The GP2 Series returns to the Sakhir International Circuit for the second time this season, and even though Stoffel Vandoorne crowned himself GP2 champion in the previous round in Sochi with 227.5 points to his name, the battles are far from over. Alexander Rossi increased his points tally to 169.5 with his second feature race win of the season on Russian soil, and increased the advantage over his closest rival Rio Haryanto to a rather safe distance of 43.5 points. The pressure is on Haryanto now: After two weekends without points in Belgium and Italy, the Indonesian has a lot of ground to make up, and it remains to be seen if the sprint race podium in Russia has given the Indonesian enough momentum to be able to carry the fight to Rossi. Sergey Sirotkin is also ready to attack, only five points behind the Indonesian, and after two weekends with mixed success the Russian will be motivated to put himself into the spotlight again.
Sakhir International Circuit Track & Race Info
Length: 5.412 km
Turns: 15
Direction: Clockwise
Race 1: 32 laps
Race 2: 23 laps
Key factors
Tyre management and strategy are crucial on this track, and the heat is once again a critical factor in tyre performance and degradation. The GP2 teams are familiar with the race track after having done winter tests and a round under competitive conditions there, and they had an entire season to understand the degradation of the Pirelli rubber: with everyone on the same page, the racing will be closer than usual this weekend, and the margin for error even smaller than before.
There is an additional difficulty to overcome: As the circuit is located in the desert, sand is constantly blown onto the circuit. The grip level can change unpredictably on dirtier parts off the track. Flexible pit stop strategies to counter sudden increases of degradation will be crucial, and the dirty, sandy zones off the racing line could catch drivers off guard.
The Sakhir International Circuit provides many great overtaking opportunities: Key points are turns 1 and 4, hard braking points combined with an unusually wide track (especially in turn 4). In qualifying with only one lap come together, keeping the car on the racing line through the high-speed combination of turns 5, 6, and 7 is very important for a fast time. The two blind left-hand turns 9 and 10 are a real challenge as the drivers have to brake, downshift, and turn at the same time.
Timetable
Thursday: Practice at 11:30 local time (GMT +3), Qualifying at 14:20 local time (GMT +3)
Friday: Feature Race at 15:30 local time (GMT +3)
Saturday: Sprint Race at 10:45 local time (GMT +3)
Driver changes
Gustav Malja will be at the wheel of the #19 car of Rapax, replacing the injured Robert Visoiu. Oliver Rowland takes over the #23 Status GP car from Richie Stanaway. Daniel de Jong makes his return to the GP2 Series after his heavy accident in Spa and will be at the wheel of the #12 Trident car.
