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There, it's Wednesday afternoon and still no thread. Thought I'd start it.

Obviously not one of the most popular Grand Prix on the calendar. Even though, in theory, the track should lend itself to some good racing, races have traditionally not been very exciting around here.

For 2013 there will be two DRS zones. One on the pit straight with activation right before the finish line, and one on the backstraight, with activation on the exit of the tightening hairpin.

Pirelli made a last minute change in tyre allocation: the medium and the hard tyre will be used (as opposed to the medium and the soft in China). I expect 2 pit stops.

There seems to be less attention for the political situation here this year than there was last. I understand most 'trouble makers' (forgive my poor choice of words) have been arrested in advance, so as to allow the event to pass peacefully.

Who will be hot in Bahrain? I was quite surprised to see the Red Bull was such a good car here last year and the Mercedes so poor (after its China glory). Will the trend continue?

Let's discuss... the 2013 Bahrain Grand Prix from the Sakhir circuit!

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remembering Jeff Krosnoff
>>>>>> 1964 - 1996 <<<<<<

Is that oval ever used? The corners would be good for a short track, but they look very tight given the straight length between them.

Pirelli expecting 3 stops, but I'd be surprised if Lotus didn't try for 2. I would also expect Lotus to have the best car as it's a circuit that should suit their car, ditto Red Bull. Maybe Ferrari very close behind. Mercedes is probably the unknown quantity but given the fact that even on a circuit with a heavy dependance on the front tyre (Shanghai) they were only 3rd, it suggests to me they might struggle this weekend. McLaren has never gone well here so any points for them will be a bonus.

I reckon Force India could spring a surprise. They had good pace in Malaysia (pre Cirque du Soleil pit stops) and have gone well at Sakhir before.

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Dan Wheldon | 1978 - 2011

Lotus looks decent on this track, they (Kimi) will be expected to win here. I hope that Romain will be up there on the podium, too, but for me it seems like he lost some of his speed.
Vettel and Alonso will be there as usual, Massa could be close because Bahrain is one of his favorite tracks and he was always good here, even last year.
Hamilton might be in the top 3 in qualifying, but Mercedes' race pace is still not good enough.

I agree about Lotus and RBR, the track suits their car very well, but there's also the temperature, back in Malaysia the high temperatures were bad for Lotus that suffered a lot from oversteering, but Malaysia was a circuit that didn't suit the Lotus car very well, so the temperature might have been a "fake factor" when it comes to Lotus back there. Ferrari also didn't deal very well with the high temperatures in Malaysia, unlike Shanghai when they could manage the tyre wear vey well (except by Massa problems) in Sepang the tyre wear was a problem for Ferrari.

Many things may change the situation all over the weekend, the temperature, the wind, the sand in the track. The medium/hard choice seems to be the right one, good choice by Pirelli. Bahrain design is not that bad for the tyres as Malaysia and Shanghai can be, but let's see, traction will be very important there, so the teams will have a hard time to find a proper setup to deal with the need for a good traction and to save the tyres.

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"The best decision is my decision!" - Balestre
"Halo is for little babies, not for men" - Jeha

Lotus was actually competitive in the dry, it was in the wet where they struggled. They weren't as good as Red Bull but both Raikkonen and Grosjean made average starts and were running outside the top 10 (I think). Once the track dried, their times were competitive and they stopped once less than everyone else. Ditto Ferrari - Massa struggled in the wet but was fine in the dry.

But of course, a swing of 2c could be crucial to the race; as you say with the sand. Yes, traction is important - strongest in that regard is Lotus/Red Bull.

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Dan Wheldon | 1978 - 2011

Yes, both RBR and Lotus were very strong there last season and their cars had good traction back there too, this year they kept this quality and will be fighting again.

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"The best decision is my decision!" - Balestre
"Halo is for little babies, not for men" - Jeha

it rained shortly there in 2004, but it was only to create mischief on practice sessions

chance of rain for this weekend?

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Motorsports trend for 2024: everything is a bad taste joke now

not a drop.

Mind you, speaking of drops, there were some prior to the race on Sunday last year.

I think there was another year that it rained during the night, and also there was a year with a sandstorm hitting the track, but that sandstorm wasn't during any session. Any news about sandstorms by the way?

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"The best decision is my decision!" - Balestre
"Halo is for little babies, not for men" - Jeha

There was an earthquake in Iran that was felt in Bahrain/Dubai. There was also a heavy rain storm last night as well.

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Dan Wheldon | 1978 - 2011

Earthquakes always reminds of Suzuka when they felt a earthquake during a practice session. I'm really looking forward to this weekend. I'm not a big fan of the track itself, but it often provided some good race action.

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"The best decision is my decision!" - Balestre
"Halo is for little babies, not for men" - Jeha

Worst race of the season. Shit country, shit track.

Usually I don't like these kind of posts, but I actually agree lol. The last race I saw here live must've been about 4-5 years ago. Even when I can watch it I just record it and skip through the good bits later. Absolutely detest this track.

not really looking forward to it myself either. I'd rather go and see the finish of the marathon. No joke, there is a marathon in my city this Sunday.

It's bad, but it's not THAT bad. It's not Valencia bad, for example...

Valencia at least offered a good GP last year, and some on-off good parts during 2011 and 2012. Bahrain though. Apart from De La Rosa in 2005 and Heidfeld in 2007, there has never been a good race there.

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BTCC Pick Em's Champion 2010
Formula Fun Cup Champion 2013
http://www.the-fastlane.co.uk

Last years Bahrain GP was good to me. It had lots of overtakings.
No crash, but it wasnt dull all the time... just watch it if you have last years race somewhere...

Exactly! It was a pretty decent race. I believe we will have a good race again. About a crash, it's almost impossible to find a wall in this track, the only "crasheable" place in the track is the corner Hamilton crashed some years ago.

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"The best decision is my decision!" - Balestre
"Halo is for little babies, not for men" - Jeha