Bahrain Grand Prix set to showcase best of international racing at BIC

Manama, Apr. 3 (BNA): The Formula 1 2018 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix weekend is only a couple of days away, and things are now taking shape in Bahrain International Circuit’s (BIC) Paddock and Formula 1 Pit Lane ahead of the start to racing. The three-day event showcases the very best of international motorsport with not only Formula 1 roaring out on track, but also the FIA Formula 2 Championship and the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East. Off the tarmac, there will be plenty of world-class family entertainment and major international music artists. The weekend’s attractions will be headlined by the highly anticipated 57-lap night race. It will be 14th edition of the sport’s only Formula 1 desert race and the fifth year it is to be held under floodlights. It also marks the second of 21 Grands Prix on this year’s calendar in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship. Following the arrivals around the clock of Formula 1 team personnel, officials and several of the sport’s star drivers, their team buildings in the BIC Paddock and the garages along the Formula 1 Pit Lane were in their final stages of setting up. Preparations are to continue Wednesday and they will reach their climax on Thursday, ahead of the start of racing on Friday. Also hard at work are those competing this weekend in the FIA Formula 2 Championship and the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East. Formula 2 will be staging its season-opening round at BIC while the Porsche GT3 Cup will be holding its sixth and final meeting of its 2017/2018 campaign. Meanwhile, BIC is set to begin welcoming media members from Bahrain and around the world on Wednesday. The circuit’s state-of-the-art Media Centre can host more than 500 journalists and photographers. Formula 1’s star drivers are eager to get racing going this weekend at BIC. Haas pair Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen are both looking forward to the overtaking opportunities available at Sakhir track. "I love driving in Bahrain," said Grosjean. "I think it’s a really exciting track for racing and overtaking. "It’s one of those tracks where there are many opportunities to overtake, which is amazing. Obviously there’s turn one, but turn three, turn 11, turn 15 – they all make it probably one of the best circuits for racing." Magnussen agrees and hopes that such facilities will help them bounce back from a disappointing opening round in Melbourne last month. "Bahrain is a much better circuit for overtaking than Australia," Magnussen said. "I don’t think we’re going to have as many negative comments about a boring race in Bahrain because the track layout is a lot better for racing and overtaking. I’m sure we’ll see an exciting Grand Prix." Red Bull Racing tandem Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen are looking forward to the challenge of making quick adjustments from morning to night racing. "It’s actually quite a tricky event as the practice sessions are in the heat of the day but the important sessions, qualifying and the race, are in the evening when the track cools so you have to be very adaptive with the set-up," explained Ricciardo. Verstappen added: "The weekend is an interesting one as you only have one session to understand how the car behaves under the night race conditions because the other two sessions are during the day, so it’s a bit hot. The track itself is very technical, you have some slow corners and then you end up in some really fast corners which makes it a fun circuit. Driving under the lights is always nice as we don’t get a lot of opportunity throughout the year." It won’t be the first time racing at BIC for the Toro Rosso duo of Brendon Hartley and Pierre Gasly, but it will be their first Bahrain Grand Prix. Hartley was successful in Sakhir in previous years while driving in the FIA World Endurance Championship, as was Gasly during his days in GP2, now Formula 2. Both are hoping that their past triumphs can lead to a positive result this weekend. "Bahrain is a track I have some nice memories from, it was where we clinched our first world title back in 2015 with Mark Webber and Timo Bernhard in the Porsche LMP1 team, so I’m really happy to go back there," recalled Hartley. "I wouldn’t say it’s my strongest track on the calendar, but it’s one that I know very well. My goal for this weekend stays the same: to score my first points in Formula 1." Gasly commented: "What comes to my mind when I think about Bahrain is pole position in 2015, I was on pole in the GP2 race the second time we went there, it’s a track I quite like and it’s the first time I’m going to race there with a Formula 1 car this year. "It’s usually pretty hot there, but Formula 1 races during the night which will be something new to me, so we will see. It’s not my favourite track but it’s quite a cool one!" Aside from the non-stop action from Formula 1 and the two supporting series, race-goers will be able to enjoy plenty of off-track family entertainment. Tickets to the Bahrain Grand Prix can be purchased at the BIC stands in Bahrain City Centre (BCC) and The Avenues. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.bahraingp.com or by calling the BIC Hotline on +973-17-450000. Ticket prices: Main Grandstand seats cost BD150 each for the three days, while Batelco Grandstand tickets are BD120 and Turn One tickets BD100. University and Victory Grandstand tickets cost BD60. Furthermore, for the first time, fans will be able to purchase a single Friday ticket for the Batelco Grandstand at BD60, or they can buy a two-day ticket for Saturday and Sunday, also for the Batelco Grandstand for BD100.