This year marked the 20th anniversary of the Bahrain Grand Prix and is home to lots of happy memories for the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team, including six wins as a Constructor, six pole positions and 16 podiums.
The Bahrain International Circuit is located in the heart of the Sakhir desert and is the brainchild of renowned circuit designer Hermann Tilke, a man responsible for lots of your favourite F1 tracks. A circuit length of 5.412km and 15 complex and challenging corners, plus the intense heat, make it one of the toughest races of the year for both the team and the cars.
As a result of the hot temperatures, Bahrain is a twilight race – starting at sunset and ending under the night sky. Floodlights are situated around the track to illuminate it, with Lewis Hamilton and the Mercedes W05 winning the first night race at this circuit in 2014.
Lights out for the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix happened at 18:00 local time (15:00 GMT).
For the first time in Sakhir, Qualifying was on the Friday (1 March) and the race on the Saturday (2 March) – this will be the same format as the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix the week after. This is because the Islamic holy month of Ramadan begins on Sunday, 10 March, which is the day the Saudi Arabian race would normally take place.
F1 regulations mean there must be a week between races, which is why both Grands Prix start a day earlier than normal.