Bahrain GP 2023: Find out the Number of Laps, Weather Forecast, Expected Strategy, and DRS Zones

The first race weekend of the season, the Bahrain Grand Prix, gets underway soon. Find out here the number of laps, the weather forecast, etc.

Bahrain GP 2023: Find out the Number of Laps, Weather Forecast, Expected Strategy, and DRS Zones

The Bahrain International Circuit, venue of the Bahrain GP

After a long wait, almost three and a half months in fact, the first race weekend of the 2023 season is finally here. As you likely know, it’s being held at the Bahrain International Circuit, in Sakhir, Bahrain. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the first race of the season was held in Australia. At that time, the Bahrain GP held an early season spot, being held second in 2016, 2018, and 2019, third in 2017, and fourth in 2015.

The Bahrain Grand Prix was first held in 2004, and its inaugural winner was Michael Schumacher, driving for Ferrari. Since then, the Prancing Horses have won 6 more times at the circuit, most recently last year, when Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finished 1-2. Ferrari will be hoping for a similar result this time around, but at least from pre-season testing, it seems that Red Bull may have the measure of them.

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The current configuration of the Bahrain International Circuit has a track length of 5.412 km (3.363 miles), and a total race length of 308.238 km (191.530 miles). Barring any potential red flag-induced delays, fans will be treated to 57 laps of racing action. Considering that the track is right in the middle of the desert, rain is barely ever expected, and the forecast confirms this.

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Read More: Bahrain GP 2023: Where and when to watch the opening race of the F1 season?

Bahrain GP 2023: Weather Forecast

Weather conditions at the Bahrain GP are expected to be sunny and dry
Weather conditions at the Bahrain GP are expected to be sunny and dry

The weather conditions will remain ‘clear’ throughout the course of the weekend, with sunny skies expected, and a negligible chance of rain. However, the temperatures will get hotter as the weekend goes on. The conditions expected for each session, as per the official Formula 1 website and AccuWeather, are:

Friday, March 3:

Sunny, dry conditions. Expected temperatures range from 27 degrees to 17 degrees Celsius.

FP1 (14:30 AST): Dry. Air temperatures of 26-27 degrees Celsius. According to AccuWeather, the wind conditions will vary between N at 15 km/h and NNE at 15 km/h during the session, with wind gusts between 15 to 17 km/h.

FP2 (18:00 AST): Dry. Air temperatures around 23 degrees Celsius. The wind conditions will vary between NE at 15 km/h and ENE at 13 km/h. Wind gusts will vary from 17 to 19 km/h.

Saturday, March 4:

The conditions will stay dry and sunny, but the temperatures will be hotter than on Friday, with an expected high of around 28 degrees celsius, and expected low temperatures of around 18 degrees celsius.

FP3 (14:30 AST): Dry at around 26-27 degrees Celsius. The wind conditions will vary between SE at 13 km/h and ESE at 15 km/h. The wind gusts will be around 17 km/h.

Qualifying (18:00 AST): Dry, with temperatures around 23 degrees Celsius. The wind conditions (and direction) will be E, at around 17 km/h, with wind gusts of 19 km/h.

Sunday, March 5:

The conditions will continue to be dry, and the temperatures will increase again. The expected high temperature will be around 29 degrees Celsius and the expected low temperature at 19 km/h.

Race (18:00 AST): Temperatures will be around 22 to 23 degrees Celsius. The wind conditions will vary between E at 13 km/h and SE at 13 km/h, with wind gusts at 22 km/h.

Bahrain GP 2023: Expected Strategy

Tyre degradation will play a key role in the Bahrain GP
Tyre degradation will play a key role in the Bahrain GP

The Bahrain International Circuit has a very rough track surface, combined with the hot (desert) conditions, which means high tire degradation. So, obviously, harder tire compounds will be used here. The ‘hard’ tire will be the C1, which is actually the second-hardest tire in use for this season. The ‘medium’ tire will be the C2, and the ‘soft’ tire will be the C3. Teams will have two sets of Pirelli hard tires, three sets of mediums, and eight sets of soft tires available per car.

The circuit itself is medium-downforce, and also has medium asphalt grip. The track temperatures will also vary considerably, especially as the circuit is in a desert. The first and the third practice session will be held in the mid-afternoon (2:30 PM), while the rest, including the race, will take place in the early evening (18:00). So, FP1 and FP3 will feature very different track conditions than what is expected during qualifying and the race.

Bahrain GP 2023: DRS Zones

The Bahrain International Circuit has three DRS zones (Pictured: Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen's DRS battle from the 2022 Bahrain GP)
The Bahrain International Circuit has three DRS zones (Pictured: Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen’s DRS battle from the 2022 Bahrain GP)

DRS, or the ‘drag-reduction system’ is a system in the rear wing that when opened, reduces drag and increases the top speed. This helps the drivers to overtake more easily. For this system to be activated, the car in front must be less than a second ahead. The Bahrain International Circuit has three DRS zones in its 5.412 km (3.363 miles) track length.

For the 2023 edition of the race, the length of the one DRS zone has been changed. The first DRS detection point is located 50 meters before turn 1, and the activation point is 23 meters after turn 3. The second detection point is 10 meters before turn 9, and the activation point is 50 meters after turn 10. These two remain unchanged, but the third has gone a change. The detection point remains 110 meters before turn 14, but the activation point will be 250 meters (a change of +80 meters) after turn 15.

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