Bahrain to fuel fans’ passions as Formula 1 season kicks off as Formula 1 season kicks off
BAHRAIN International Circuit (BIC) and the country’s national carrier Gulf Air recently launched the countdown to the 2011 Formula One Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix which takes place from March 11 to 13 and will be the first of a record 20 rounds in this year’s FIA F1 World Championship.
BIC chief executive Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa and Gulf Air chief executive Samer Majali revealed the programme of activities taking place before and during the event and also unveiled the official promotional slogan, ‘Fuel Your Passion’, which will be used leading up to the race.
Bahrain will be opening the F1 season for the second year in a row and Shaikh Salman said that this year the circuit is working extra hard to build on the success of the event from its past seven editions - success that has been rewarded with many international accolades.
Such honours include being named the Best Organised Race in 2004 by the FIA, as well as BIC being named as a Centre of Excellence by the FIA Institute in 2007.
Majali commented: “It is another great moment for both Gulf Air and the BIC as we jointly announce the arrival of this annual global spectacle, the 2011 F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix.”
As the level of interest amongst the general public has grown in previous years, the number of fans attending the Bahrain Grand Prix has also risen and, in 2010, a record 100,000 spectators attended the event over its three days.
This year will see the launch of a new concept in the entertainment programme, with three categories being set up for the types of activities available at the Formula One Village at BIC.
A spectacular exhibition of some of McLaren’s greatest Formula One challengers from the late 1960s to the present will be showcased at the first-of-its-kind ‘McLaren Museum’ and there will be three leading international championships racing over the weekend, to be headlined by the GP2 Asia Series’ final round.
There will also be the staging of a round in the highly popular Porsche Mobil1 Supercup, which is a regular supporting event to F1 Grand Prix throughout the year, as well as in the WGA Chevrolet Supercars Championship Middle East, which will be holding the fourth meeting of its current season.