JEDDAH, 18 March 2008 - The countdown to the 2008 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix is under way, following six days of testing at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Bahrain, where both the Ferrari and Toyota teams fielded their all-new challengers.
Ferrari in particular grabbed headlines around the world with the pace of its new car, the F2008, at the hands of reigning champion, 28-year-old Finn Kimi Raikkonen, Samer Al Shaikh, marketing and PR manager at BIC, told a press conference at the Jeddah Hilton on Sunday night.
Testing also marked the start of the Ithmaar Group 'Yalla Bahrain!' calendar of free-to-attend cultural and community events leading right up to the week of the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2008 is to be mounted at the world-class racetrack, Bahrain International Circuit (BIC), in Sakhir, Bahrain, from April 4 to 6.
Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix winners before are: 2004 Michael Schumacher (Ferrari F2004), 2005 Fernando Alonso (Renault R25), 2006 Fernando Alonso (Renault R26) and 2007 Felipe Massa (Ferrari F2007).
"The weeks building up to the Grand Prix are full of excitement and anticipation across Bahrain," Al-Shaikh said. "The Yalla Bahrain! events are a taster of the festival of family entertainment on offer at the BIC throughout the Grand Prix weekend, and allow everyone living in or visiting Bahrain to join in the fun for free and celebrate together.
Last year's Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix was the first sell-out event, drawing 90,000 people across the three days. As a result an entirely new grandstand is being built for this year's race directly opposite the pit lane exit, increasing capacity for another blockbuster event. The event drew thousands of race fans from across the Middle East, and ensuring that more fans have a comfortable seat and an ideal vantage point has been key to the planning for 2008.
Bahrain is hosting the third round of this year's Formula One world championship, which started in Australia on Sunday and runs through 18 events in 17 countries before the end of the season in Brazil on Nov. 2. As in 2007, there will be 11 teams taking part in this year's Formula One season. The reigning champions Ferrari go into 2008 as pre-season favorites after a dominant display throughout pre-season testing. The team has set the pace both in Bahrain and Spain, where the majority of teams carry out their pre-season programs ahead of its main rivals McLaren-Mercedes and a pitched battle between Williams, Renault, BMW, Honda, Toyota and Red Bull to get on terms with the top two.
A new name in the sport this year is Force India, which bought the Spyker team at the end of last season. Backed by Indian industrial magnate Vijay Mallya and with experienced race winner Giancarlo Fisichella in the No. 1 driver position, there are high hopes for the colorful new team.
Supporting the Formula One action on the track will be a full schedule of supporting races, led by the new GP2 Asia series. GP2 is the 'feeder' category to Formula One introduced in 2005, from which all three champions have leapt straight into the top flight of Formula One. GPR Asia is a sister championship to the European-based GP2 series.
As part of the build-up to the event, the BIC has announced a range of cost-effective accommodation packages for overseas visitors and race fans. Prices for the 2008 Grand Prix all-inclusive packages start from 186 Bahraini dinars per person for the four nights, inclusive of accommodation and a three-day ticket for the Turn 1 grandstand, with the option to change this for a different vantage point for a supplementary charge. Another new measure for the Grand Prix is the introduction of a Friday only ticket.
Adel Al Tamimi, Gulf Air's general manager for Saudi Arabia, said that the airline had come up with a special package for F-1 fans from Saudi Arabia that includes guaranteed return flights with special F-1 fares, meet and greet service on arrival, transfers to and from Bahrain International Airport and BIC. The airline is also increasing its seat capacity on selected routes and operating extra flights to accommodate more passengers visiting Bahrain to watch the race. Passengers can buy the race tickets online at www.bahraingp.com, he said.
