GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX 2005 - 1ST 2ND 3RD APRIL 2005
31 March 2005 - Bahrain Circuit

The FIA Formula One World Championship is the pinnacle of global motor racing. It has a similar level of profile to the FIFA Soccer World Cup and the Olympic Games, the difference is that it takes place 19 times every year as opposed to once every four years.

In television terms it attracts audiences in the region of 400 million people. The 2005 FIA Formula One World Championship will be contested over 19 races with a season that runs from the start in Australia in March to the finish in Japan in October. The only race that takes place in the Middle East is the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix. It is the third race in the Championship and takes place over three days at the beginning of April - 1st, 2nd & 3rd.

The inaugural Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix was a huge success and was enjoyed by countless millions of people the world over watching on TV. Importantly the race was also a big success within the world of Formula One with everyone experiencing the friendliness and hospitality of the Bahraini people. For one weekend, Bahrain became the focal point of the sporting world and as a result the race and the interest that it created demonstrated clearly to people and international businesses that Bahrain is ''open for business''. In 2004 the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix was recognized for its organisational capabilities with the award of the FIA Race Promoters'' Trophy. This award was made at the FIA Gala Awards in Monte Carlo and was given to Bahrain for the organisation of the best Grand Prix in 2004.

The FIA Formula One World Championship is made up of two competitions. The first is for the World Drivers'' Championship and the other for the Constructors'' Championship.

There are ten teams competing in the FIA Formula One World Championship: FERRARI, BAR HONDA, RENAULT, BMW WILLIAMSF1, McLAREN MERCEDES, SAUBER, RED BULL, TOYOTA, JORDAN, and MINARDI. Each of the teams competes with two cars and two drivers throughout the year and must race in every round of the Championship. Points are awarded in each race as follows:

1st place - 10 points, 2nd - 8 points, 3rd - 6 points, 4th - 5 points, 5th - 4points, 6th - 3 points, 7th - 2 points and 8th - 1point. The points systems applies to both the Drivers'' and Constructors'' Championships.

The driver who scores the most points during the season wins the Drivers'' Championship and the team that accumulates the most points takes the Constructors'' Championship.

Michael Schumacher winner of last year''s Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Pix is the reigning World Champion, and has won the World Championship a staggering seven times. His team Ferrari holds the Constructors'' Championship.

The Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix, like all Grands Prix, takes place over 3 days. The first day Friday is practice day where drivers and teams get to know the circuit and try out different set-ups for the cars. Saturday is for more practice in order to finalise the race set-up for the cars, followed by a qualifying session to determine the starting order for the final qualifying session on Sunday.

The format for Sunday morning is new in 2005 and is when the drivers qualify for their places on the afternoon''s starting grid. The best position on the stating grid is ''Pole Position'' and that goes to the driver who has the fastest time around the track during the qualifying secession. The second fastest is given second place and so on down to 20th or last place.

A Grand Prix race last for about 2 hours depending on the length of the circuit. During the race each car will make a number of stops these are called ''pit stops''. During these pit stops the car will be refueled and minor adjustments can made to the setup. New rule changes in 2005 mean that there will be no tyre changing during the race (apart from replacing a punctured tyre) as each car now has to run the entire race distance on one set of rubber. Additionally, each car must now contest two races with the same engine.

An F1 car has a 10 cylinder 3 litre engine which weighs less than 100 kilos but produces more than 800bhp. During the course of a Grand Prix the driver will change gears some 2,600 times.

The top speed of an F1 car can be in excess of 340 Kph depending on the characteristics of the circuit and the associated gear ratios applied to the car. Acceleration is phenomenally quick with cars reaching 100kph from a standing start in less than 2.5 seconds. They can reach 200 in approximately 4.7 seconds.

An F1 car can stop from a speed of 200kph in just 55 metres. It can accelerate to 200kph and back again to a standstill in just 7 seconds.

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