2017 FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX
Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2017 5:52 am
2017 FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX
Sakhir
Lap length 5.412km (3.363 miles)
Race laps 57
Race distance 308.238km (191.53 miles)
Pole position Left-hand side of the track
Lap record* 1’31.447 (Pedro de la Rosa, 2005)
Fastest lap 1’29.527 (Mark Webber, 2005, fourth practice)
Maximum speed 321kph (199.46 mph)
DRS zone/s (race)
Distance from grid to turn one 265m
Full throttle 66%
Longest flat-out section 1205m
Downforce level Medium
Fuel use per lap 1.7kg
Time penalty per lap of fuel 0.054s
UK Times
Friday 14th April 2017
Bahrain Grand Prix Free Practice 1: 14:00-15:30 (UK time: 12:00-13:30)
Bahrain Grand Prix Free Practice 2: 18:00-19:30 (UK time: 16:00-17:30)
Saturday 15th April 2017
Bahrain Grand Prix Free Practice 3: 15:00-16:00 (UK time: 13:00-14:00)
Bahrain Grand Prix Qualifying: 18:00 (UK time: 16:00)
Sunday 16th April 2017
Bahrain Grand Prix: 18:00 (UK time: 16:00)
Previous Winners
2016 Germany Nico Rosberg Mercedes
2015 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
2014 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
2013 Germany Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault
2012 Germany Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault
2011 Cancelled
2010 Spain Fernando Alonso Ferrari
2009 United Kingdom Jenson Button Brawn-Mercedes
2008 Brazil Felipe Massa Ferrari
2007 Brazil Felipe Massa Ferrari
2006 Spain Fernando Alonso Renault
2005 Spain Fernando Alonso Renault
2004 Germany Michael Schumacher Ferrari
Videos
2013 Alonso on board
2015 on board highlights (various)
Facts from the previous race
Lewis Hamilton’s 54th grand prix victory was also his third ‘grand slam’ of pole position, victory, fastest lap and leading every lap.
Making the result even more perfect, Hamilton set the fastest lap on his 44th tour, matching his car number. This was also the first time the race winner also set the fastest lap since last year’s Austrian Grand Prix, which was also won by Hamilton.
Only seven drivers in Formula One history have achieved this feat more than three times. One of them is the man who increasingly looks like being Hamilton’s main title rival this year, Sebastian Vettel.
Jim Clark 8, Alberto Ascari 5, Michael Schumacher 5, Jackie Stewart 4, Ayrton Senna 4, Nigel Mansell 4, Sebastian Vettel 4, Nelson Piquet 3, Lewis Hamilton 3
His victory means he has extended his winning streak of taking at least one victory in each of the 11 seasons he has raced in.
Hamilton bagged his 63rd pole position which leaves him two behind Ayrton Senna’s former record of 65. Though, as Hamilton acknowledged after qualifying, “he had a lot of pole positions with less races”. Hamilton is six behind all-time pole position king Michael Schumacher. This was Hamilton’s sixth pole position in a row, leaving him one shy of his personal best and two away from the record, which is held by Senna.
Hamilton was already the most successful driver in China and has added to his tallies, reaching six pole positions and five wins at the Shanghai track. But it’s probably still not enough to make up for that mistake in his first race here which arguably cost him the 2007 championship.
He reached the podium for the 106th time, equalling Alain Prost’s tally. He’s got a long way to go to equal Schumacher’s record of 155, however.
By leading Vettel home in China, Hamilton drew level with his rival in the points standings. The last time we had a tie at the top of the championship was after the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix when Vettel and Fernando Alonso were on 61. Vettel went on to win that year’s championship.
Mercedes marked their 150th race start with their 75th pole position – a strike rate of exactly 50% – and 65th race win. They prevented Ferrari from scoring their first back-to-back wins since 2010.
For the second race running cars from five different teams were eliminated in Q1. This time one of those drivers – Max Verstappen – went on to finish on the podium. This has only happened once before in Shanghai and it was also a Red Bull driver – Mark Webber six years ago.
Nico Hulkenberg took Renault into Q3 for the first time since the new owners took over the Lotus team at the end of 2015. The top four in Q3 lined up in the same order they did in Australia.
However a couple of mistakes during the race saw Hulkenberg pick up four penalty points. He and team mate Jolyon Palmer will have to tread carefully over the following rounds as both have at least half the penalty points needed to receive a one-race ban. Daniil Kvyat and Sebastian Vettel are in the same position.
Sergio Perez will have also need to take care over the rest of the season as he’s already picked up one reprimand in each of the first two races. One more will earn him a ten-place grid penalty.
Along with Ricciardo, Perez earned his reprimand for failing to show up at the national anthem ceremony. The stewards noted this was “not imposed for a driving infringement” but this can still count towards a grid penalty as only two of the three penalties must be for driving infringements.
If Perez does collect a third reprimand later in the year, his ten-place grid penalty will be due partly to his national anthem infraction.
Finally, Fernando Alonso’s run of Chinese Grand Prix finishes came to an end when he was forced to retire on Sunday. Prior to that he’d been classified in every race at Shanghai since 2004, and had only been lapped once.
