Bahrain GP

Kick starting the 2010 season in Bahrain is surely going to kick up some major heat, literally! Located outside the city-state in the desert, there were apprehensions about how the circuit would hold up in case of a sandstorm. But over the last two seasons, the organisers have proved that they are indeed prepared to handle just about any eventuality. In fact, organizers kept the sand off the track by spraying an adhesive on the sand around the track!

But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Scheduled to be part of the F1 Calendar from 2004, Bahrain was behind schedule and had asked for their inclusion to be shifted to 2005. But the FIA insisted on having the inaugural race in 2004 and although the complex wasn’t fully complete, the race was conducted. In just their inaugural year, the Bahrain GP was awarded the "Best organised GP" by the FIA.

As a track, Bahrain has faced some criticism as being "too easy". Most of this, though, has been directed at designer Hermann Tilke, whose designs are now said to be rather monotonous. But the safety features he has put into place to help drivers are appreciated. Many believe, however, that Tilke’s design leaves plenty of room for drivers to make mistakes and recover, not a fair offering!

At 5.4 km, this is one of the slightly longer circuits and given the arid surroundings, drivers have to be careful at all times about the how well the cooling of their cars is working. Massa and Fernando Alonso has been the most successful drivers at this venue winning two races each, while the inaugural race was won by Michael Schumacher en route his last World Championship.

Recent Results:

2009: Jenson Button (Brawn GP)
2008: Felipe Massa (Ferrari)
2007: Felipe Massa (Ferrari)
2006: Fernando Alonso (Renault)
2005: Fernando Alonso (Renault)