F1 | GP Bahrain 2019: TV times and preview of the weekend

Here are the weekend times for the 2019 F1 Bahrain GP, ​​broadcast exclusively live on Sky Sport F1 HD and deferred (free-to-air) on TV8. Discover the entire schedule of free practice, qualifying and race for the second Formula 1 Grand Prix of the season.

Times (exclusive live on Sky Sport F1 HD)

Friday 29 March
12:00-13:30 – Free Practice 1 F1
16:00-17:30 – Free Practice 2 F1

Saturday March 30
13:00-14:00 – Free Practice 3 F1
16pm-00pm – F17 Qualifying (delayed on TV00 at 1pm)

Sunday March 31
17pm – F10 race (delayed on TV1 at 8pm)

Previous race

The opening Grand Prix of the 2019 season saw the triumph of Valtteri Bottas' Mercedes in Melbourne. The Finnish driver, after an excellent start, immediately took the lead, recording excellent fast times and thus also obtaining the point which this year is given to the driver who set the fastest lap of the race and falls into the top 10. Lewis Hamilton could not do better than his teammate and finished second. At the end of the race, Mercedes clarified that the reason for its delay in the race was caused by a failure in the bottom of its W10. Max Verstappen finished in third position, allowing Honda (which supplies engines to Red Bull from this year) to achieve its first podium in the hybrid era. Ferrari, who had performed well in the pre-season, disappointed expectations. Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc crossed the finish line in fourth and fifth place with a worrying gap to say the least from Valtteri Bottas' Mercedes. We'll see if this weekend the cards on the table will change or the Silver Arrows will once again have the upper hand.

Circuit

Name: Bahrain International Circuit

Place: Manama, Sakhir, Bahrain

Construction: The complex was built in record time in early 2004, after Bahrain had signed an agreement with Ecclestone in 2002 to host a Formula 1 grand prix in the long term. Construction costs were estimated at around €150 million. dollars, and this is also almost a record. The complex designed by architect Hermann Tilke features numerous connections between various parts of the circuit so that different track layouts can be used. The stands, although in an excellent position, can accommodate just 50.000 spectators, and what's more, this figure is never reached. The roadway is very wide and the curves can be tackled with various trajectories: all this facilitates overtaking and makes this track one of the best designed by the German architect. The entrance to the pits is located directly on the main straight, an exclusive peculiarity of this track and of Monza: usually, the entrance is in fact located just before the last corner.

Distance per lap: 5,412km

Number of curves: 15, nine on the right and six on the left

Direction of travel: clockwise

Special features of the route: On this circuit the drivers will have to know how to find the right compromise between fast corners and long straights. A factor not to be underestimated, given that we are talking about a track located in the desert, will be the sand present on the asphalt as there is the danger of losing grip and in an instant finding yourself off the track. Furthermore, there will be several temperature changes, as free practice, qualifying and the race will take place at different times. Given the significant gear changes (5.415).

Brakes:

According to what Brembo reported, of the 8 braking sections on the Bahrain International Circuit, there are 3 quite demanding, 4 of medium difficulty and finally one of mild difficulty.

The most challenging braking for the drivers is the one at Turn 1, where they reach 331 km/h and brake for 2,4 seconds in 118 meters before dropping to 83 km/h.

Tires:

From this year there will be 3 compounds chosen for each race. These are the ones chosen by the drivers for Sunday's Grand Prix.

https://twitter.com/pirellisport/status/1108034875263778816

Although the characteristics of the track are different from that of Melbourne, Pirelli assumes only one stop. However, the tires will not be subjected to stress as the race will take place at sunset, so temperatures will drop over the course of the grand prix.

RECORD

Test lap: 1'27"958 by Sebastian Vettel on Ferrari in 2018
Race lap: 1:31.447 – P de la Rosa – McLaren-Mercedes – 2005
Distance: 1h28:34.875 – M Schumacher – Ferrari – 2004
Driver victories: 4 – Sebastian Vettel
Team victories: 6 – Ferrari
Driver pole: 3 Sebastian Vettel
Pole team: 5 – Mercedes
Best driver laps: 3 – N Rosberg
Best team laps: 4 – Ferrari
Driver podiums: 8 – K Raikkonen
Team podiums: 12 – Ferrari

Hall of Fame

2004 M Schumacher – Ferrari
2005 F Alonso – Renault
2006 F Alonso – Renault
2007 F Massa – Ferrari
2008 F Massa – Ferrari
2009 J Button – Brawn GP Mercedes
2010 F Alonso – Ferrari
2012 S Vettel – Red Bull Renault
2013 S Vettel – Red Bull Renault
2014 L Hamilton – Mercedes
2015 L Hamilton – Mercedes
2016 N Rosberg – Mercedes
2017 S Vettel – Ferrari
2018 S Vettel – Ferrari

source: Brembo, Pirelli