BIC, Al Sakhir: With countdown for Gulf Air Bahrain F1 Grand Prix 2015 comes to close, practice sessions to get Formula One action underway on Friday at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) at 2pm followed by 6pm practice session under floodlights.
The world will be watching as Formula One’s star drivers take to the 5.412-kilometre desert track for the first time this season in a pair of Free Practice sessions.
Practice One is scheduled to take place under the bright afternoon sun between 2pm and 3.30pm. The mood will then shift when BIC lights up your night with its state-of-the-art floodlighting system which will brilliantly illuminate the circuit for Practice Two from 6pm to 7.30pm.
All 10 Formula One teams are expected to put their cars through their paces in order to get them ready for Saturday’s all-important Qualifying session, which will determine the grid for Sunday’s main event, the 57-lap floodlit Bahrain Grand Prix.
BIC is all set to host this weekend’s events. The Bahrain Grand Prix marks the fourth round of this year’s FIA Formula One World Championship, following races in Australia, Malaysia and China.
Formula One is to be complemented on the track by the GP2 Series and the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East. There is also plenty of world-class entertainment off of the tarmac, to be headlined by a pair of high-profile concerts on Friday and Saturday night.
“It is with great delight that we welcome everyone to Bahrain International Circuit for this year’s Formula One Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix,” BIC Chief Executive Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa, while commenting on the start of this year’s Formula One extravaganza, said.
“We are ‘The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East’, and this is our biggest event of the year. It is time for us to step up and showcase the best of Bahrain to the rest of the world.”
“We hope that everyone enjoys the wonderful mix of racing and entertainment we put together for the three-day weekend. There is surely something for everybody to enjoy both on and off the track.”
“We wish all the competing teams in Formula One, GP2 and the Porsche GT3 Cup the very best of luck.”
Formula One’s defending World champion and 2014 Bahrain Grand Prix winner Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes said today that he is looking forward to this weekend’s racing, especially following his spectacular battle with teammate Nico Rosberg en route to his victory under the stars last year.
“Last year we had an amazing race here, it was really fantastic, great fun, huge huge challenge both for Nico and for me and hopefully… that was the first night race here,” Hamilton said during the Thursday FIA Press conference.
“It was honestly the best race, visibly, that I had seen here in Bahrain so it was great and I’m looking forward to that. I think with these tyres and with Ferrari in the mix, I think we could see a real special race here.”
Hamilton was speaking at the conference alongside Sergio Perez of Force India, Max Verstappen of Toro Rosso, Will Stevens of Manor, Pastor Maldonado of Lotus and Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull Racing.
PLENTY OF ACTION ALL WEEKEND IN GP2 SERIES AND PORSCHE GT3 CUP
The Bahrain Grand Prix’s support race programme will provide plenty of additional excitement for the fans, with both GP2 and the Porsche GT3 Cup also kick starting things Friday.
GP2 is hosting the first round of its 2015 championship in Bahrain, while the GT3 Cup is holding the season-finale of its 2014/2015 campaign.
GP2 held an official three-day pre-season test at BIC at the beginning of April, and the 13 competing teams should be ready for another highly competitive weekend in Sakhir.
GP2 will hold a Practice at 12noon Friday before going out for Qualifying at 8pm.
In the Porsche GT3 Cup, a series of new champions will be crowned this weekend, thus ensuring that every session taking place will be hotly contested.
The region’s most successful one-make series will only be making one appearance on the track Friday, between 4.30pm and 5pm for Practice.
F1 DRIVERS’ FAN FORUM AND FIRST MAJOR CONCERT ON FRIDAY
Apart from all the top-class racing, there will be two major events off the track on Friday.
The first is the F1 Drivers’ Fan Forum taking place on the Main Stage of BIC’s Formula One Village vending area from 4.30pm to 5pm.
Formula One superstars Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Raikkonen and Daniel Ricciardo will all be speaking at the event. They will be talking about their experiences in the pinnacle of motorsport in front of their thousands of adoring fans.
Later in the evening, the first of this weekend’s two major international concerts will be held.
It will feature four of the most celebrated artists from the Middle East, including Kuwaiti singer Abdulla Rowaishid, ageless Lebanese songbird Najwa Karam, Iraqi singer-composer Waleed Alshami and Lebanese superstar Amr Zayan.
The show begins at 7.30pm. Everyone with tickets to the Grand Prix will be able to attend.
SCORES OF FANS FLOCK TO BIC FOR THURSDAY PIT-WALK
BIC welcomed scores of fans to the Thursday Pit-Walk today afternoon.
Members of the public had the chance to see the Formula One teams hard at work in their respective garages as they continue to gear up for this weekend’s racing.
MEET YOUR FAVOURITE F1 DRIVERS IN SATURDAY AUTOGRAPH SESSION
BIC is inviting the public to make the most of the Formula One Drivers’ autograph session scheduled to take place Saturday (Editor’s note: April 18) from 12.30pm to 1.30pm.
It will be held next to the Main Stage along BIC’s Formula One Village vending area.
All of the top flight’s star talents will be there, including defending World champion Lewis Hamilton and former champions Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button.
Also set to meet their adoring supporters will be Nico Rosberg, Felipe Massa, Valtteri Bottas, Romain Grosjean, Daniel Ricciardo, Sergio Perez, Nico Hulkenberg, Felipe Nasr, Marcus Ericsson, Daniil Kvyat, Pastor Maldonado, Carlos Sainz Jr., Max Verstappen, Roberto Merhi and Will Stevens.
The autograph session will be the perfect opportunity for fans to meet motorsport’s globally renowned stars, take pictures with them and have Formula One memorabilia signed.
VALUABLE PRIZES UP FOR GRABS IN ’10 EVERY 10’ RAFFLE
Race-goers seated on the Main Grandstand will have a chance to win one of 260 fantastic prizes in BIC’s “10 Every 10” raffle taking place during Saturday’s Formula One qualifying and Sunday’s night race.
The raffle on Saturday will run from the start of qualifying at 6pm until the end of the session one hour later. On Sunday, it will begin at 4.45pm, continue through the start of the Grand Prix at 6pm and conclude at the end of the race.
A total of 260 valuable prizes will be up for the taking including brand new, top-of-the-line electronic products such as the Apple iPhone 6, Sony M2 Aqua, Sony Xperia T3, Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet, Samsung Galaxy E5, Samsung Galaxy A5, Fit Bit Scale and Charge, LG G3, HTC Desire 820, HTC Re Camera, Huawei Mate 7, Samsung A7, HTC Desire i, iPad Mini 1 32GB, Go Pro Hero 4 Black, HTC 1 M8 Mini.
The raffle is available only for fans who are seated along BIC’s sold out Main Grandstand. Winners will be identified by their seat numbers; therefore, make sure you are in your seat in order to claim be eligible for a prize.
ALL ARE INVITED FOR THE WEEKEND’S ENJOYMENT AT THE BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX
Aside from the fan forum and the concerts, there is loads of entertainment for the whole family to enjoy throughout the weekend. These include a first-of-its-kind Snow Village, main stage and roaming performers, an F1 Game Zone, an art exhibition, a series of extreme rides, and much more.
Don’t miss this grand occasion!
Tickets are selling out fast and those who have still to purchase theirs may do so at the Ticket Sales Centre located at the BIC tents next to Sakhir Petrol Station on the way to the circuit. Tickets can also be bought at the BIC Stands in Bahrain City Centre and Seef Mall, as well as from the BIC website bahraingp.com or by calling the BIC Hotline on +973-17-450000.