MANAMA: Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) yesterday made a history by hosting region’s first nighttime F1 race at Sakhir.
The BIC track shone bright under the stars on Friday evening as the 2014 Formula One Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix flagged off in brilliant fashion.
BIC’s all-new state-of-the-art lighting system made its official global debut as Lewis Hamilton emerged as the day’s fastest man in Sakhir.
Hamilton led Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg and Ferrari superstar Fernando Alonso in the top three of the timesheets in both Formula One practice sessions.
On Friday’s first run held in the early afternoon, Hamilton, Rosberg and Alonso were all within a half-a-second from each other.
Hamilton then upped the pace in the evening session, which took place under the much-talked-about floodlights, showcasing an all-new spectacle for fans in Bahrain and around the world. The cooler conditions and faster track helped Hamilton clock the day’s overall fastest time of one minute 34.325 seconds.
Hamilton’s best of Friday was marginally slower than his personal best lap during the eight days of pre-season testing in Bahrain held in February and March. He had registered a best time of 1:33.278 then.
This weekend’s Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix commemorates BIC’s landmark 10th anniversary and 10th hosting of the prestigious Formula One race, which will be held at night for the very first time.
On Friday’s first free practice, Hamilton clocked a mark of 1:37.502. He led Rosberg by a mere 0.231s while Alonso was just 0.451s off the pace.
Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg followed 0.620s from first, while McLaren ace Jenson Button, headed for his landmark 250th Grand Prix start on Sunday, was 1.134s adrift.
Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen (+1.281s) trailed in sixth, McLaren’s Kevin Magnussen (+1.447s) was classified seventh and Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat (+1.554s) rounded out the top eight, which featured five Mercedes-powered cars.
In practice two, which was held under BIC’s stunning track floodlighting system, Hamilton made a significant improvement on his lap time by going nearly three seconds quicker.
Rosberg followed suit as he was 0.365s behind, while three-time Bahrain Grand Prix winner Alonso completed the same leading trio 1.035s back.
Daniel Ricciardo put World champions Red Bull in fourth 1.108s off the pace. Felipe Massa, who has won at BIC twice in the past, followed in fifth with a 1.117s gap from the top.
Button was next 1.203s behind, World champion Sebastian Vettel seventh only 1.281s back, and Kvyat once again surprising the field with a strong eighth-placed ranking 1.315s out.
The weekend’s events at this year’s Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix continue today Saturday with another whole day’s programme of unparalleled motor racing and entertainment.
Doors open at 11am and plenty can be enjoyed both on and off the race track until closing past 11pm.
While the FIA Formula One World Championship is the main draw of the weekend, race-goers are set to be treated to a fantastic double-bill of world-class entertainment on Saturday night.
Legendary rock band THE SCORPIONS and two-time Grammy Award-winning DJ and producer AFROJACK will be putting on live back-to-back performances at BIC, much to the delight of their legions of fans.
Their concerts follow the hugely successful live show of Saudi pop sensation Rabeh Saqer held late on Friday evening at BIC’s F1 Village vending area.
The same location will be lit up all Saturday night, with The Scorpions performing from 7.30pm followed by Afrojack from 9.30pm.
Also as part of the entertainment hand-picked by BIC for the weekend are a wide variety of main stage acts at BIC’s F1 Village vending area, roaming performers, an extreme activity, an F1 Game Zone and a pair of children’s entertainment tents.
The main stage acts will feature popular UK-based street dance crews Boadicea and Peridot, solo musician The Petebox, and MC Tony and DJ Tony. Among the roaming acts will be the Spark!
The extreme activity is a High-Rope Course, while the F1 Game Zone will take you right into the heart of F1 racing.
Finally, the children’s entertainment will see two exclusive tents – the first catered to popular TV character Shaun the Sheep, and the other featuring an under-the-sea theme. Both will have plenty of fun shows, games and so much more for young kids.