2012 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix

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 canceled 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.

The circuit was designed by German architect Hermann Tilke, the same architect who designed the Sepang circuit in Malaysia. The main contractor for the project was Cybarco-WCT . The circuit cost approximately US$150 million to construct. It has six separate tracks, including a test oval and a drag strip.

The circuit posed a unique problem. Positioned in the middle of a desert, there were worries that sand would blow onto the circuit and disrupt the race. However, organizers were able to keep the sand off the track by spraying an adhesive on the sand around the track.

The surface of the track is made of Graywacke aggregate, shipped to Bahrain from Bayston Hill quarry in Shropshire, England. The surface material is highly acclaimed by circuit bosses and Formula 1 drivers for the high level of grip it offers. The same aggregate material is used at the Yas Marina Circuit for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

2012 F1 season | Bahrain GP

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