Preview ROUND 1/11 SAKHIR BAHRAIN TH TH TH TH TIMEZONE FRIDAY 14 maY FRIDAY 14 maY SATURDAY 15 APRIL SUNDAY 16 APRIL 11:30-12:15 20:00-20:30 13:10 14:35 14:15 15:20 PRESS PRESS GMT+3 FREE PRACTICE QUALIFYING FEATURE RACE CONFERENCE SPRINT RACE CONFERENCE Start/Finish Offset LAP RECORD 2014 Jolyon Palmer Bahrain International Circuit 5.412 KM 0.246 km (DAMS) laps 172.059172.938 km KM 124.230 KM 1:38.865 (197.068 KPH) 3231LAPS 6060 min. Min. 23 LAPS 4545 Mmin.in. COMPOUND Prime Medium CHOICE Option Soft WARM UP Norman Nato - Pertamina Arden “Bahrain is quite a really have to think about managing your tyres. It’s quite AVERAGE 13 TEMPEratURE 4 difficult circuit to find demanding, and it will be really hot next week for the MAX. MIN. 30°C/22°C 5 the limit to make a good race: the forecast is that it will be around 33 degrees, SECTOR 2 AVERAGE SECTOR 1 6 laptime, because you which extreme. In Bahrain if you are leading it is easier RAINFALL have to brake right on to manage your tyres, but if you are further back it’s 15 mm the limit, especially at DRS 7 12 much worse, so qualifying is really important for the DETECTION turn 1: it’s quite bumpy, ZONE 1 whole weekend. 9 DRS so it’s difficult to find and 8 11 DETECTION stay on the limit, and “The race is all about set-up, to adapt the car for the tyres: ZONE 2 3 10 it’s so demanding on during the test we saw it was easy to lose 2-3 seconds DRS ACTIvatION ZONE 1 brakes. Sector 1 is more from lap to lap, so the key will be to manage this and 2 about braking, sector 2 is about slow corners, and sector DRS ACTIvatION ZONE 2 SECTOR 3 14 find consistency. But the test was good: I have raced 1 3 in qualifying you can feel that you are losing your 15 with Arden before but the team is completely new, so SPEED TRAP tyres, and you just have to manage them to the line. it was important to work and to get to know each other MAXIMUM SPEED IN 2015: “For qualy that’s tough, to make the tyre last for the better. And I think we have done this, we are working 316.8 KPH full lap, and for the race it’s one of those where you well together, and are ready for the season.” THE STAKES NOTEWORTHY > This week is the first round of the > Latifi set the fastest time across the FIA Formula 2 Championship, an 3 days with a best lap of 1:40.541 all-new series which will take place (Day 2 AM): the top 3 drivers in over 11 rounds (22 races) in ten the Day 3 AM session (Nyck de countries between April and Vries, Oliver Rowland and Nobuharu November 2017. Matsushita) set times between > The F2 press conferences following the qualifying session and the Feature Race will be held in the F1 press conference room in the F1 paddock. > Brazilian Sérgio Sette Câmara is the youngest driver on the grid (18). The FIA Formula 2™ Championship debuts Alexander Albon, promises to provide this weekend at the Bahrain International electric action on track as they compete to Latifi and Ghiotto, who was P2 in the Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain as the first round be the first Formula 2 champion. Day 2 AM session and rounds out the of the 2017 championship gets underway. top 5 times across the test. As the penultimate step in the motorsport The teams and drivers return to Bahrain ladder, Formula 2 hosts a hugely after a successful pre-season test at > The Championship’s official website competitive grid of race and championship the circuit 2 weeks ago: DAMS driver > The ten teams are competing from can be found here: winners all looking to take the final step in Nicholas Latifi set the pace across the 6 countries across Europe, and all www.fiaformula2.com their careers before nabbing the ultimate 3 day period with a time of 1:40.541 formerly raced in the GP2 Series. > prize, a seat in Formula 1. on the 2nd day, just ahead of Nyck de Follow us on Twitter: > The second of 2 pre-season tests @FIA_F2 The grid, which includes multiple GP2 race Vries at Rapax on the final day. As such the circuit is well known to the whole grid, was held at the Bahrain International winners such as Luca Ghiotto, Norman Circuit, just over 2 weeks ago. Of > Follow us on Instagram: who will be working hard on setting up Nato, Artem Markelov, Johnny Cecotto, the 6 sessions held across 3 days, @fiaf2championship. their cars to management tyre wear, which Nobuharu Matsushita and Jordan King as Nyck de Vries topped the most with is particularly tough here. To that end Pirelli ™ well as five of the top six drivers from the 3 (Day 2 PM, Day 3 AM and PM), > The 2017 FIA Formula 2 2016 GP3 campaign, including champion will provide the drivers with their Medium Charles Leclerc claimed the honours Championship Media Kit is available Charles Leclerc and vice champion and Soft compounds for this round. first (Day 1 AM) ahead of Luca for download in