|
It’s just over
eight thousand kilometres as the crow flies between the scenes of the third
and fourth rounds of the 2025 season. From Japan and the historic Suzuka
track surrounded by cherry blossom, Formula 1 is now setting up shop in the
semi-desert archipelago of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf. A significant
difference, especially in terms of temperature, given that it will go from a
maximum of under 20°C and the rainy conditions of last Sunday morning to
predicted highs of around 30 °C for this coming weekend.
The compounds
In fact, temperature will be a very important variable when it comes to tyre
management at the fourth race of the year. As was the case in Suzuka, the
teams will have a choice of the three hardest compounds in Pirelli’s 2025
range, namely the C1 as Hard, the C2 as Medium and the C3 as Soft. However,
the Sakhir track characteristics and indeed the temperatures, will require a
different approach to that adopted last week in Japan.
In fact, all
the teams will have a good baseline from which to start work, given that in
the last week of February, the Sakhir circuit hosted the only pre-season
test as per the 2025 sporting regulations. It means that everyone will have
plenty of data to work with when it comes to setting up the cars and
choosing the best strategies for qualifying and the race.
Over 24
hours of track time, the 20 drivers racked up 3,897 laps, equivalent to
21,090.564 kilometres and the tyres to be used this weekend did the most
work back then: the C3 did the lion’s share, completing 67.17% of the laps,
followed by the C2 (20.88%) and the C1 (9.26%). There were a measly 104 laps
run on the C4 and three on the Intermediate. However, this weekend’s
temperatures will present a new challenge, because during the test week,
Sakhir saw unusual weather with strong winds leading to much cooler air and
track temperatures than is normal at that time of year.
The minimum
start pressures for this weekend have changed based on analysis of the test
data, to 23 psi on the front and 21 at the rear. That represents an increase
of +1 on the front axle and +2 on the rear compared to the 2024 race and of
0.5 psi on both axles compared to February’s test.
In 2024
If there’s one Grand Prix where a two-stop strategy would seem to be a
given, then it’s Bahrain and that was the case last year, when it was the
opening round of the season. All drivers made at least two stops, while
some, like Hulkenberg (Haas) through force of circumstance, others by
choice, Gasly (Alpine) and Sargeant (Williams) even stopped three times.
Soft and Hard were the preferred compounds, with the vast majority opting to
start on the C3 before making the most of the two sets of C1 they had saved
specifically for the race. The exceptions were the Red Bull duo of
Verstappen and Perez, who did the final stint on a set of C3s, down to the
Milton Keynes team’s technical superiority at the time, underlined by the
fact they finished first and second. Their Racing Bulls sister team tried
the same thing with Ricciardo, but he finished outside the top ten.
Based on what we have seen in winter testing and over the opening three
rounds, it could be a different scenario because of modifications made to
the compounds for 2025. While the C1 is pretty similar to its predecessor,
the C2 and C3 are softer and most significantly, the three compounds have a
better spread in terms of their performance delta. This could therefore
bring the C2 back into play as a race tyre, thus creating more strategy
choices for Sunday, with even a one-stop becoming a realistic possibility.
Much will depend on how hotter it will be compared to the test, so the three
hours of free practice will be very important, especially FP2, which takes
place at a similar time of day to the early part of the race.
The track
TThe Sakhir circuit boasts several layouts, with two different ones used for
the races in 2010 and 2020, but the current one is 5.412 kilometres in
length and features 15 corners, 9 to the right and 6 to the left. The track
is one of the toughest on the calendar when it comes to tyres, especially in
the braking areas and when traction is required. The aggregate used for the
asphalt at the Bahrain International Circuit is still very abrasive, despite
it being quite old now. The surface provides good grip for the tyres,
although sand blown onto the track can be a nuisance. Wear is not usually a
limiting factor, neither is graining, but thermal degradation, especially
across the rear axle, has a significant impact on tyre performance. Managing
that is the key to getting a good result. Overtaking is possible, especially
under heavy braking at turns 1, 4 and 11.
Keyword: Degradation
There are two types of
degradation, one that affects the tyre surface and the other that impacts
the chemical bonding of the materials that make up the tread.
The
first, which we simply call overheating, is generated when the tyre surface
slides excessively on the track. In this case, the surface temperature
increases and the tyre loses grip. The phenomenon can be reversed by a
change of driving style or if the weather conditions change.
As for
thermal degradation, that occurs when the amount of energy exerted on the
tyre is high enough to generate heat capable of altering the chemical bonds
of the tread and in this case, the loss of grip is irreversible.
These two phenomena are not entirely independent of one another.
Both
types of degradation lead to a loss of tyre performance and if a driver sees
his is greater than that experienced by other drivers close by, then it
might be time to change tyres for a new or part-worn set. The original set
has come to the end of its performance life in terms of how many laps it can
run before it should be changed as the tyres can no longer deliver a
competitive level of performance. Wear life is the maximum number of laps
that a tyre can cover before the tread surface has completely worn away.
Statistics Corner
There have been 20 editions of the Bahrain Grand Prix, the first dating back
to 2004, won by Michael Schumacher in a Ferrari. It was the very first
Formula 1 World Championship race to be held in the Middle East. In 2020,
Bahrain hosted two races on consecutive weekends, the first on a shorter
3.534 kilometre track with just 11 corners, which was called the Sakhir
Grand Prix. As previously mentioned, the 2010 race was run over a 6.229
kilometre layout.
The most successful driver in Bahrain is Lewis
Hamilton with five wins. Of the drivers racing this year, Fernando Alonso
has won 3, Max Verstappen (2) and Charles Leclerc (1). Sebastian Vettel,
Hamilton and Verstappen all share the record for pole positions with three,
while the English driver on 11, has the most podium finishes to his name. Of
the teams, Ferrari leads the way with seven wins, and podium finishes (17),
while Mercedes on seven has the most pole positions. |
