Bahrain Grand Prix - Race Briefing

Hello from Bahrain!

We’ve now been here for several days preparing for the third Grand Prix of the season. One thing that is very striking about arriving in Bahrain is the warm welcome the Formula One community receives as soon as the plane lands. The airport buzzes with Bahrain International Circuit officials who come here to greet all the teams and guests - you really feel the adrenalin rush that Formula One brings to the country.

Australia and Malaysia have perhaps already claimed the hottest temperatures of the season and Bahrain is not far behind. But the working environment could not be more different from the extreme humidity in Malaysia; the track is based south-west of the capital Manama, in the middle of the desert, so the air is generally dry and the track can get dusty. This can of course place demands on the cars’ engines and cooling systems, but the Shell Helix engine oil has been designed to cope with these conditions.

All Formula One cars at Sakhir will be running on Shell – that’s to say the track itself is paved with Shell Bitumen!

Shell has developed the most advanced Bitumen solution, providing the best in class product, allowing the track to withstand the toughest conditions. For example the track surface has to remain constant, whilst being subjected to a range of weather temperatures, including extreme heat. The Shell technology also has to ensure that the surface can resist the significant speeds and cornering forces of a Formula One car.
 
Next time we’ll be in Spain for the first race of the European season.

Cheers
Mark