Sakhir GP: New track layout, new drivers – the big preview as F1 takes giant step into the unknown

2:53 In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports News’ Craig Slater, Haas boss Guenther Steiner provides the latest on Romain Grosjean and his Formula 1 return hope after he was discharged from hospital on Wednesday.

The oval-shaped layout, which has never been used for any international race, follows the same route as last weekend until Turn Four, when there is a mini twisty middle sector before it rejoins the Bahrain GP circuit, for the final two turns and two long straights.

As well as quick qualifying laps, it’s set to be chaos on Sunday, too, with plenty of overtaking possible during the 87-lap – the highest on the F1 calendar – race.

Drivers verdict on exciting new F1 challenge

Max Verstappen, Red Bull: “With such a short track it will be difficult to get a clear lap in qualifying, especially with it being about a 54-second lap. I think everyone on track is going to be within 150 metres! I think blue flags and backmarkers will be interesting but lap times should be a bit closer so I don’t expect the gaps to be as big”

Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari: “It will have a very different feel. We will need to run with lower downforce to match the high-speed nature of the circuit, but with the same tyre selection as last weekend it will be a challenge to find the right set-up. Of course, many of the corners will be familiar to us but with such a short lap, traffic will be an issue and the sessions will feel hectic. Qualifying is likely to be much closer and who knows, maybe a new track will bring some surprises on Sunday.”

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari: “I think that on a track like this the difference between the cars, especially those in the midfield, will be minimal and every thousandth could make a difference.”

Carlos Sainz, McLaren: “The outer circuit in Bahrain is not your typical F1 track. We never really race on circuits with mainly long straights and only a few corners. It’s going to be interesting to see how this plays out in F1 cars as I’d expect there to be consistent flat-out racing.”

Daniel Ricciardo, Renault: “The expected lap times of under a minute will be the shortest we’ve all ever done in Formula 1, so that’ll be interesting to see how everyone finds it. What it does do is make qualifying extra challenging, because it’ll force the field to bunch up on the out lap. Ultimately, it will all be about putting together the perfect lap and one small mistake will make up for half a dozen places, so there will be no room for errors.”

What’s left to play for – including F2 title finale

The F1 2020 titles may have been wrapped up, but new drivers – particularly Russell in the Mercedes – certainly spices up the penultimate weekend of the season, while there are also very tight battles for third in the constructors’ standings and fourth in the drivers’ to look out for.

A great Bahrain GP – coupled with Racing Point’s double DNF – has done wonders for McLaren’s hopes of clinching third as they are now 17 points clear, with Renault a further 10 points back. Daniel Ricciardo holds fourth in the Drivers’ Championship, although only two points ahead of Sergio Perez and four ahead of Charles Leclerc.

There is also the small matter of an F2 title climax this weekend.

Mick Schumacher, now confirmed at Haas for 2021, leads Callum Ilott by 14 points heading into the final round, where a maximum of 48 points can be collected through qualifying, two races and fastest laps.

Nikita Mazepin, Schumacher’s F1 team-mate next year, and Robert Shwartzman are also mathematically in contention but, more than 40 points adrift, would need an incredible amount of luck to usurp the two ahead.

Check out the full schedule below…

When’s the Sakhir GP on Sky Sports F1 this weekend?

Friday, December 4
12pm: F2 Practice LIVE!
1pm: Welcome to the Weekend LIVE!
1.30pm: Sakhir GP Practice One LIVE!
3.40pm: F2 Qualifying LIVE!
5.15pm: Sakhir GP Practice Two build-up LIVE!
5.30pm: Sakhir GP Practice Two LIVE!

Saturday, December 5
12pm: F2 Race One LIVE!
1.45pm: Sakhir GP Practice Three build-up LIVE!
2pm: Sakhir GP Practice Three LIVE!
4pm: Sakhir GP Qualifying build-up LIVE!
5pm: Sakhir GP Qualifying LIVE!

Sunday, December 6
12.50pm: F2 Race Two LIVE!
3.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday LIVE!
5.10pm: THE SAKHIR GRAND PRIX LIVE!
7pm: Chequered Flag LIVE!
8pm: The Notebook LIVE!
9pm: Sakhir GP highlights
12.35am (Monday): Sakhir GP race replay

How to watch F1 with Sky Sports

Whether watching on the big or small screen, Sky Sports F1 has you covered.

In addition to the coverage of every track session from each weekend on our TV channel, subscribers can also watch live coverage and in-race clips on the Sky Sports App.

The App features Race Control – giving you access to on-board driver feeds, a mix feed, driver tracker and live timings. Race Control is also available via the Red Button on Sky Q and HD boxes.

Sky Q is also the home of advanced features, including an interactive track map, plus the latest video clips of action, features and interviews.

Sourse: skysports.com

No votes yet.
Please wait...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *