Designed by Hermann Tilke, the Bahrain International circuit is the first Grand Prix in the middle-eastern desert.

It features striking architecture, such as the impressive 10-storey VIP tower overlooking the paddock. It is surrounded by miles after miles of baking-hot sand. The sand blows onto the track and gives the driver an extra challenge when they zoom around.

As the circuit is located in the middle of a desert, sand is one of the biggest enemies for the organizers, but they try to keep the sand off the track by spraying an adhesive on the sand around the track.

Race engineers always complain about sand, as they have to fit an air filter into the car to stop it going into the engine. The drivers wear heavily-tinted visors so that they are not blinded by the sun that reflects off the dunes.

It was designed as a track with slow corners and fast straights, which means hard braking is the order of the day. The surface is made up of Welsh granite – the best stone for grip for racing.

The circuit cost approximately US $150 million to construct. The 2010 race will see a new circuit configuration being used for the Grand Prix. It will be 6.3 km rather than 5.4km, making it the second longest circuit on the 2010 calendar, second only to Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.

In 2007 the circuit became the first Grand Prix circuit to be awarded the distinguished FIA Institute Centre of Excellence award, for it’s excellent safety, race marshal, and medical facilities and for the high standards of technology required to maintain these.

Check out the BBC TV times for the Bahrain Grand Prix.

At this race last year…

Button claimed his third win of the year by tearing his way through the field. He started fourth and was immediately passed by Lewis Hamilton, but he held on tight to the McLaren driver’s tail and managed to out-brake him into Turn 1. “That move made the race for me. I think it was the finest first lap of my career.”

2009 POLE POSITION:

Trulli

2009 PODIUM:
1) Button
2) Vettel
3) Trulli

Stats:

Tyre wear: Medium
Break wear: High
Downforce level: Medium
Tyre compounds: Super soft & Medium

Maximum uphill slope: 3.60%
Maximum downhill slope: 5.6%
A relief that ranges from 0 to 18m
Three real possibilities for overtaking
Qualifying lap record (Old Grand Prix Circuit): 1m30.139s – M. Schumacher – Ferrari (2004)
Race Lap record (Old Grand Prix Circuit): 1m30.252s – M. Schumacher – Ferrari (2004)
Lap record speed (Old Grand Prix Circuit): 216.074 kph
Length of longest straight: 1090m (start/finish line)
Track length: 6,299m (3.91 miles)
Turns: 23 (10 left; 13 right)
Straights: 4
Width: 14m up to 22m