Bahrain GP

2012 FORMULA 1 GULF AIR Bahrain Grand Prix - 22 Apr 2012

Bahrain GP

Circuit Name: Bahrain International Circuit
Number of Laps: 57
Circuit Length: 5.412 km
Race Distance: 308.238 km
Lap Record: 1:30.252 - M Schumacher (2004)
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The Bahrain Grand Prix, sponsored by Gulf Air, made history as the first Formula One Grand Prix to be held in the Middle East. Bahrain fought off fierce competition from elsewhere in the region to stage the race, with Egypt, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates all hoping for the prestige of hosting a Formula One Grand Prix.

The inaugural race was given the award for the "Best Organised Grand Prix" by the FIA.

The Bahrain Grand Prix has usually been the third race of the Formula One calendar. However, in the 2006 season, Bahrain swapped places with the traditional opener, the Australian Grand Prix, which was pushed back to avoid a clash with the Commonwealth Games. Bahrain staged the opening race of the 2010 season.

The 2011 Grand Prix, due to be held on 13 March, was cancelled on 21 February because of the 2011 Bahraini protests. The race was cancelled for 2011 after drivers including Damon Hill and Mark Webber protested.

The FIA had planned to reschedule the race to October, but Bernie Ecclestone dispelled that notion in a BBC Sport interview: "Hopefully there’ll be peace and quiet and we can return in the future, but of course it’s not on. The schedule cannot be rescheduled without the agreement of the participants - they’re the facts."

Read more about the Bahrain GP on Wikipedia