Completed in 2004 for the first Bahrain Grand Prix of Formula 1, the Bahrain International Circuit is located in the middle of sand dunes, offering an extraordinary motorsport scenery under desert-like conditions.
First, a brief look at the history of its development: At the beginning of the 2000s, the motor sports enthusiast Crown Prince Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Honorary President of the Bahrain Motor Sports Association, gave the order to realize his vision of a Formula 1 track in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
We took on this task and designed a multi-layout facility. At the end of 2002 the construction was started to be ready in time for the first Grand Prix in 2004, which eventually took place as planned in March. At a time when Formula 1 was actively expanding into new markets, Bahrain was thus a perfect fit for the zeitgeist.
The Bahrain International Circuit has the special feature of being divided into several tracks, each of which can be operated simultaneously. Consisting of several fast long straights, which are connected with middle and slow curve combinations, the track offers a challenging and diverse layout to meet the demands of modern motorsport.
The most famous layout, naturally, is the 3.36 miles / 5.412 km circuit used for the F1 Grand Prix. Also significant are the Endurance Circuit, which, at 3.91 miles / 6.299 km, is the longest layout, and the Outer Circuit, which proved extremely useful as a variant for a second F1 season race in Bahrain in 2020. Noteworthy: Due to the short length of the Outer Circuit, the fastest lap times in Formula 1 history have been achieved there, with approximately 55 seconds per lap.
In 2024, Bahrain celebrated its 20th anniversary and while we have been entrusted with various improvements over the years, the fundamental character of the track has remained unchanged.
