Bahrain GP 2012 - Sakhir

[Tomba]

The 2012 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix is a Formula One motor race scheduled to be held on 22 April 2012 at the Bahrain International Circuit in Bahrain. It will be the first time Formula One has returned to Bahrain after the 2011 race was cancelled due to ongoing anti-government protests.

After using the "endurance circuit" in 2010, the series will revert to using the "Grand Prix" configuration for the 2012 race.

The race will be supported by the GP2 Series.

[myurr]

Well the only team I'd bet in being in the hunt for pole and the win is McLaren. The makeup and order of the rest of the top 10 is anyone's guess!

I think Mercedes will be faster in quali than the race this time out, with temperatures hurting them. I think Red Bull will bring the b-spec exhaust for both cars and that relatively Vettel will be two tenths behind Webber in qualifying.

[Banki]

Which team will be the best in this track?
Has somebody got any prediction about the oppurtinities?

[myurr]

My prediction is Hamilton for pole and first win of the season. I think Mercedes will run him close in qualifying, as will Button. Sauber will qualify toward the back of the top ten but run more strongly in the race. Renault will be stronger than they were in China. Red Bull will be round about the same position in qualifying, but Vettel in particular will be stronger in the race. Ferrari I think will struggle a little bit as the other teams around them get on top of the tyres.

[vanwall_man]

Hi there, just been looking at their event website.

It seems it is still the '2012 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix'

Support races are GP2 Series, Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and WGA Supercars Middle East Championship.

Also a concert by LMFAO, for those of a tuneful nature.

As for the race, having had two cracking races at Tilke tracks so far this year, what are the odds on a third?

Looks like Brawn's magic aero works well on those long straights though. I'll put money on Schuey - and be prepared to eat humble pie afterwards!

[ajdavison2]

I'd say a win for Button due to the pace of the mclaren, and the temperatures not working to Hamiltons favour.

[MrBlacky]

I have the bad feeling that MGP couldn't match the pace here again. Mcl is my favorite, followed by Red Bull.

[GrizzleBoy]

Am I right in saying that (apart from Button getting ahead in Melbourne after a poor start) Hamilton is yet to be overtaken on the track so far this year?

Vettel got past via safety car in Melbourne.

Alonso/Perez got past via absolutely horrible performance by the pit crew in Malaysia.

Only moved forwards in the race in China to come third from seventh.


Any significance?

[myurr]

i believe that's true.

[ESPImperium]

This track requires a good high speed ballance and low drag configuration. The high speed is 5/6/7 and 11/12/13, both right left right sections, the low speed corners at 1 and 10 need good traction out of them. As for the rest, they are all medium speed corners that need a good ballance of aero and mechanichal grip as well as good traction.

Its a front limited track, the front tyres take a hammering under breaking and turning into corners. Also high track temps make tyre management even harder, not to mention the sand whitch is almost to a point corosive to tyre rubber as well.

I think it will be a track that not one car will dominate over the full lap, it will be the car that has the best compromise over the lap that will win. If you have a car that is consistantly second or third in the sector times will have the best aggregate lap times here.

One other factor that this track will have that some others dont is that KERS will be worth roughly 6 tenths here due to the 4 straights and the ammount of KERS harvest avalable with arround 4 big stops and 3 other stops that arent as large but as good for harvest.

Mercedes AMGs DRS should stand out here as many as 7 DRS zones, but probably only 5 propperly useable ones. That should give them a pretty decent boost here.

[raymondu999]

Someone did one of these other than me? I must be slipping




2010




Strategy
2012 tyres - medium (prime, white) and soft (option, yellow)
2011* tyres - hard (prime, silver) and soft (option, yellow)
2010 tyres - medium (prime, no stripe) and supersoft (option, stripe)

2010 pole lap: (on different track layout)


2009 pole lap: (with the current track layout)

[beelsebob]

I smell a Mercedes pole and a McLaren race win. Merc will get enormous benefit from their double DRS here, but I suspect the heat will ruin their tyres.

[raymondu999]

Yeah - this place you can use it between every corner really, other than the fast 567 and the S bends.

[Gerhard Berger]

at which turn is there the big bump where Mclarens had to lift off the throttle in 2010?

[raymondu999]

6 - in the infield. It's gone now. (5 was the left hand kink into the infield complex, then 6 was the right hand kink. Then you braked for the left hander of 7. Just a hundredth before you start braking, the bump is there. The Ferrari was just cruising over it like there was no bump, Red Bull lifted slightly, but the McLaren was lifting and coasting completely over the bump)