2019 Bahrain Grand Prix - Sakhir, March 29 - 31

[Capharol]

Track of Bahrain


Tyre Choice 2019


Qualifying result 2018


Fastest Lap (Top 3) 2018


Race Result 2018


Pole Lap Sebastian Vettel 2018

[MtthsMlw]

[media]YouTube link here[/media]

[Capharol]

thank you MtthsMlw

[dfegan358]

Do people expect this track to suit SF90 better than Melbourne?

[cooken]

Well yes, but only from the perspective that it can't really get much worse.

Expecting it to be much closer at the front.

[GPR-A]

Tyres this year are harder than last year! Last year it was, Medium-Soft-SupserSoft and this is year it is, C1(Hard)-C2(Medium)-C3(Soft). This is the most abrasive circuit on the calendar and may be Pirelli is too worried to have brought C2-C3-C4. It's a shame.

Expect the lap times to increase due to this and not to mention the super draggy rear wing, due to which cars lost around 12-13 kph on straights in qualifying in Melbourne. Sakhir has more straights and that means, draggy car all around. Cars might have recovered downforce and might corner around the same speeds as last year, but on straights it's another matter.

Expect the Ferrari to bounce back due to more aero friendly nature of the circuit.

Pole prediction. Pole time would be slower by a few tenths around low 1m29.xxx.
1. Mercedes/Ferrari
2. Red Bull + 0.5

[zibby43]

It's going to be warm again, and the circuit itself is very abrasive. Keeping the tires in the window will be critical.

Similar PU cooling requirements to Melbourne in the representative sessions (FP2, Qualifying, and the Race).

Next, there are a couple of crucial slow-speed corners on this track. Lots of heavy braking events.

A stable and predictable platform under braking is imperative here so you don't lose out massively on the straights.

[Schuttelberg]

Really hope Max and Seb keep in touch with the leading lot.

[Phil]

Think it’ll be interesting to see how well Bottas qualifies. He beat Hamilton last year too (yes i know Hamilton took a penalty, but he still got beaten in qualy).

[zibby43]

Think it’ll be interesting to see how well Bottas qualifies. He beat Hamilton last year too (yes i know Hamilton took a penalty, but he still got beaten in qualy).

I think the fact that Merc erred on the side of setting Hamilton's car up for the race played a role in his overall qualifying pace. Ferrari also brought a massive floor update to Bahrain last year that was rumored to be worth 4 tenths of a second.

Which brings me to my next point, being on the second row in Bahrain isn't nearly as bad as being on the second row in Melbourne.

[Juzh]

Tyres this year are harder than last year! Last year it was, Medium-Soft-SupserSoft and this is year it is, C1(Hard)-C2(Medium)-C3(Soft). This is the most abrasive circuit on the calendar and may be Pirelli is too worried to have brought C2-C3-C4. It's a shame.

Probably because C4 is now an ultra soft from last year and that would be too much for this track. But now it will be another easy one stopper. Maybe someone will go for C3-C3-C2, but given the stint lengths we've seen in melbourne I'm not holding my breath.

[SiLo]

I think this will suit Ferrari more than Melbourne, but there are still plenty of lower speed traction zones leading onto straights. If they have the same issues as Melbourne they will lose anything they gain in the higher speed corners.

[Jambier]

In two weeks maybe Ferrari can figure out their bad setup and have a better car

Difficult to know if they can fix engine issues... Sakhir need engine, so it will be difficult for them if it's still not working

[mkay]

Tyres this year are harder than last year! Last year it was, Medium-Soft-SupserSoft and this is year it is, C1(Hard)-C2(Medium)-C3(Soft). This is the most abrasive circuit on the calendar and may be Pirelli is too worried to have brought C2-C3-C4. It's a shame.

Expect the lap times to increase due to this and not to mention the super draggy rear wing, due to which cars lost around 12-13 kph on straights in qualifying in Melbourne. Sakhir has more straights and that means, draggy car all around. Cars might have recovered downforce and might corner around the same speeds as last year, but on straights it's another matter.

Expect the Ferrari to bounce back due to more aero friendly nature of the circuit.

Pole prediction. Pole time would be slower by a few tenths around low 1m29.xxx.
1. Mercedes/Ferrari
2. Red Bull + 0.5

It only has like 2 proper fast corners. The rest are either slow or medium speed with several hard braking zones (areas where Ferrari struggled massively). If anything, Ferrari could be in a world of pain again, especially if they truly have PU issues as being rumoured.

Only thing that could save them is if the car was indeed compromised in AUS by the bumpy nature of the track (as rumoured)? Bahrain is very smooth like Barcelona which should help them.

[HPD]

and have a better car

Or even dominate Bahrein