Bahrain Grand Prix

The Bahrain Grand Prix is a Formula One Championship race which first took place at the Bahrain International Circuit on April 4, 2004.   

The Bahrain Grand Prix, sponsored by Gulf Air, made history as the first Formula One Grand Prix to be held in the Middle East. Bahrain fought off fierce competition from elsewhere in the region to stage the race, with Egypt, Lebanon and UAE all hoping for the prestige of hosting a Formula One Grand Prix.  

The inaugural race was given the award for the 'Best Organised Grand Prix' by the FIA.  

Bahrain Grand Prix started 2006 Formula One season, replacing the traditional opener, The Australian Grand Prix (which was pushed back due to the conflicting Commonwealth Games).    

In 2002, the building of Sakhir track was started. Bahrain is not yet interested on building a new grand prix track, especially because it has been in the F1 calendar for only three years.  

The Project started in 2002 with high domestic interest about the project as it saw a future and a saver for street racers. By the completion of the project, the Circuit soon outshadowed the Kuwait Circuit and became the center of gulf motor sport as it held many other races such as occasional drag races and GT races and Formula 3 races.  

The Grand Prix itself is an enormous event both domestic and international. Crowds gather in high numbers both from the gulf and from around the world. The Grand Prix is a cultural interaction where people from every part of the world including celebrities make appearances in this race. The Race is a 3-day event that is more like a 3-day festival.

Hermann Tilke built the track, and because of that has received some criticism, as some believe that Tilke's designs are too simple and robotic. Of course, there has been a fair amount of overtaking in each of the grands prix, which has lessened the amount of criticism. Another common criticism of the course is the giant run-off areas, which don't punish drivers who fail to stay on the track. While this rewards drivers who commonly make errors, it also improves safety, as braking on gravel or sand is incredibly difficult.

  

Source : Wikipedia