Racing on the 'Bahrain Oval' is one of the possibilities
General
- GPblog.com
The double races that will take place in Austria and at Silverstone will all have separate titles. This is because it is an obligation in the championship. However, the circuits will remain the same, because driving against the direction is not possible without adjustments and because not every Silverstone layout has a Grade 1 license. However, this is a different story when it comes to the circuit in Bahrain.
Why not?
Last week Ross Brawn of Formula 1 suggested to use an alternative configuration of a circuit for the double race in Bahrain. That provides variety and also makes it more fun to watch. Especially the 'Outer Circuit' layout of Bahrain International Circuit came to the fore, which is a kind of disguised oval. Now race director Michael Masi has also spoken out about this and he seems to be an advocate.
Masi says at Speedcafe.com: "From a regulatory perspective, there is nothing stopping it. Unfortunately we didn’t have that option (alternate configurations) so much for either Austria or Silverstone, but if there are other events such as Bahrain that come up with that, and it’s seen as another way of trying to achieve something, then why not?"
Only with Grade 1 license
The circuit in Bahrain is the only one with a Grade 1 license for different layouts, so the proposed variant is an option. Also because the length is 3,543km, which is just over the required 3.5km for a Formula 1 race. Only Monaco is 3.34km shorter, but that is an exception.
What needs to be figured out is whether it fits within the championship. Masi: "The big part is, we want to maintain the integrity of the championship, A; and B, ensure that, wherever possible, that we can provide a good spectacle for the viewing public, be it television or, hopefully by that point in time, later in the year, with some luck, face-to-face."
It remains to be seen whether this will happen, but there is a chance that Bahrain will have two races on two variants of the track.