Bahrain

Bahrain International Circuit is a 5.412 km Hermann Tilke design in the desert at Sakhir, opened in March 2004 at a cost of about $150 million. The Grand Prix layout has 15 corners and long straights that end in heavy braking zones, which gives it more overtaking chances than most modern circuits. The first is at Turn 1, which was renamed after Michael Schumacher in 2014, and the lap includes several tight, slow corners where traction out of the turn matters as much as top speed.

Sand blowing onto the track and an abrasive surface make rear-tyre wear one of the main concerns, and grip changes as the evening cools. The circuit has other layouts: a 6.299 km endurance version used for the 2010 race and a 3.543 km outer circuit used for the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix. The Grand Prix has been held in the evening under floodlights since 2014.

Bahrain staged the first Formula 1 race in the Middle East on 4 April 2004, won by Michael Schumacher for Ferrari. In 2007 it became the first Grand Prix circuit awarded FIA Institute Centre of Excellence status. The 2010 race used the 6.299 km endurance layout and was won by Fernando Alonso. The 2011 race was cancelled after the Bahraini uprising, and racing resumed in 2012.

In 2020 Bahrain staged two races: the Bahrain Grand Prix, when Romain Grosjean's car split in half in a fire at Turn 3 and he escaped with burns, and, a week later, the Sakhir Grand Prix on the 3.543 km outer loop, won by Sergio Pérez. Lewis Hamilton has won five times here. The lap record of 1:31.447 was set by Pedro de la Rosa in 2005.

The 2026 race was affected by the Middle East conflict. Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were postponed and then cancelled in March 2026, and the Bahrain Grand Prix was relocated to Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, scheduled for 4 October, so no Formula 1 race is held at Sakhir this year.