F1 | Bahrain, here are the countermeasures: manholes filled with concrete

After the problems encountered during the three days of testing in Bahrain last week, the promoters of the Sakhir event immediately tried to find an emergency solution that could guarantee the normal running of the Grand Prix without major concerns.

For this reason, already on the last day of testing a plan had been established to seal the manholes in some specific points of the track, such as those that run along the curb at the entrance to the braking section of Turn 11, an area where the drivers often tended to follow a trajectory which, inevitably, created problems in the long run.

Speaking on the eve of the weekend about this specific situation, the FIA ​​revealed that “following the incidents that occurred during last week's pre-season testing sessions, repair work was carried out, including the filling of manholes with The cement”. While this is not a permanent solution, this should ensure that the weekend can continue as normal without the risk of a testing-type issue occurring. This approach had already been followed in Las Vegas a few months ago, when it was decided to close several points of the track with concrete to proceed with the weekend programme.

This means drivers won't have to change their lines at Turn 11, where they widened trying to go over the curb in order to have as wide a line as possible for the next stretch, where they often struggle with understeer.

The works also covered “a further area around Turn 7”, as explained by the governing body. Additional welding work has also been carried out on other manholes around the track, so that the forces generated on the manholes by the new generation ground effect cars cannot force the metal loose.

The work at Turn 7 concerns the line exiting the fast downhill left-hander, where the single-seaters may follow a wider trajectory, attempting to exploit every centimeter available in order to bring greater speed down the stretch. However, it is interesting to underline how in that section the curb was designed in such a way as to avoid a continuous passage that could damage the surface, so it is more of a preventive intervention than a response out of pure necessity.

The marshals and the Race Direction during the repair of the damaged manhole

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

The concrete filling plan was made possible by the fact that no rain is expected that could influence the F1 race weekend, as instead happened during the pre-season tests in Bahrain for the Formula 2 and Formula 3 championships at beginning of February, when the track was flooded on the first day.

Furthermore, notes from race director Niels Wittich remind teams and drivers that “in accordance with the provisions of Article 33.3, the white lines define the edges of the track” and “during qualifying and the race, whenever a driver fails to stay within the limits of the track, the lap time will be invalidated by the stewards”.