The Formula 1 season starts this weekend. The Bahrain GP, at the Sakhir circuit, kicks off as usual, in the desert night on the outskirts of Manama.
The Bahraini race has an immediate novelty on the agenda: the program takes place between Thursday and Saturday – this will have to be the case for scheduling reasons in order to comply with the spacing of at least seven days between Grand Prix, as the Saudi Arabia GP will have to avoid Sunday, March 10, due to the start of Ramadan on that date.
Max Verstappen is the natural favorite at the start of the new season, as well as Red Bull, who have dominated the last two seasons. The Austrian team has revolutionized their car, promising an even more competitive RB20 than its predecessor.
The opposition has not stood still, and both Ferrari and Mercedes have introduced several innovations. Ferrari was even the fastest in last week’s tests in Sakhir, but as usual, test times have to be approached with caution.
As for Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton will be particularly eager for success – to bid farewell in the best possible way to the team he will leave at the end of the year. There is also curiosity to see what the midfield teams, such as Aston Martin or McLaren, which were in contention for podiums at different times last year, can do.
Next, we provide the schedule for the Bahrain F1 GP, in Continental Portugal time.
Thursday, February 29
11:30-12:30: Free Practice 1
15:00-16:00: Free Practice 2
Friday, March 1
12:30-13:30: Free Practice 3
16:00-17:00: Qualifying
Saturday, March 2
15:00: Race
