Quick Facts:
51 Laps
308 mile race length
Held 7 times
Most succesful driver and most sucessful active driver: Fernando Alonso
Last year, Bahrain was where the former midfield Lotus-Renault team turned in to the front-runner Lotus team we have today. Beyond having Kimi Raikkonen, they didn't have anything that was impressive about their first 3 races. In Bahrain, their course changed completely however, scoring a 2-3 behind the future season champion Sebastian Vettel. Since Mercedes got pole for the second time in China, Bahrain could be a repeat good track for Lotus.
Bahrain as a track is famous for the heat. Pirelli opted for not using the soft tires already because they would have burned out within 7 laps. Tires are obviously going to be a big factor, and 2-3 stops should be expected. Probably 2 for Button if his races goes smoothly, and 3 for almost everyone else. The racetrack is actually pretty plain. Much like Valencia, it doesn't have much personality, but it definitely has potential to gain some this year.
The biggest talking point about this Grand Prix is not actually the track, it's the general unrest about F1 coming there. F1 has been seriously fortunate that a driver or team has not been attacked by an angry protester. Pushing the limits seems unreasonable. As much as I love to watch F1, I would not trade 1 and 1/2 hours of fun for the safety of the drivers.
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