Which current teams have never had a retirement in Sakhir? Which driver has led the most laps in Bahrain? And which milestone will be reached at this year’s Bahrain Grand Prix? Here’s the Bahrain Grand Prix in numbers!
0
Mercedes are yet to record a retirement in Bahrain. The team have scored points in every Bahrain Grand Prix they’ve competed in. Since 2014, there have been only two races in Bahrain which have not featured both Mercedes drivers finishing on the podium.
0.023
The closest qualifying session at Sakhir came in 2017, when Valtteri Bottas took his maiden F1 pole position by just 0.023 seconds. On average, pole position is taken by 0.217 seconds in Bahrain.
1
Only one Polish driver has ever competed in Formula 1, and there has only ever been one occasion where a Polish driver has taken a pole position. That happened here in Bahrain, back in 2008. Robert Kubica took his only pole for BMW Sauber – it was also the team’s only pole position to date.
5
The Red Bull junior team have scored at all of the last five races held at Bahrain International Circuit. After scoring only once in their first eleven races here, Pierre Gasly recorded the team’s best result at the circuit to date with fourth place in 2018.
5th
No wins at Bahrain International Circuit have come from outside the top five on the grid. Sergio Perez recorded the furthest back win here, winning the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix from fifth on the grid.
6
The highest number of DNFs recorded by a driver at this track is six. That title goes to Jenson Button, who retired on half of his appearances in Bahrain. For good measure, the Brit also recorded a DNS at the track in 2015. Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen are next up on the list of drivers with the most retirements in Bahrain, having each retired here four times.
7
German drivers have more poles in Bahrain than drivers from any other nation. Sebastian Vettel holds the record for the most poles here with three, while Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg each took two poles at the track.
8
Kimi Raikkonen finished on the podium eight times in Bahrain, yet never won the Grand Prix. The Finn shares the record for the most number of podiums at a track without a victory with Fernando Alonso, who has taken eight podiums at Interlagos but has never won the Brazilian Grand Prix.
10.803
The largest gap between the fastest and slowest cars during a qualifying session in Bahrain was 10.803 seconds, in 2010. There were a few factors for this – the event was the only one to be held on the longer version of the track and there were 24 entrants, some of whom were new teams and drivers competing in their very first Grand Prix weekend.
17
Kimi Raikkonen holds the record for most starts at Bahrain International Circuit, having made seventeen appearances here during his career. Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton are next on the list of most starts at the track. They’ll each contest in their fifteenth Bahrain Grand Prix in 2022.
22nd
The lowest grid position for a podium finisher in Bahrain is 22nd. This was where Kimi Raikkonen started in 2006 after failing to set a time (due to a dramatic suspension failure) during the new knock-out qualifying session introduced in that season. That didn’t stop him from fighting through the field to a fine third at the chequered flag.
38%
The polesitter has taken the victory in Bahrain just seven times out of the eighteen races here. That’ a pole to win conversion rate of 38%.
89
89 different drivers have competed in F1 races at Bahrain International Circuit since the inaugural race in 2004. Guanyu Zhou will become the 90th driver to race at the track in 2022. This list includes Jack Aitken and Pietro Fittipaldi, who made their only appearance at the circuit in the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix.
100%
Four drivers have scored points in every Bahrain Grand Prix they’ve started – Alex Albon, Lando Norris, Paul di Resta, Stoffel Vandoorne and Yuki Tsunoda.
237
Sebastian Vettel has led more laps than any other driver at the Bahrain International Circuit. Vettel has led 237 laps of the Bahrain Grand Prix. His record tally could be matched by Lewis Hamilton in 2022. Felipe Massa is the only other driver to have completed over 100 laps in the lead in Bahrain.
350
Mercedes have scored more points than any other team in Bahrain, leading Ferrari by 82 points.
1,047
To date, 1,047 racing laps have been completed at Bahrain International Circuit.