our Media Zone: Ghiotto (Day 1 PM), and Nicholas www.fiaformula2.com Latifi claimed the remaining session PIRELLI’S RACING MANAGER MARIO ISOLA SAYS: (Day 2 AM). Bahrain is a circuit we know well, where providing opportunities for overtaking we tested with GP2 – as it was known then and preparing the drivers for future – last year. Now we have a new name, challenges. Of course, Formula 1 takes a Formula 2, which underlines the intention slightly different direction in terms of tyres of the championship perfectly, providing this year, whereas Formula 2 sticks with a natural stepping-stone to Formula 1. The the characteristics we had before. For 2017 tyres we are supplying are exactly Bahrain, thermal degradation will be a the same as last year, because together key factor, especially with the Formula 2 with the promoter we felt that they were races being held in the heat of the day, as Media ZoNe doing exactly the job that was required: opposed to in the evening for Formula 1.” Username fiaf2media Password fiaf2mediapass Alexa Quintin - Media & Communications [email protected] +33 (0)6 23 900 777 • David Cameron - Senior Press Officer [email protected] +44 (0)7796 950141 CONTACT For more information please visit www.fiaformula2.com Follow us @FIA_F2 @fiaf2championship @F2FIA ROUND 1/11 Preview SAKHIR BAHRAIN 2017 ENTRY LIST SEASOn STATS PREMA Racing 1 Charles Leclerc LEC MON 19 y/o The number of different licenses out of 20 drivers. 2 Antonio Fuoco FUO ITA 20 y/o 16 DEL Racing Engineering 3 Louis Delétraz The age average of the grid. SUI 19 y/o MAL 22.35 4 Gustav Malja SWE 21 y/o The 2016 Top 3 GP3 Series drivers have graduated to the RUSSIAN TIME 5 Luca Ghiotto GHI FIA Formula 2 Championship (Leclerc, Albon and Fuoco). ITA 22 y/o 3 6 Artem Markelov MAK Matsushita is the only F2 driver to have previously scored RUS 22 y/o a podium at Bahrain International Circuit at the wheel of the ART Grand Prix 7 Nobuharu Matsushita MAT car currently used in the Championship. JPN 23 y/o 1 8 Alexander Albon ALB 2017 CLASSIFICATIONS THA 21 y/o drivers’ standings teams’ standings ROW DAMS 9 Oliver Rowland POS. DRIVER FEATUREM SPRINTM PTS SHUFFLE POS. TEAM FEATUREM SPRINTM PTS SHUFFLE GBR 24 y/o 1. ................................................. 1. ................................................. 10 Nicholas Latifi LAT CAN 21 y/o 2. ................................................. 2. ................................................. ................................................. ................................................. BOS 3. 3. Campos Racing 11 Ralph Boschung ................................................. SUI 19 y/o ................................................. 4. 4. ................................................. ................................................. COL 12 Stefano Coletti ................................................. 5. ................................................. MON 28 y/o 5. 6. ................................................. 6. ................................................. SET MP Motorsport 14 Sérgio Sette Câmara ................................................. ................................................. BRA 18 y/o 7. 7. ................................................. ................................................. KIN 8. 8. 15 Jordan King ................................................. ................................................. GBR 23 y/o 9. ................................................. 9. ................................................. Trident 16 Nabil Jeffri JEF 10. ................................................. 10. ................................................. MAS 23 y/o 11. ................................................. 17 Sergio Canamasas CAN ................................................. ESP 31 y/o 12. ................................................. 13. Rapax 18 Nyck de Vries DEV ................................................. NED 22 y/o 14. ................................................. 19 Johnny Cecotto Jr. CEC 15. ................................................. VEN 27 y/o 16. ................................................. NAT ................................................. Pertamina Arden 20 Norman Nato 17. FRA 24 y/o ................................................. 18. 21 Sean Gelael GEL ................................................. INA 20 y/o 19. ................................................. 20. ................................................. Following the results of the 2016 GP2 Series™ Teams Championship classification, ON-BOARD the 2017 FIA Formula 2™ Championship grid will carry the following numbers. CAMERAS FEATURE RACE BONUS POINTS SPRINT RACE BONUS POINTS 2017 SEASOn RECAP POLE POSITION WINNER M FastEST