Support races to ensure non-stop thrills at Bahrain GP

Manama

The stage is set for an action-packed support race programme at the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2020, taking place March 19 to 22 at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir. Following the completion of pre-season testing at “The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East” earlier this week, 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 over the four-day extravaganza. All three series will have two races apiece at the Grand Prix weekend.

Their first races will all be held on the Saturday of the event, while the second sprints will take place on the Sunday. 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 Formula 1 race. 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 One (Feature Race) is run over 170 kilometres 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 2 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.

All this racing and so much more will be at the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2020. Off the track, there will be plenty of entertainment for the whole family, to be headlined by the series of fantastic concerts featuring three of the biggest names in music today. Kicking off the live performances will be Grammy Award-winning producer, songwriter and DJ Afrojack on the Friday (March 20) night of the race weekend. Then, on Saturday (March 21), global superstar Khalid and Top 10 DJ and producer Don Diablo will perform in an epic night of music.