A background to Bahrain

The Bahrain International Circuit:

In 2004 Bahrain became the first Middle Eastern country to host a Formula 1 Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit. For 2010 the circuit has been extended to utilise a longer track configuration increasing the lap to 6.299 km from 5.412 km. Due to the desert heat and the presence of sand on the racetrack the track surface is very slick and will only present a single racing line; overtaking is therefore very difficult with so little offline grip.

If we analyse the extended track we can see that there are 23 corners but only two realistic overtaking opportunities. The prime position for potential overtaking is the start finish straight which is more than 1km long and where cars reach speeds upwards of 300kmph before braking into a tight first gear hairpin taken at 65kmph. The only other real opportunity for overtaking is turn 4 where again there is heavy breaking from high speed. Any other overtaking manoeuvres will require a mistake from the leading driver or a clear performance advantage between the cars.

Setup for the Bahrain International Circuit:

As this will be the first year where Formula 1 cars wills race on the extended circuit it is only possible to surmise the potential setups that will be used. When setting up a car for any given circuit teams have to determine what are the main considerations needed for the track. In Bahrain the main considerations are downforce levels, tyre compounds and race strategy.

Downforce levels dictate the top speed that a car can obtain as well as its grip levels. The lower the downforce the higher the top speed and a higher downforce gives a driver a car that is better when under braking and one that will give greater grip when cornering. In Bahrain teams will have to balance the need for top speed on the four long straights with the handling required on the tight and twisty infield section. In the past the optimum setup was a medium downforce level to balance the need for speed and grip. Now however with the new layout teams will have to increase downforce levels so as to be quick in the infield. If a team uses too much downforce they will be easy prey down the long straights so expect the teams to maintain a similar setup to the past which will mean the cars will be difficult to control in the infield leading to potential mistakes during the race.

Drivers will have the choice of two tyre compounds for use during the weekend. They must use both types during the race so the choice of when to use one over the other is crucial. The softer compound will generally be quicker due to increased grip but this is offset by increased wear on the tyre. Teams need to set their car up so that it can get the tyre to its optimum temperature range as fast as possible yet still be useable for the race.

Strategy for the Bahrain Grand Prix:

Despite the high temperatures and a dusty, slick racetrack there has been a high finishing rate in previous Bahrain Grand Prix which means that it is rare for drivers to come from the back of the field to score high points. Qualifying is exceptionally important for this race as no previous winner has qualified outside of the top four. Teams will start on the softer compound so that they can get as much grip as possible for the start and to try and overtake opponents before turn 1.

Drivers have tended to make two pitstops during the races with only the inaugural winner Michael Schumacher making three stops in 2004. Since then the winning drivers have made their stops between laps 18 and 20 of a 57 lap race. Last year Jenson Button made an earlier stop on lap 15 due to a strategic decision to gain track position on cars that had been ahead of him. Second stops have occurred between laps 37 and 41.

Total pitstop time will be somewhere in the region of 21-22 seconds, this includes the time on pitlane and the time needed to change the tyres. If a driver still intends to make two stops during the race a short first stint on soft compound tyres similar to Button’s last year will be utilised with the driver pitting between laps 14 and 17 of the new 49 lap distance. Second stops for these drivers should occur between laps 30 and 33. Two stopping drivers will need to open a large lead in the early proceedings over drivers intending on a single pitstop who will pit between laps 20 and 22.

This should lead to very exciting duels where drivers on differing strategies have to open gaps of greater than 22 seconds so as to emerge ahead of a driver that will make one stop less during the race. The team with the greatest potential to use differing strategies is McLaren due to the differing styles of its drivers. Lewis Hamilton is a very aggressive driver and his past issues with tyre wear will make it very likely that he will use the two stop approach that should be favoured by many of the drivers. Jenson Button on the other hand is the smoothest driver on the grid and as a result of his style is easier on his tyres. He may attempt to utilise a single stop to try and negate any speed advantage that Hamilton may have over him. We could see a very exciting duel develop between the two McLaren drivers during the race where neither will be fighting together on the track until after the pitstops are completed leaving 15 laps for them to battle to the finish.