The 2008 Gulf Air Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix

The Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) and Gulf Air took the biggest sporting and social occasion in the Middle East, the 2008 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix on April 4-5-6, to India. In a special new addition to its regional ‘roadshow’ of press conferences the BIC, led by Chief Executive Officer Martin Whitaker, welcomed India to the event as a team owner and fellow member of the exclusive international group of nations to host the world’s biggest annual sporting series.

“The run-up to the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix is a special time for the Kingdom, as worldwide attention becomes focused on our race – the friendly race,” said Martin Whitaker. “This year is all the more special because of the deep ties between Bahrain and India going back through millennia and we are keen to welcome the Force India F1 team and the many Indian Formula One fans who are looking forward to hosting their own race in the near future. As a result of the increased interest and the expected increase in the number of spectators travelling from India to the Grand Prix in Bahrain we are promoting new travel, ticket and accommodation packages for this year’s race which we are sure will be interesting to the many Indian Formula One fans.”

This year’s Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix marks the fifth time that the FIA Formula One World Championship has visited the Middle East since the Bahrain International Circuit was built in 2004. This landmark occasion promises to be the biggest and best Grand Prix yet under its headline ‘Our Race’ which is the message going out across the GCC nations: to enjoy a festival of sporting entertainment with the undiluted flavour of the Gulf at the ‘desert grand prix’.

Last year’s Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix was the first ever sell-out event, drawing 90,000 people across the three days. As a result an entirely new grandstand is being built for this year’s race directly opposite the pit lane exit, increasing capacity for another blockbuster event. The event drew thousands of race fans from across the Middle East, and ensuring that more fans have a comfortable seat and an ideal vantage point has been key to the planning for 2008.

“Last year we put together our first set of travel and accommodation packages which were extremely well-received and in 2008 we have come together with Kanoo Holidays to create the best possible range of packages to welcome everyone to Bahrain,” he said. Martin Whitaker added, “Gulf Air is offering daily flights to Bahrain to cater to visitors coming from India and their requests. Bookings can be made on www.gulfair.com whilst hotel accommodation and F1 tickets can be processed online via our website www.bahraingp.com or by calling us on +973 17450000.”

Prices for the 2008 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix all-inclusive packages start from BD186 (INR19,750) per person for the four nights, inclusive of accommodation and a three-day ticket for the Turn 1 grandstand, with the option to change this for a different vantage point for a supplementary charge. Additionally flights and transfers to and from the circuit can be included at extra cost.

Bahrain will host the third round of this year’s FIA Formula One World Championship, which starts in Australia on March 16 and runs through 18 events in 17 countries before the end of the season in Brazil on November 2. As the world’s biggest annual sporting series, Formula One attracts a global audience of more than 550 million viewers and takes place on every continent except Africa and Antarctica. This year two new venues will join the Formula One calendar: Valencia in Spain will host the European Grand Prix while Singapore will become the host of the first ever floodlit night race for Formula One.

The big new name in the sport this year, however, is the Force India F1 team, which purchased the Spyker team at the end of last season. Backed by Indian industrial magnate Vijay Mallya and with experienced race winner Giancarlo Fisichella in the number one driver position, there are high hopes for the colourful new team to show well in the coming season. The distinctively-liveried cars have shown strong pace over the winter and technical director Mike Gascoyne has been able to significantly increase developments thanks to the increase in budget from Mallya and the team sponsors.

Supporting the Formula One action on the track in Bahrain will be a full schedule of supporting races, led by the new GP2 Asia series. GP2 is the ‘feeder’ category to Formula One introduced in 2005, from which all three champions have leapt straight into the top flight of Formula One. Inaugural champion Nico Rosberg scored points on his Formula One debut in Bahrain with Williams in 2006, while his successor Lewis Hamilton came within one point of winning the world championship at his first attempt with McLaren-Mercedes last season. This year sees Timo Glock step out of his championship-winning GP2 season into the Toyota Formula One team.

GP2 Asia is a sister championship to the European-based GP2 series, which kicked off in Dubai in January. As the official ‘feeder’ class for Formula One stars it’s a showcase for racing talent from the Middle East and Asia, with India’s Karun Chandhok among the front-runners. Meanwhile the Speedcar Series is closely related to the NASCAR racers in America, but feature a host of stars from the world of international motor sport at the wheel led by Narain Karthikeyan.