Bahrain 2010 Circuit Guide

in CIRCUITS F1 2010 by admin — March 13, 2010 at 7:41 am | 0 comments

Circuit guide: Bahrain

The 2010 F1 season is all about change, and the circuits are no different. At season-opener Sakhir, a revised track layout sees eight new corners and an additional 800 metres added to last year’s configuration. Due to the added length of the circuit, the 2010 race will last 49 laps of 6.299 km each (or 2 hours, whichever is the greater). If the race ends within the time limit drivers will have completed 308.405 km of desert racing.

Fittingly, the new longer circuit is now known as the Endurance Circuit. For drivers, navigating the car through 24 corners in the early laps with heavy fuel weights is going to pose a particular challenge. When the heavy fuel weights are added to a desert-based track known to retain heat, tyre problems are sure to arise.

Traction has always been vital at Bahrain, according to Bridgestone: “Good traction is essential, with six corners in particular heading on to long straights. If a car setup has less than optimum traction then higher heat and wear will occur.” Combine this with the fact that sand has been known to blow onto the track, creating dirt and grit, and you have a recipe for some very messy tyres. It’ll be an interesting start to the season, as none of the winter tests really offered much information concerning tyre performance in the heat.

But everyone knows that track and tyre temperature are vital to a good showing in the race. The real question is what to expect from Sakhir now that the track has been extended and corners added. Well, the new track sees a left turn shortly after what was turn 4 in the old layout. The left turn takes drivers onto an entirely new bit of track, with five brand new corners to wrestle with before returning to more familiar territory. Re-entry to the old track comes by way of a left-right kink and a hairpin.

While the new corners should help test the tyres – and the drivers – they don’t offer much in the way of new overtaking opportunities. Sakhir is widely regarded as one of Hermann Tilke’s better tracks, but it remains to be seen whether the new layout will add to or detract from the overall race experience. Once Friday practice is out of the way tomorrow, we should have specific feedback from the drivers.

Despite the lack of official running, Sakhir Circuit has seen plenty of action since the Formula 1 circus rolled in to town. The F1 running club have already christened the new layout, and Adrian Sutil was seen covering the track on his rollerblades. The safety car did its preliminary run this afternoon, and the real action will begin in earnest bright and early Friday morning.

Setting up for Bahrain’s old layout was tricky enough – while the track is generally considered to be a high downforce circuit, that doesn’t tell the whole story. The long straights mean that straight-line speed is also of vital importance, and balancing downforce with low drag has never been easy. This new circuit further complicates matters – the added tight corners will lead to more strain on the tyres, and this at a track known to be tough on tyres in a season where rubber preservation is king.

One good bit of news is that the ambient temperature is lower for this race than it has been for other Bahrain Grands Prix – speaking to some of the staff here earlier, they told me that the 2009 race saw numerous people faint from the heat. Air temperatures are a good five degrees cooler at the moment, and while that might not sound like much it will contribute to the cars’ performance – expect to see the maximum cooling body packages, as ever, but the tyres should degrade a little more slowly this year.

Kate Walker