Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2024
Event Overview
BIC is set to celebrate its 20th anniversary next year, as the opening round of the 2024 season and its first-ever Saturday night race at the Home of Motorsport in the Middle East on 29 February to 2 March 2024.
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Hospitality
Due to exceptional demand, we have continued to expand our hospitality offerings. This year, we are delighted to offer The Dome Lounge by F1 Experiences, as well as The Champions Club, both tailor-made in response to the massive interest in hospitality options for the grand prix. In addition, the ultimate in world-class hospitality is available in The Paddock Cub Please note that Corporate boxes for 2024 are now sold out.
View MoreAlonso keeps up the practice pace in Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2023 at BIC
Alonso keeps up the practice pace in Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2023 at BIC
- Marti wins F3 season’s opening Sprint Race for Campos
- Harry King clinches double pole for Porsche sprints
- Interviews for fans continue with Hakkinen, Drugovich
- ’10 Every 10’ raffle set for Main Grandstand ticket-holders
Fernando Alonso maintained his strong pace for Aston Martin today and topped Formula 1’s third practice timesheet at the F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2023 at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir.
The two-time F1 world champion registered a fastest lap of one minute 32.340 seconds to pip reigning double world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing by just five-thousandths-of-a-second.
The stage is now set for the first F1 qualifying of the season, taking place Saturday evening under lights from 6pm. That will determine the grid for the 57-lap F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2023, which kicks off the new F1 campaign Sunday (Editor’s note: 5 March). It also scheduled for a 6pm start and it will be held in front of a sell-out crowd at “The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East”.
BIC will open its gates from 10am Sunday morning and all ticket-holders are invited to enjoy the family entertainment at the circuit’s vending area, available all throughout the day before the race.
An F1 drivers’ parade will be held from 4pm and then the traditional Gulf Air Fly Past will take place minutes before the race start, along with the pre-grand prix grid formalities.
Finishing behind Alonso and Verstappen in practice three was Sergio Perez for Red Bull, who was a close 0.106s off the leader’s mark.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton came fourth for Mercedes 0.215s behind, while Charles Leclerc for Ferrari was fifth 0.284s adrift. George Russell in the other Mercedes challenger ranked sixth 0.579s from Alonso, while Lance Stroll (+0.579s) in the second Aston Martin and Carlos Sainz (+0.605s) for Ferrari completed the top eight.
McLaren rookie Oscar Piasri (+0.705s) was ninth and Pierre Gasly (+0.724s) for Alpine 10th.
Rounding out the classification were Esteban Ocon of Alpine, Zhou Guanyu of Alfa Romeo, Lando Norris of McLaren, the Haas pair of Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg, AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda, Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas, Williams rookie Logan Sargeant and teammate Alexander Albon, and AlphaTauri’s Nyck de Vries.
Marti wins F3 season’s first Sprint Race
Josep Maria Marti took the chequered flag today in the season-opening Sprint Race of the 2023 FIA Formula 3 Championship, being held in support of this weekend’s Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix.
Marti clinched the victory for Campos Racing with a winning time of 43 minutes 09.598 seconds after 19 laps. He started from the front row alongside pole-sitter Franco Colapinto of MP Motorsport, who finished as the runner-up 1.805 seconds behind.
Marti took the lead from Colapinto on lap 14, and defended his position until the end.
Van Amersfoort Racing’s Caio Collet finished third 5.879s behind Marti, while PREMA Racing’s Dino Beganovic was fourth 9.017s back, teammate Paul Aron fifth 9.848s adrift, and Trident’s Oliver Goethe sixth 10.623s from first.
Gregoire Saucy of ART Grand Prix and Leonardo Fornaroli of Trident were seventh and eighth, respectively, while Jonny Edgar of MP Motorsport and Sebastian Montoya of Hitech Pulse-Eight rounded out the top 10.
The F3 contenders return to the track for this weekend’s Feature Race on Sunday, starting at 11.50am. It will be held over 22 laps, with Hitech’s Gabriele Mini on pole.
