After the calendar opening round in Australia, the Sakhir International Circuit holds  the 2019 F1 Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend (29th-31st May).

The Persian Gulf’s track is considered Ferrari’s territory. The Reds will be eager to score a victory after Melbourne’s fiasco but, as usual, they will have to battle it out with current leaders, Mercedes.

One step below, Red Bull, exultant after their Albert Park’s podium, dreams of repeating the feat. As for the rest of the bunch, we are in for some very evenly matched battles. As if Renault wants to stand a chance of a fourth place, they need to do some serious improvement at the 2019 F1 Bahrain Grand Prix

At the moment, this position seems to belong to Haas, which is also a step above Alfa Romeo, McLaren, Racing Point and Toro Rosso. Williams continues with its particular nightmare which started in the preseason.

The Sakhir circuit has a length of 5,412 meters and a total of 15 curves, six of which are right-handed and nine left-handed. This kind of layout really tests the performance of the brakes after its three long straights and the traction of the vehicles in the exit of the numerous slow turns.

The usual challenges of this desert location are the temperature variability as well as the gusty winds carrying sand to the track. It all adds to what is sure to be a very exciting race!

Mercedes, in hostile territory

Mercedes comes to the 2019 F1 Bahrain Grand Prix at the top, a very familiar place for them. After demonstrating an overwhelming superiority in Australia, they don’t want any surprises from Ferrari and their presumed improvements.

The German team knows that they will have to fight for their position and they don’t trust their opponents. An unusually confident Valtteri Bottas leads the standings, thanks to his commanding win at the season-opening race. The Finn will have to demonstrate that what happened in Australia was not a one-off.

His teammate and five-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, better wake up. He knows that Bottas will be more aggressive and less helpful since his permanence in the team for next year is at stake.

This is not one of the most comfortable circuits for Hamilton. It is one of the few places where Vettel surpasses him in number of poles (3-2) and where he has achieved double the number of wins (4-2). 

Ferrari: To win…or to win

The team from Maranello arrives at the 2019 F1 Bahrain Grand Prix with the utmost need to climb to the top of the podium. Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc’s mediocre fourth and fifth places in Melbourne mean that any other result will be considered a failure that would increase even more the pressure on Ferrari. 

The team’s sports director, Mattia Binotto, reassures fans that the issues which prevented them from achieving their full potential in Australia have been corrected.

The low mechanical performance of the SF90 could have been due to some issues with the configuration of the vehicle. Other sources point the finger to some new features which did not work as they were expected to do.

The Italians, however, have another very valuable ally: the Sakhir circuit. They have won in that track more times than any other team, six in total, including the last two, which were won by Vettel.

The driver from Heppenheim maintains the overall record with his four victories at the Middle Eastern track. By the way, Will LeClerc at the 2019 F1 Bahrain Grand Prix be ordered to stay behind his senior German teammate again?

Red Bull & Honda: After another podium 

The team from Milton Keynes is living its particular honeymoon with its new Honda engine. The third position of Max Verstappen in Australia has dispelled any doubts about the Japanese manufacturer and boosted expectations for the team at the 2019 F1 Bahrain Grand Prix.

It seems that Mercedes and, above all, Ferrari, have a new and very real threat to worry about. The single-seater, which has a large chassis and an efficient new engine, can be pure dynamite in the hands of the Dutch driver.

At Sakhir, however, Verstappen has never produced great results. He has competed at the Middle Eastern circuit in four occasions, two with Toro Rosso and two with Red Bull and only managed to finish on the 2016 edition when he came in six on board the STR11.

His teammate Pierre Gasly, will be eager to show what he is capable off at the 2019 F1 Bahrain Grand Prix after his disappointing eleventh position in Australia.

The rest of the grid 

Haas, fourth in teams last year, has a car powerful enough to lead the midfield at the 2019 F1 Bahrain Grand Prix. For another season, the American team has started the year at a great pace, as demonstrated by the extraordinary sixth place of Kevin Magnussen in Melbourne. They would want to keep it up at the Bahrain GP. 

Renault, on the other hand, didn’t seem to be quite on its best form and is going to have to sweat out a place in the top four. Nico Hulkenberg was seven in Melbourne but the sensations were still not good. It didn’t help that his teammate and Renault’s star signing, Daniel Ricciardo, had to retire early.

Alfa Romeo, with Ferrari’s technical support and the experience of Kimi Raikkonen, the driver with more podiums in Sakhir, will be fighting to get into the points at the 2019 F1 Bahrain Grand Prix. A goal shared by Racing Point and a brilliant Toro Rosso.

McLaren really has to do something to demonstrate its potential after the accidental barbecue that broke out in Carlos Sainz’s car Down Under. And finally comes Williams which, unfortunately, holds all the cards to come in last in Bahrain.

Images: Bahrain Circuit, Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull. McLaren, Pirelli & F1.com