Race Recall: Bahrain

Before the season opener, we look back – and ahead to the Team’s success and tactics in Bahrain.

It’s

ok,

it’s

time

breathe

again,

the

season

here

and

nobody

excited

than

us!

Abu

Dhabi

last

year

feels

lifetime

ago

and

it’s

been

cold,

dark

winter

with

racing,

but

this

weekend

the

season

starts

and

we’re

Bahrain

for

what

usually

sunny,

but

windy

race.

Bahrain first held a Grand Prix in 2004 after building began on the Helman Tilke-designed track in December 2002. The track provides great racing with plenty of overtaking opportunities although it’s never easy for the drivers or the teams. Bahrain is often windy, which can make set up a headache, as can the fluctuations in temperature, but it sure does make for some exciting racing.

When Red Bull Racing came into existence for the 2005 season, Bahrain was the third race in the season – and it wasn’t a great race for us... Christian Klien’s RB1 failed to get off the grid for the formation lap and had to be pushed back to the pits but was unable to be restarted. Red Bull Racing legend David Coulthard was able to finish the race, in P8, and collect a championship point for the Team.

It took until 2009 and Sebastian Vettel in his debut season with the Team for us to claim our first podium at the Bahrain International Circuit.

Seb Took The Team To Their First Bahrain Podium

It was the fourth race of the season, and Seb’s fourth for the Team. He started third on the grid, but was able to climb up to P2 to claim his second trophy and the Team’s fourth since our inception.

After Seb’s P2 in 2009 it set in motion seven races in Bahrain where the Team scored double points and that included wins for the German driver in the championship-winning seasons of 2012 and 2013.

Seb Continued Our Points Streak In Sakhir

There were some dry patches as well – hardly surprising in the desert – and the next trophy from Bahrain came in 2020 when Max Verstappen finished P2 and Alex Albon finished in third collecting a double podium for the Team. That was also the year Checo won in the Sakhir Grand Prix, even if it was for Racing Point.

Max And Alex Bagged A Double Podium In The Desert

And let’s not forget the difficult start to last season when Max’s car had to be retired whilst he was in P2 and then on the final lap, Checo’s car let go as he was fighting for a podium position. It was a dark day, but with that behind us, let’s look ahead to 2023.

Last Year In Bahrain Was...Painful

Last weekend saw three intense days of testing at Bahrain so the Team’s Head of Race Strategy, Will Courtenay, has a lot of data to work through before this weekend’s race.

“We do acquire a huge amount of data from the test, which is obviously very valuable in our pre-race analysis. However, there are a few key differences between testing and racing which can throw you off. For instance, most of the test occurs during the day when the track is hot, but the race is in the evening when conditions are cooler,” explained Will, before adding: “We also don’t know fuel loads or engine modes of the other teams and they might be focusing on testing new parts rather than trying to set the fastest laps.

Not only does the Team have to work with a new car, although it’s more of an evolution to the RB18 rather than an entirely different beast, but Pirelli also have new tyres for the season, which can cause issues when it comes to strategy. “Pirelli has introduced a different tyre construction this year which has made a big difference to tyre wear and will likely affect degradation and temperature sensitivity,” said Will. “Plus, this year’s C1 tyre is an all-new compound, so we have very little experience of using it. The first few races are always the trickiest for us, as tyre performance is such a large factor in strategy, and right now we have very little data on how this year’s tyres will perform.”

The RB19 Gears Up For The First Race Weekend Of 2023

As Bahrain is the season opener for 2023 and there is so much new data to be looked at what does Will and his Team look at to try and gain an advantage. “From a strategy perspective, we’re usually most focused on when to pit and how many stops to make during a race. If you get that right, you can usually expect a decent outcome. But obviously overtaking is another key element, with the DRS zones offering the best opportunities. For 2023, some circuits now have shorter DRS zones and others have been lengthened, to make overtaking harder or easier. Understanding how these DRS zone changes affect overtaking will be vital to formulating our strategy plans,” he concluded.

For the first time in 2023, Free Practice will kick off on Friday at 14:30 (track time). Make sure you tune in, and come back here at the end of the day for our wrap up of the action.