Which F1 drivers do well at the Bahrain Grand Prix with Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso successful in Sakhir

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The Bahrain Grand Prix has been on the calendar since 2004, when it became Formula 1’s first-ever race to take place in the Middle East.

A range of drivers and teams have also won the Bahrain GP over the years, from Michael Schumacher winning the inaugural edition for Ferrari and Fernando Alonso winning for Renault to Lewis Hamilton winning for Mercedes and Max Verstappen winning for Red Bull.

The success that Hamilton and Nico Rosberg enjoyed in the Sakhir desert following the introduction of 1.6L V6 turbo-hybrid power units in 2014 also helped to make Mercedes one of the most successful constructors in the history of the F1 Bahrain GP.

Hamilton’s victory over Rosberg in the iconic Duel in the Desert in 2014 also marked the first time that the Bahrain GP was held at night.

The race had traditionally been held in the daytime, but it was permanently converted to a night race following the success of the event in 2014 as the race celebrated its 10th anniversary.

With that in mind, F1 Oversteer has taken a look at the most successful drivers in the all-time history of the Bahrain GP.

Lewis Hamilton is the most successful driver in the Bahrain Grand Prix

Hamilton is the most successful F1 driver at the Bahrain International Circuit, having taken five Bahrain Grand Prix wins to date.

All five of Hamilton’s Bahrain GP victories to date came following the start of the turbo-hybrid era in 2014, with his first coming in 2014 when he duelled with Mercedes teammate Rosberg for the win.

Hamilton would take back-to-back Bahrain GP victories with another win in 2015, before later enjoying another spell of success in Sakhir with Mercedes from 2019 to 2021.

The Briton’s 2019 Bahrain GP win came late into the race, when leader Charles Leclerc was denied the opportunity to score his first win in F1 due to a power unit issue in his Ferrari.

Sebastian Vettel also scored four Bahrain GP wins during his career, although the German’s record would stand at five were it not for a mechanical problem during the 2010 edition that handed glory to Ferrari rival Alonso.

The Bahrain Grand Prix has seen five repeat winners

Over the years, there have to date been five repeat winners of the Bahrain Grand Prix, with Verstappen the most recent, having won the race in 2023 and 2024 with Red Bull.

Felipe Massa also won back-to-back between 2007 and 2008, while Alonso did the same in 2005 and 2006 on the way to his two titles.

Leclerc eventually took his revenge for his late heartbreak in the 2019 Bahrain GP by winning the race in 2022, which also marked only the third win for Ferrari in Sakhir since they won four of the first seven runnings from 2004 to 2010.