Bahrain, Sakhir
Bahrain International Circuit - Bahrain Paddock Circuit
A 3.705 km circuit in Sakhir. Timed layouts, lap times and what you need to know before a track day here.
Going to Bahrain International Circuit?
See which corner costs you the most time.
Record the session on your phone. Vetkuro splits the laps, times every sector and shows where the gap to your best lap opens.
Filming your laps?
Put speed, delta and lap time on your onboard video.
Overlay the data from the same session on the footage, synced automatically. One file to watch back, or to share.
Driving with friends?
Find out who is faster, and in which corner.
Overlay two laps from the same day and see exactly where the gap opens, not only the final number.
Track layouts
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Bahrain Endurance Circuit
6.299 km
No laps yet
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Bahrain GP
5.411 km
No laps yet
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Bahrain Paddock Circuit
3.705 km
No laps yet
Lap times only compare within one layout.
Going to Bahrain International Circuit?
See which corner costs you the most time.
Record the session on your phone. Vetkuro splits the laps, times every sector and shows where the gap to your best lap opens.
Filming your laps?
Put speed, delta and lap time on your onboard video.
Overlay the data from the same session on the footage, synced automatically. One file to watch back, or to share.
Driving with friends?
Find out who is faster, and in which corner.
Overlay two laps from the same day and see exactly where the gap opens, not only the final number.
Recorded on Vetkuro · No sessions yet
Bahrain International Circuit lap times
Timed from GPS on real track days, not typed in. Compare within one layout and one vehicle class, because a motorcycle lap and a car lap are not the same thing.
No recorded laps on Bahrain Paddock Circuit yet.
Record a session on this layout and your lap becomes the time other drivers in your class compare against.
Track day guide
Track day at Bahrain International Circuit
Weather by month, who runs the days and what to put in the car. Written for a first visit.
Who runs track days here
What to bring
- Helmet that meets the organiser's standard
- Long sleeves, long trousers, closed shoes
- Tyre pressure gauge, since pressures rise fast on track
- Removable towing eye fitted or in the car
- An empty boot: loose items out before the first session
- Your phone in a rigid mount, recording with Vetkuro
Weather by month
Now, in November: 28°C by day, 25°C at night, rain on 2 days. Warmest in August, 38°C by day on average. Coldest in January, 17°C at night. Fewest days with rain: May to September.
Rain: days with rain per month. Climate: NASA POWER, daily data 2016–2025. Monthly averages, not a forecast. Check the organiser's calendar for open dates. The data was obtained from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Langley Research Center's Prediction Of Worldwide Energy Resources (POWER) project funded through the NASA Earth Science Division.
Elevation profile
Bahrain International Circuit elevation
Elevation change 16 m, steepest gradient 3.7%. The highest point, about 23 m above sea level, is 2.18 km from the start line; the lowest, about 7 m, 0.22 km.
Height above sea level, approximate. HoverTouch the profile for any point.
From a terrain model, sampled every 10 m along the track line and smoothed over 100 m. Heights above sea level are approximate: trees and buildings along the line read up to about 15 m high. Produced using Copernicus WorldDEM-30 © DLR e.V. 2010-2014 and © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH 2014-2018 provided under COPERNICUS by the European Union and ESA; all rights reserved. The organisations in charge of the Copernicus programme by law or by delegation do not incur any liability for any use of the Copernicus WorldDEM-30.
Going to Bahrain International Circuit?
More to do with the session than the lap time
About Bahrain International Circuit
The Bahrain Paddock Circuit configuration is one of 3 layouts available at Bahrain International Circuit - 3.705 km across 10 corners. Lap times and sessions on this layout are tracked separately from other configurations.
Overview
Bahrain International Circuit stands in the desert at Sakhir in central western Bahrain, about half an hour by road from the capital, Manama. It opened in 2004 and that year staged the first Formula One world championship race in the Middle East. The circuit hosts the Bahrain Grand Prix, the World Endurance Championship's 8 Hours of Bahrain, Formula 2 and Formula 3 rounds and regional touring car, GT and motorcycle racing. Beyond the road course it offers drag racing, karting, off-road driving, open track sessions and circuit tours.
Technical Specifications and Track Features
Hermann Tilke designed the circuit, his first project in the Middle East, around several long straights joined by medium and slow corners, with an emphasis on traction. The site has five FIA Grade 1 layouts. The Grand Prix Circuit is 5.412 km with 15 turns, and the Endurance Circuit, added in 2005, extends it to 6.299 km. The Paddock Circuit is 3.705 km with 10 turns, while the Outer Circuit took the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix and the Inner, or Oasis, Circuit has its own pit lane and paddock for support races. There are also a test oval and a drag strip. The Turn 4 hairpin was opened up after the first season to help overtaking, and in 2014 the first corner was named after Michael Schumacher. The surface uses graywacke aggregate shipped from the Bayston Hill quarry in Shropshire, England, and organisers spray an adhesive on the surrounding sand to keep it off the track.
Facilities and Specialized Areas
The grandstands and buildings follow local architectural styles, and the site includes a VIP tower, the Sakhir Tower. Capacity is given as 70,000, and the Grand Prix was first run under lights in 2014. The drag strip, regraded in 2007, runs dragster experiences, drag and drift nights and the Bahrain Drag Racing Championship, and the karting centre offers arrive-and-drive sessions as well as races. Visitors can also book off-road experiences, open track days and guided tours of the circuit.
History
Crown Prince Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, honorary president of the Bahrain Motor Federation, backed the project. In September 2002 Bernie Ecclestone confirmed a Grand Prix from 2004, and building began late that year against a 16-month deadline, at a cost of about 56.2 million Bahraini dinars, or US$150 million. Rocky ground meant heavy blasting, and Formula One later brought the race forward, leaving less than a month between handover and the first event. The circuit opened on 17 March 2004 and held its first Grand Prix on 4 April 2004. In 2010 Formula One used the Endurance layout to mark its 60th anniversary season, and in 2020 Bahrain staged two Grands Prix on consecutive weekends on different layouts, the second won by Sergio Pérez. V8 Supercars raced the Desert 400 here from 2006, and the World Endurance Championship first visited in 2012. The Grand Prix was not held in 2011, and in 2026 the race could not take place in Bahrain because of the war in the region.
