The show must go on

The Bahrain International Circuit, along with their international partners and the kingdom’s national health taskforce, stated that the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix will be a participant-only televised event to avoid further spreading of the Covid-19 virus.

And while all of the off-track entertainment has been cancelled, the motoring action is set to continue with all support races to go ahead as scheduled too.

Following the completion of pre-season testing at “The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East”, all systems are go for the first rounds of the FIA Formula 2 Championship and FIA Formula 3 Championship in Bahrain.

These two series, along with the season-finale of the 2019/2020 Porsche Sprint Challenge Middle East, promise plenty of high-octane racing in support of Formula 1.

All three series will have two races apiece at the Grand Prix weekend. Their first races will all be held on the Saturday (March 21) of the event, while the second sprints will take place on Sunday (March 22).

Both Formula 2 and the Porsche Sprint Challenge are making exciting returns to the Sakhir desert, but it will be the first time ever that Formula 3 will be supporting Bahrain’s Grand Prix.

Formula 2 is set to feature 22 cars representing 11 teams on the grid. The roster of drivers is largely the same as that which took part in the pre-season tests.

Race 1 (Feature Race) is run over 170km or 60 minutes, and each driver must complete one compulsory pit stop and must use at least one set of each specification of dry-weather tyres. The top 10 score points. The grid for Race Two (Sprint Race) is determined by the finishing order from the first race, with the top eight positions reversed. Race Two is run over 120km or 45 minutes, with the top eight finishers scoring points. The driver who sets the fastest lap in each race scores an additional two points.

For Formula 3, a field of 30 cars, with three cars for each of the 10 teams, is expected to line up for the two races. The duration of each is still to be determined.

Heading into this season, two major changes are being implemented for the weekend’s second event. The first sees the top 10 finishers from Race 1 starting Race 2 in reverse order. The second change is the number of positions eligible to score points in Race Two has been increased to the leading 10 drivers. The points awarded in Race One have not changed.

Meanwhile, two races remain in the 2019/2020 campaign of the Porsche Sprint Challenge Middle East and a new overall champion is set to be crowned in front of an international audience at the Grand Prix.

The first four rounds of the season have not failed to impress, and the championship-finale is expected to offer plenty more of the series’ high-intensity racing. Each of the two races is set to feature 10 laps, with a grid of over a dozen competitors expected to enter.

For further updates, visit www.bahraingp.com or call the BIC Hotline on 17450000. Also, follow BIC on Facebook at Official BahrainInternationalCircuit, on Twitter @BAH_Int_Circuit, on Instagram @bah_int_circuit and YouTube (youtube.com/bahrainbic).