Location:Sakhir
Lap distance: 5.44 km
Number of laps:57
Racing direction:Clockwise
This circuit was new for the 2004 season and was designed by Hermann Tilke. It the first race to be held in the Middle East as F1 expands out of its traditional venues. The heat and the sand are an additional challenge to the engineers. The 2006 race provided a good opening for the season with Raikkonen having a car failure in qualifying and then coming from last to 3rd in the race. Alonso and Schumacher fought for the lead, with Alonso just edging out Schumacher at the second set of pit stops. In 2007 Hamilton became the first driver to finish on the podium in his first three F1 races. The 2009 race was the first dry race of the season and gave Button his third win in four races. The 2010 season started in Bahrain with Ferrari coming home first and second, but with the four news teams for this season struggling for pace and reliability.Previous Race winners
Year Driver Team
2011 Race cancelled
2010 Fernando Alonso Ferrari
2009 Jenson Button Brawn
2008 Felipe Massa Ferrari
2007 Felipe Massa Ferrari
2006 Fernando Alonso Renault
2005 Fernando Alonso Renault
2004 Michael Schumacher Ferrari