As it prepares for the arrival of the F1 circus, Bahrain’s weather is set to be calm this weekend. However, the risk remains of a sandstorm which would see the race called off.
The official F1 website reports that an ambient temperature high of 30 degrees Celsius is forecast on Thursday, with partial cloud, followed by 33 degrees on Friday and 34 on Saturday. Race day will be sunny and hot, with temperatures up to 31 degrees Celsius.
The location of the Sakhir circuit nevertheless invites the possibility of a sandstorm, a relatively common event in the Middle Eastern country. In February, a pre-season test attended by Ferrari, BMW and Toyota was delayed and suspended by the sand blowing across the region. The conditions pose few practical problems for the running of the cars, but under FIA rules, no car can go out on the circuit if the medical helicopter cannot take off.
If any part of the weekend is affected by the weather, it would be the fourth successive race to have been disrupted by the conditions. In Australia, the light was a problem; in Malaysia, the race was abandoned because of the rain and the dark and in China the rain poured down again.
