Fans gung-ho as F1 Bahrain Grand Prix nears

Manama: Spirits were high yesterday at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir as the excitement continued to build with the 2016 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix just around the corner.

The highly anticipated race weekend is scheduled from Friday to Sunday with an extra night of entertainment for the fans slated for Thursday.

Preparations continued circuit-wide as F1 team personnel have begun unpacking their equipment and setting up their respective garages and home bases along BIC’s F1 Paddock.

Things will continue to be busy over the next couple of days as work continues for the racing action.

Meanwhile, members of the F1 community continue to arrive ahead of the Grand Prix weekend.

Renault rookie Jolyon Palmer was among the top flight’s star drivers to touch down on the island. He and all the others who have arrived were welcomed upon reaching Bahrain International Airport by BIC’s Meet and Greet staff. They assisted the Kingdom’s guests in the necessary formalities to enter the country, and also helped in arranging transportation for the visitors to their hotels.

Other F1 drivers are scheduled to arrive in the coming days along with officials and staff from the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), Formula 1, the teams and those participating in the two support races.

This year’s Grand Prix is the second of a record 21 rounds in the 2016 FIA Formula 1 World Championship. It is the 12th edition of Formula 1’s only desert event, and the third year since the Kingdom’s race was switched to a night-time spectacle.

A 22-car grid representing 11 F1 teams will be lining up on the start grid on Sunday, April 3. Among them will be Haas, who are making their Bahrain debut this weekend. Their driver partnership of Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez have had mixed results at BIC in previous years, but they will be looking for a positive showing with their new team as they work to continue developing their VF-16 challenger.

Grosjean commented: “Bahrain is not a circuit that looks very technical from a paper point of view, but I love driving it every year.

“We need to get more running and mileage and further our understanding of the car. We have a long list of things we want to try and do, and things to improve. It’s a lot of work but, on the other hand, it means we can improve the car by a big chunk.”

Aside from all the racing, BIC has put together its best-ever line-up of world-class artists who will be performing live over the weekend.

Kicking things off with a special Thursday night performance is Moroccan singer Saad Lamjarred.

On Friday back-to-back shows from reggae legend Jimmy Cliff and superstar DJs Axwell and Ingrosso will be held; and then on Saturday it will be artist and producer Avicii who will be entertaining the BIC crowd.