bahrain International F1 Circuit, which is close to completion and should be ready next month. Bahrain will host the Formula One race on the 04 April 2004 which makes Bahrain the first country in the Middle East to host F1 racing. AFP PHOTO/Adam JAN (Photo credit should read ADAM JAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Track name: Bahrain International Circuit
Times the race has been held here: 12
First GP: 2004, won by Michael Schumacher (Ferrari)
Total number of race laps: 57
Complete race distance: 238 kilometers (191.53 miles)
Pit lane speed limit: 80 kph (50 mph)
Pitlane length: 420m/0.261 miles, estimated time loss 21s
2016 winner: Nico Rosberg, 57 laps, 1:33:34.696
2016 pole position: Lewis Hamilton 1:29.493
2016 fastest lap: Nico Rosberg, 1:34.482 on lap 41.
Most wins (driver): Fernando Alonso - 3
Most wins(team): Ferrari - 4
Lap record: Pedro de la Rosa – McLaren – 2005 – 1:31.447
Smallest winning margin:  085, in 2014
Circuit Length: 5.412km/3.363-mile (11th longest track of the year)
Direction: Clockwise
Turns: 15
Distance to Turn 1 : 400m/0.249 miles
Longest straight: 1.09km/0.677 miles
Fastest corner: 185km/h (115mph), Turn 13
Slowest corner: 80km/h (50mph), Turn 10
Top Speed: 335km/h/208mph, on the approach to Turn One
Full throttle: 64%
DRS Zones: Two, on the approaches to Turns One and 11
Key Corner: Turn 10, a tricky off-camber, downhill left-hander. It’s important to make a clean exit because the second DRS zone follows
Fuel consumption: 1.8kg per lap
ERS Demands: Medium
Brake wear: High. There are eight big stops from high speed, the biggest coming at Turns One and 14
Gear changes: 52 per lap /2964 per race
Safety car likelihood: 20 percent - low.
Tyre choices: Medium, Soft, Supersoft
Weather: Hot
Chance of rain: Minimal
Grip levels: Low
Run off: Substantial

A lap around the track

Bahrain is not a circuit that looks very technical from a paper point of view, but I love driving it every year. It’s a big straight into turn one. Big braking and a tricky exit to turn two, and then you head up the hill approaching turn four. It’s got tricky braking with long lateral g’s and acceleration going into the high speed section of (turns) five, six and seven.

The wind can have a big influence at those corners. Then you have the hairpin down the hill, going up against (turns) nine and 10 where you can easily have some front-locking because there’s a lot of g’s there under braking. Then the back straight takes you to turn 11, an uphill corner, then turn 12 where it can be flat out if you’ve got a really good car.

Tricky braking into turn 13 because you’re coming from a high-speed corner. You really want to go early on the power to go down to turn 14, which is the last corner, again big braking before accelerating to cross the start-finish line.