The 5.412-kilometre Sakhir circuit, which features 15 turns, is famous for its technical layout, with long straights located throughout each section alternating with turns of varying radiuses and speeds. As a result, the Bahrain track is a real challenge for the cars’ braking systems, with temperatures varying significantly given that the 8 Hours starts in the early afternoon and finishes well after sunset.
Ferrari has scored seven class wins (2012-14, 2017, and 2021-22 in the LMGTE Pro; 2021 also in LMGTE Am) on this rack. At the first edition in 2012, Giancarlo Fisichella and Toni Vilander triumphed in the 458 Italia GTE. The Finnish driver, also paired with Gianmaria Bruni in the same car, won the next two years.
On the back of the excellent results at the Sakhir track, the Maranello manufacturer celebrated the Manufacturers’ and Drivers’ titles in Bahrain in 2021 and 2022. On the latter occasion, Antonio Fuoco and Miguel Molina’s first victory in the LMGTE Pro category allowed Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado to celebrate their third winners’ laurels despite a gearbox problem in the last two hours of the event.
In 2023, in the Hypercar class, Fuoco-Molina-Nielsen concluded with a podium finish that saw the crew of the 499P ends the season third in the Drivers’ championship.
The result came at the end of an 8 Hours that saw the trio complete 249 laps with a best lap time of 1:51.512 and an average race speed of 174.7 km/h. In 2023, Pier Guidi-Calado-Giovinazzi finished sixth in the last race of a season that had seem them claim victory in the Centenary 24 Hours of Le Mans.