Bahrain Grand Prix 2019 — Weekend Preview

Round 2 of the 2019 Formula 1 World Championship takes the field to Sakhir, Bahrain. Bahrain Grand Prix — The Desert Test of Tyre Management. Valtteri Bottas leads the championship with 26 points, 8 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton.

Driver Championship (entering R2):
P1: Valtteri Bottas — 26 pts (1W, 1P)
P2: Lewis Hamilton — 18 pts (0W, 1P)
P3: Max Verstappen — 15 pts (0W, 1P)
P4: Sebastian Vettel — 12 pts (0W, 0P)
P5: Charles Leclerc — 10 pts (0W, 0P)

Constructor Championship:
P1: Mercedes — 44 pts
P2: Ferrari — 22 pts
P3: Red Bull Racing — 15 pts
P4: Haas F1 Team — 8 pts
P5: Renault — 6 pts

Sakhir is a balanced challenge.

Recent winners at Sakhir:
- 2025: Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- 2024: Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
- 2023: Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
- 2022: Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- 2021: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

Tyre strategy data will be available after practice sessions provide degradation information.

Battles to watch:

Championship battle: Valtteri Bottas vs Lewis Hamilton — 8 points separate them.

P3 vs P4: Max Verstappen (15) vs Sebastian Vettel (12) — just 3 points apart.
P4 vs P5: Sebastian Vettel (12) vs Charles Leclerc (10) — just 2 points apart.
P5 vs P6: Charles Leclerc (10) vs Kevin Magnussen (8) — just 2 points apart.