Current Standings
Sakhir
Lap length 5.412km (3.363 miles)
Race laps 57
Race distance 308.238km (191.53 miles)
Pole position Left-hand side of the track
Lap record* 1’31.447 (Pedro de la Rosa, 2005)
Fastest lap 1’29.527 (Mark Webber, 2005, fourth practice)
Maximum speed 321kph (199.46 mph)
DRS zone/s (race)
Distance from grid to turn one 265m
Full throttle 66%
Longest flat-out section 1205m
Downforce level Medium
Fuel use per lap 1.7kg
Time penalty per lap of fuel 0.054s
UK Times
Friday 14th April 2017
Bahrain Grand Prix Free Practice 1: 14:00-15:30 (UK time: 12:00-13:30)
Bahrain Grand Prix Free Practice 2: 18:00-19:30 (UK time: 16:00-17:30)
Saturday 15th April 2017
Bahrain Grand Prix Free Practice 3: 15:00-16:00 (UK time: 13:00-14:00)
Bahrain Grand Prix Qualifying: 18:00 (UK time: 16:00)
Sunday 16th April 2017
Bahrain Grand Prix: 18:00 (UK time: 16:00)
Previous Winners
2016 Germany Nico Rosberg Mercedes
2015 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
2014 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
2013 Germany Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault
2012 Germany Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault
2011 Cancelled
2010 Spain Fernando Alonso Ferrari
2009 United Kingdom Jenson Button Brawn-Mercedes
2008 Brazil Felipe Massa Ferrari
2007 Brazil Felipe Massa Ferrari
2006 Spain Fernando Alonso Renault
2005 Spain Fernando Alonso Renault
2004 Germany Michael Schumacher Ferrari
Videos
2013 Alonso on board
2015 on board highlights (various)
Facts from the previous race
Lewis Hamilton’s 54th grand prix victory was also his third ‘grand slam’ of pole position, victory, fastest lap and leading every lap.
Making the result even more perfect, Hamilton set the fastest lap on his 44th tour, matching his car number. This was also the first time the race winner also set the fastest lap since last year’s Austrian Grand Prix, which was also won by Hamilton.
Only seven drivers in Formula One history have achieved this feat more than three times. One of them is the man who increasingly looks like being Hamilton’s main title rival this year, Sebastian Vettel.
Jim Clark 8, Alberto Ascari 5, Michael Schumacher 5, Jackie Stewart 4, Ayrton Senna 4, Nigel Mansell 4, Sebastian Vettel 4, Nelson Piquet 3, Lewis Hamilton 3
His victory means he has extended his winning streak of taking at least one victory in each of the 11 seasons he has raced in.
Hamilton bagged his 63rd pole position which leaves him two behind Ayrton Senna’s former record of 65. Though, as Hamilton acknowledged after qualifying, “he had a lot of pole positions with less races”. Hamilton is six behind all-time pole position king Michael Schumacher. This was Hamilton’s sixth pole position in a row, leaving him one shy of his personal best and two away from the record, which is held by Senna.
Hamilton was already the most successful driver in China and has added to his tallies, reaching six pole positions and five wins at the Shanghai track. But it’s probably still not enough to make up for that mistake in his first race here which arguably cost him the 2007 championship.
He reached the podium for the 106th time, equalling Alain Prost’s tally. He’s got a long way to go to equal Schumacher’s record of 155, however.
By leading Vettel home in China, Hamilton drew level with his rival in the points standings. The last time we had a tie at the top of the championship was after the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix when Vettel and Fernando Alonso were on 61. Vettel went on to win that year’s championship.
Mercedes marked their 150th race start with their 75th pole position – a strike rate of exactly 50% – and 65th race win. They prevented Ferrari from scoring their first back-to-back wins since 2010.
For the second race running cars from five different teams were eliminated in Q1. This time one of those drivers – Max Verstappen – went on to finish on the podium. This has only happened once before in Shanghai and it was also a Red Bull driver – Mark Webber six years ago.
Nico Hulkenberg took Renault into Q3 for the first time since the new owners took over the Lotus team at the end of 2015. The top four in Q3 lined up in the same order they did in Australia.
However a couple of mistakes during the race saw Hulkenberg pick up four penalty points. He and team mate Jolyon Palmer will have to tread carefully over the following rounds as both have at least half the penalty points needed to receive a one-race ban. Daniil Kvyat and Sebastian Vettel are in the same position.
Sergio Perez will have also need to take care over the rest of the season as he’s already picked up one reprimand in each of the first two races. One more will earn him a ten-place grid penalty.
Along with Ricciardo, Perez earned his reprimand for failing to show up at the national anthem ceremony. The stewards noted this was “not imposed for a driving infringement” but this can still count towards a grid penalty as only two of the three penalties must be for driving infringements.
If Perez does collect a third reprimand later in the year, his ten-place grid penalty will be due partly to his national anthem infraction.
Finally, Fernando Alonso’s run of Chinese Grand Prix finishes came to an end when he was forced to retire on Sunday. Prior to that he’d been classified in every race at Shanghai since 2004, and had only been lapped once.
Current Standings