The Tenth Anniversary of the Formula One Grand Prix in Bahrain - Article Example

In the Bahrain Grand Prix history, the 2011 event has been considered a dark event because the race was delayed due to protests in Bahrain. The situation was aggravated to an extent that even drivers such as Mark Webber and Damon Hill protested (Galloway, 2014).

            In this article, the author argues that the Bahrain formula one grand Prix switch to a night occasion for 2014 has been confirmed with the race organizers. Further, the article asserts that the race will be shown live on the sky sport formula one channel, which would occur under floodlights at six pm Bahrain local time. The 2014 race that will be held under floodlights is the second formula one competition to be held at night after the race in Singapore. The organizers decided the race to occur at night as a commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the Bahrain Grand Prix that started in 2004. Having chosen to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Grand Prix, the organizers converted the April competition race into the Calendar’s second nighttime race. In addition, the race organizers installed a lighting system around the 6 km field that was tracked during the global endurance championship race that took place in the same venue in November 2013 (Galloway, 2014).

            It is clear from the article that the session start times for the other coming races or competitions for the formula one season have been confirmed with Bahrain given the chance to organize and stage qualifying and the final races under floodlights from six pm Bahrain local time which is four pm BST. Unlike the previous races, the Friday races will start at two pm local time while the second practice starts at six pm. The third practice will take place at three pm on Saturday. Because it is the second country to host a formula one race under floodlights, Bahrain joins Singapore, a place where formula one staged its first competition under the floodlights. All the Grand Prix events in Bahrain will be aired live on Sky sports television. On the other hand, Abu Dhabi hosting the 2014’s formula one double point season finale has been termed the twilight occasion since entering the formula one event Calendar five years ago (Galloway, 2014).

            Unlike the Bahrain Grand Prix, the race organizers said that the Abu Dhabi race would take place during the daytime and finish under artificial lights. The lighting systems erected in Bahrain represent state-of-the-art technology in the sense that the system has been installed in the entire Bahrain Sakhir arena. The lighting infrastructure incorporates more than 490 pole lights ranging from 9 m to 45 m, with 4500 fitted lights and more than 450km of cables. According to Sheikh Bin Isa Al-Khalifa, the manager and CEO of the Bahrain International Circuit, this has been the biggest project they have ever done at the Bahrain International arena or circuit since the arena was first constructed (Galloway, 2014).

            The preparation has been made unique as a specific way to mark the tenth anniversary of formula one by illustrating their long-term commitment to formula one sport via this important investment. This in turn will cement Bahrain’s place as a place to be in motorsport in the Arab World. The 2014 Bahrain Grand Prix will occur on April 4-6 and is among the races that would be broadcasted live on Sky sport formula one during the entire racing season.