Harry King clinches double pole for Porsche sprints
Harry King captured double pole today for this weekend’s races in the 2022/2023 Porsche Sprint Challenge Middle East, taking place at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in support of the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2023.
King’s fastest lap of 2:01.714 during qualifying earned him the leading grid place for race one, which takes place this evening. His second-best time in the session of 2:01.812 was enough to claim pole for race two, which takes place Sunday starting at 2.50pm.
King maintained his strong pace this meeting, having also topped the timesheet in the round’s two practice sessions.
Vincent Andronaco of Germany grabbed the other front-row place for race one with a lap of 2:02.048, while championship leader Ariel Levi was third overall with a time of 2:02.423. Each of the top three are competing in the Pro class.
Bahrain’s Shaikh Salman bin Rashid Al Khalifa was the leading participant in the ProAm class with a quickest lap of 2:02.708 in qualifying, while Robert Sulma of the Netherlands will be in front in the Am category after posting a 2:03.562 lap.
The Porsche field returns to the track for the first of this weekend’s two races at 7.45pm this evening. It will be held over 11 laps. Race two will take place Sunday starting at 2.50pm.
For that race, Bashar Mardini from Canada will be starting in the front of the ProAm class ahead of Shaikh Salman, while Sulma will be in the front of the Am category.
Interviews for fans continue Sunday with Hakkinen, Drugovich
The interviews of key Formula 1 figures continue Sunday with a pair of F1 stars from past and present.
Former two-time F1 world champion Mika Hakkinen will be taking to the stage from 1pm to 1.10pm at the BIC vending area. Then, Aston Martin and McLaren reserve driver Felipe Drugovich, who is last year’s F2 champion, will follow as an interviewee on stage from 1.15pm to 1.25pm.
The interviews are being held in place of the yearly autograph sessions in order to give more fans a chance to engage with drivers. F1 and motorsport’s governing body the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile reviewed the times that were allocated for F1 driver and fan-engagement activities, and they have decided that driver interviews on the stage are the best way for the most fans possible to see and hear from the drivers, as opposed to smaller autograph sessions.
’10 Every 10’ raffle for Main Grandstand ticket-holders Sunday
Race-goers attending Sunday’s events at the F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2023 will have a chance to win valuable prizes.
All those seated along Bahrain International Circuit’s 10,500-capacity Main Grandstand will be included in a draw and may come away as one of many lucky winners in the “10 Every 10” raffle.
All they have to do is be in their allotted seats from 4.45pm until the race starts at 6pm. Ten random winners will be announced every 10 minutes during this period, making for plenty of additional excitement amongst those in attendance.
Prizes include high-end mobile phones, tablets, smart watches, headsets, ear buds, gaming consoles, and so much more.
Fans are advised to be in their seats on time as winners will be identified by their seat numbers. They will be announced and located by BIC staff, so they must be in their seat in order to claim their prize.
Race-goers should not miss out on this wonderful opportunity so they must make sure that they are in their Main Grandstand seat for the duration of the raffle. Only those with Main Grandstand tickets can be part of the draw.
Fan reminders attending Sunday’s race
As a result of the total sell-out for this year’s F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix, BIC has issued the following important reminders for race-goers:
– Please do not travel to the circuit unless you have a ticket or a confirmation for your tickets. There will be no tickets available for sale at any sales points.
– Bahrain International Circuit urges fans not to purchase tickets from unauthorised sellers and BIC cannot take responsibility for tickets bought elsewhere. BIC reserves the right to refuse access if you are found in possession of a ticket not purchased via the authorised sellers or a forged ticket.
– For those travelling to the circuit, due to the popularity of the event, fans are advised to arrive as early as possible, to avoid delays on entry. Fans should pay close attention to gate entry times, which are available on BIC’s website bahraingp.com.
– Fans are asked to ensure that they have their parking pass fixed to their windscreen before arrival.
For more information, visit bahraingp.com or follow BIC’s official social media channels.
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