Changes to F1 calendar

Both nations will be hosting races as part of the 2004 Formula One season. Bahrain is the third round of the Championship on April 4th while China's race is on September 26th. Both the new circuits are the work of German designer Hermann Tilke.

The Bahrain Grand Prix will be the first Grand Prix to be held in the Middle East. The 5.411 kilometre Bahrain International Circuit is still in the process of been completed but as Ralf Schumacher said on his visit to the facility last December, "It's the best, most modern circuit I have seen. They are obviously doing an amazing job."

The circuit itself consists of five left and seven right hand corners, with a 1.090 kilometre start/finish straight. The lap time is expected to be around 1m:33sec. Ralf added: "It has a combination of slow and very fast corners with a very, very long straight. The most important thing in Formula One is overtaking and I have seen three opportunities for that. It is obvious that it will be fast, challenging and very demanding.’’

Another person to visit the new facility was Eddie Jordan. He also expressed his positive view of the circuit. He said: "I am amazed at this place. It's almost beyond description actually. It is going to provide drivers with overtaking opportunities and will, I'm sure, provide the global television audience and spectators with a sensational race."

As for the new track and its positive aspects, including those of overtaking Ralf added: "The most important thing is overtaking and I've seen three opportunities for that. It will be fast, challenging and very demanding."

For the Formula One teams the race in the sands of Bahrain is very much an unknown. The teams will have to contend with a range of issues from the heat to the impact that sand may have on the circuit. One person well positioned to comment on this aspect is Michelin competition boss Pierre Dupasquier. In a recent interview he said: "We don't know whether Bahrain will be particularly sandy. If they get an unfavourable wind and some sand is blown across the track then that will obviously be something we have to look out for.

"That's not an uncommon event, the Dutch racetrack Zandvoort is built among sand dunes and when we used to race there the sand would often end up on the circuit."

But the potential for sand to come onto the circuit is one that the designers have tried to take account of. A binding solution has been added to the track runoff and high-grip asphalt used.

Bahrain International Circuit

As for the Chinese Grand Prix its inaugural race will take place in the new facility been built at Shanghai. The circuit is an an hour from the city centre of Shanghai. Ralf has already visited the circuit, “It will certainly be a challenge. There are some corners that won't be easy for either the drivers or the cars. They push you to the limit."

The 5.45 kilometre circuit, which features seven left and seven right hand corners has been designed in the form of the Chinese character ‘shang’ which, roughly-translated, means ‘high above.’ The longest straight links corners 13 and 14, it is expected that drivers will be able to race virtually flat-out for 1.2 kilometres, achieving a top speed of around 327 km/h. The average lap time for the circuit is expected to be around the 1:34 mark, making it one of the longest on the Formula One calendar.

Ralf commented on the race in China. He said: “It’s difficult to judge a circuit you’ve never driven on. However I was there in October 2003 and I’ve also talked to Herman Tilke, who has designed some excellent circuits. This layout looks even more promising. There are some long straights and some extended curves where you’ll almost certainly be able to overtake. There are also a number of tight curves so it all promises to be very exciting. When you step back and take a look at the project, it seems as if money is no object. I think that in many respects, Shanghai will set new standards.”

For Formula One commercial head Bernie Ecclestone the move to countries such as Bahrain marks a change in the commercial realities of Formula One, with many of the traditional European based races are in in danger of being cancelled as a result of European Union anti-tobacco legislation.

"We will get as big an audience in China this year as in Europe," said Ecclestone last month. "Then there will be Turkey in 2005, Korea in 2009 and probably India.

"In the next 10 years Europe is going to become a third-world economy," added Ecclestone. "There's no way Europe will be able to compete with China, Korea, India. That's why we've been trying to do something in China for the past 10 years."

As for whether or not these new circuits produce good races is yet to be seen, but based on the success of the Sepang circuit in Malaysia, another Tilke designed circuit, both circuits can expect to be in the Formula One calendar for some time. As for whether they will be commercial successes is another factor but in the case of Shanghai the shear enthusiasm that the vast Chinese population have shown towards Formula One racing almost guarantees that it will have both a huge crowd attending as well as a viewing audience on television.