Bahrain F1 Grand Prix 2016: Start Time, Drivers, TV Schedule and More
April 2, 2016
Nico Rosberg made a significant statement of intent with his victory in the 2016 Formula One season opener and will be desperate to back that strong showing up with a triumph in Bahrain on Sunday.
The Mercedes man recovered from a disappointing start to take the chequered flag in Melbourne, Australia, making it four wins in a row overall. His team-mate and reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton, plus the Ferrari duo of Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel, will be desperate to make sure that doesn’t extend to five.
The German driver has never won at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir. To see if he can, here are the key viewing details for the race, the schedule and the drivers set to make up the grid at this unique circuit.
| Formula One Drivers: Bahrain Grand Prix | ||
| Team | Driver 1 | Driver 2 |
| Scuderia Ferrari | Sebastian Vettel | Kimi Raikkonen |
| Sahara Force India Formula One Team | Sergio Perez | Nico Hulkenberg |
| Haas F1 Team | Romain Grosjean | Esteban Gutierrez |
| McLaren Honda Formula 1 Team | Stoffel Vandoorne | Jenson Button |
| Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team | Lewis Hamilton | Nico Rosberg |
| Manor Racing MRT | Rio Haryanto | Pascal Wehrlein |
| Red Bull Racing | Daniel Ricciardo | Daniil Kvyat |
| Renault Sport Formula One Team | Kevin Magnussen | Jolyon Palmer |
| Sauber F1 Team | Marcus Ericsson | Felipe Nasr |
| Scuderia Toro Rosso | Max Verstappen | Carlos Sainz Jr. |
| Williams Martini Racing | Felipe Massa | Valtteri Bottas |
| F1.com | ||
Date: Sunday, April 3
Race Start Time: 4 p.m. (GMT), 11 a.m. (ET), 6 p.m. (Local)
Live Stream: Sky Go (UK), NBC Sports Live Extra (US)
Rosberg Chasing Five in a Row
Any questions about whether Rosberg could cut it under pressure were scrapped a fortnight ago, as the German produced a classy drive to win in Australia.
The Mercedes man wasn’t at his best in practice and qualifying, but he kept composed as the Ferrari pairing of Raikkonen and Vettel flew past him on the start line on race day. From there, he took his chances, executed plans brilliantly and slowly worked his way into a commanding position at the front.
As the man himself noted in the aftermath, it was a particularly poignant triumph for him:
Rosberg has failed to finish first in Bahrain previously, getting on the podium only twice in 10 different races in Formula One. It’s a statistic that's likely to buoy his team-mate Hamilton as he seeks to put a dent in the early lead Rosberg has built up.
Hamilton will have positive memories from this venue to call upon as well, having won here the last two seasons in a row. Additionally, in 2014, he was involved in a gripping battle with Rosberg, one that many consider to be the starting point of their chequered relationship, per the Formula One Twitter feed:
It will be intriguing to see what role Ferrari play this weekend. After their scintillating starts last time, they did fade away later on in the race. But Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff admitted ahead of this one that he thinks the Scuderia will pose a greater threat to the team’s dominance at this track.
“We have made a solid start to the season. However, while our advantage in Melbourne was a healthy one, it was nevertheless close enough that those bad starts could easily have lost us the race,” he said, per Matthew Morlidge of Sky Sports. “Bahrain is a track that should suit Ferrari, so we expect even smaller gaps and a very close match this weekend.”
Vettel was particularly quick out of the blocks in Australia and will need similar spring to propel himself into a strong position here. This clip from Gianlu D’Alessandro compared the German’s start to some other drivers in the field:
Further down the grid, McLaren will be without star driver Fernando Alonso after doctors ruled he wasn’t medically fit to compete.
The Spaniard was involved in a brutal crash in Australia in Week 1, and according to a statement from the FIA (h/t BBC Sport’s Andrew Benson), his chest scans showed “insufficient resolution of the signs to allow him to race.”
It means there is a brilliant opportunity for Belgian driver Stoffel Vandoorne, who will take the place of the two-time world champion. He’s clearly looking forward to his chance:
Come race day, it will be intriguing to see what Ferrari can muster to challenge the Mercedes duopoly. While the start is always key in Formula One, Bahrain is a circuit that presents a lot of overtaking opportunities for drivers, and the Ferrari pair will have to show greater general pace if they’re to get in the mix here.
Mercedes still look too strong, though. The gap between these two teams has at least shortened this season, and for neutrals, that’ll likely make for more entertaining clashes as the campaign rumbles on. But the Silver Arrows will be in charge here, and Hamilton, after dominating over the past couple of years, will chalk up his first victory of 2016.
Prediction: 1. Hamilton, 2. Rosberg, 3. Vettel