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The countdown to the big race is on after organisers finally satiated the appetites of scores of eager fans desperate for news on April’s sporting and entertainment extravaganza under a Race the Stars theme.
Executives at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) held a press conference last week to officially kick-start proceedings, with the April 6-8 event set to combine the very best of international motorsport, with top-class family fun alongside major international music artists.
The biggest news is that the 57-lap race, the second of 21 rounds this season, will be held entirely at night this time.
The Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix will start at 6.10pm, an adjustment implemented by Formula 1 for all races, with the aim of allocating more time for broadcasters to show an extended pre-race build-up.
Formula 1 has also announced changes which will mean fans can get an even closer experience of racing. The introduction of Grid Kids will see up-and-coming local young drivers playing a major role in the pre-race build up replacing the glamorous Grid Girls, as reported earlier in GulfWeekly, whilst the new Formula 1 Pirelli Hot Laps programme will be launched at the Bahrain event. This will offer a few lucky fans the chance to be driven round the track by an F1 driver. In addition, fans will also have the opportunity to join the ‘Truck Tour’ experience, parading around the circuit in open top buses over the race weekend.
On hand to reveal details at the BIC were commercial director Sherif Al Mahdy, sponsor Gulf Air’s director of corporate affairs and communications Diya Al Shakar, and BIC chief executive Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa.
Al Mahdy said: “Each year, we strive to deliver an ever more exciting race weekend and 2018 will be no exception. New rules, new drivers and a revised programme for the race weekend will make the experience for fans better than ever.
“In 2017, we saw a record-breaking event, with 33,000 fans in attendance on race day and 93,000 over three days. This included a sell out for the Main, Turn One and University Grandstands, as well the highest ever ticket sales for the Paddock Club. Given how tickets are selling so far this year, we expect similar interest, so we would urge fans to get their tickets early, to avoid disappointment.
“The slogan for our Grand Prix this year is ‘Race the Stars’, with the long list of Formula 1’s superstar drivers set to compete under the stars of Bahrain for a fifth successive night race. It is with great pride that we invite everyone to join us here at ‘The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East’ for an experience you won’t want to miss!”
A new season inevitably brings changes to the teams and their set-ups. McLaren has a new engine partner in Renault and there are several driver changes, including Charles Leclerc, the reigning Formula 2 champion, who is joining Sauber, and Sergey Sirotkin, who is replacing the hugely popular F1 legend Felipe Massa at Williams.
Amongst the new technical regulations, the use of a halo cockpit protection device will be the most obvious modification to the car, providing an additional safety feature for the drivers in case of an incident.
As well as the main event, there will also be plenty of racing in the two support series, the FIA Formula 2 Championship and the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East.
Formula 2 is the chief feeder series to Formula 1, with many of its graduates moving on to the top flight after honing their skills at this level, and Bahrain will be hosting the opening round.
The Porsche GT3 Cup is the biggest and most popular one-make motor racing championship in the region. It has been the number one choice of the Arab world’s most promising circuit racing drivers to broaden their racing experience in a professionally run series. The series will be holding its sixth and final round of its 2017/2018 campaign.
The off-track entertainment will be led by a series of music concerts featuring top-class international artists, including legendary guitarist Santana, as well as a plethora of activities in the vending area.
See F1 latest in Motorsport: Pages 22 & 23
Showtime in Leisure Guide: Pages 8, 9 & 10
