BIC holds official launch event for Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2025

Kingdom’s F1 weekend, themed ‘The Desert Never Sleeps’, set for 11 to 13 April as fourth round of 2025 FIA F1 World Championship
F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix to be held as part of F1’s landmark 75th anniversary season
Bahrain national carrier and grand prix title partner Gulf Air also celebrates 75th anniversary this year
F1 Aramco Pre-Season Testing 2025 set to kick start tomorrow, with open days to fans on Thursday and Friday
F1 to be supported by F2, F3, and Porsche Carrera Cup ME during the grand prix weekend
BIC launches special charity auction offering F1 memorabilia and other exciting items
BIC’s Corporate Lounges sold out for F1 weekend; other hospitality options and grandstand tickets selling out fast

Bahrain International Circuit (BIC), ‘The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East’, held this evening the official launch of the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2025 – set to take place as part of Formula 1’s landmark 75th anniversary this season.

The Kingdom of Bahrain’s F1 weekend is scheduled for 11 to 13 April, marking the fourth round of the 2025 FIA Formula 1 World Championship.

Details of the mega sporting and entertainment extravaganza were announced at today’s Press conference launch, which took place at the BIC premises in Sakhir with F1 superstar Oscar Piastri in attendance from reigning F1 Constructors’ World Champions McLaren.

Also on hand were BIC Chief Executive Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa, Gulf Air Chairman Khaled Hussain Taqi, Gulf Air Chief Customer Experience Officer Hanadi Alali, and world-renowned F1 presenter and commentator Laura Winter.

This year’s F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix will also be celebrating the 75th anniversary of F1 and also Bahrain’s national carrier and grand prix title sponsor Gulf Air.

The race features the slogan “The Desert Never Sleeps”, reflecting the unique elements of the Kingdom’s race weekend and the spectacular 57-lap night race.

Fans are in store for an incredible spectacle both on and off the track, with non-stop racing action from F1 and its support series, plus plenty of attractions for the whole family to enjoy.

Aside from the F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix, BIC will also be hosting F1 Aramco Pre-Season Testing 2025, starting from tomorrow, Wednesday, and continuing until Friday (26 to 28 February).

F1’s star drivers have already arrived in Bahrain with their teams ahead of the tests, as the days continue to count down to the start of the highly anticipated F1 campaign.

This season, Bahrain’s fans will see a few familiar faces in new places. Among them are seven-time Drivers’ World Champion Lewis Hamilton with Ferrari, Carlos Sainz with Williams, Esteban Ocon at Haas, and Nico Hulkenberg at Kick Sauber.

There are also six drivers who will be making their first full-time campaigns on the grid, including Kimi Antonelli with Mercedes, Oliver Bearman with Haas, Jack Doohan with Alpine, Gabriel Bortoleto with Kick Sauber, Isack Hadjar with Racing Bulls, and Liam Lawson with Red Bull Racing.

Shaikh Salman commented: “The recent F1 75 Live launch event showed that the fan interest in the sport is as strong as ever and we are certainly feeling that in Bahrain as the excitement builds for the 2025 race. With an incredible line up of entertainment and several new driver combinations on the grid, we expect fans to enjoy an incredible experience under lights in the desert.”

Gulf Air Chief Customer Experience Officer Hanadi Al Aali stated, ” Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, is proud to celebrate 75 years alongside Formula 1, our long-standing partner. This is a truly special milestone. Our Formula 1 sponsorship has been transformative, significantly enhancing our global visibility and driving tourism to Bahrain. We are committed to working closely with Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) and Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) to attract an even greater influx of visitors, providing tailored travel solutions and immersive experiences. This renewed partnership reinforces our dedication to Formula 1 and Bahrain’s vibrant motorsport scene, ensuring Gulf Air remains at its heart.”

‘The Desert Never Sleeps’

The official slogan of this year’s F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix was unveiled at this evening’s launch as “The Desert Never Sleeps”.

Shaikh Salman explained: “As a venue, we have always sought to have our own individual identity. In fact, every F1 race will be known by fans for its own special characteristics. For us, we like to incorporate elements of our culture and surroundings into the race weekend.

“We are in the middle of the desert which sets us apart somewhat, but we are also very much a night culture here in Bahrain. So the aim is to reflect the fact that, especially under the lights at night, fans can experience something incredibly special and uplifting – whether that be the racing on track, our concerts, or indeed the entertainment we have in the fan zones for all the family.

“Those who have been to our race before know that this place truly comes to life at night, so we wanted to reflect that in our campaign for this year.”

International support series line-up

The F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2025 will feature plenty more exciting action throughout the race weekend from the three international support series, namely the FIA Formula 2 Championship, the FIA Formula 3 Championship, and the Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East (PCCME).

Both F2 and F3 are the chief feeder series to F1, featuring the sport’s future stars. F2 will be staging the second of 14 rounds in 2025 in Bahrain, while F3 will be staging the second of 10 rounds in its season at BIC. Both follow their season-openers in Australia.

After holding its opening round at BIC in November of last year, the PCCME returns for its fifth and penultimate meeting of this year’s championship.

Off-track family entertainment

Just as it is every year during F1 weekend, BIC has put together a fantastic programme of all kinds of attractions off the race track for the whole family to enjoy.

As a major part of this year’s entertainment lineup, globally renowned act Circus Extreme is coming to the F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix and it is set to offer race-goers an exciting blend of a traditional circus experience with a contemporary twist. Circus Extreme is made up of a team of acrobats who are experts in disciplines including parkour, tightrope, pole, BMX, unicycle, hoop, dance, and much more. With the carefully selected music complementing the performance, the shows are expected to be a hit for fans of all ages.

The fan-favourite Ferris Wheel is also back to offer a memorable carnival ride for all those attending.

There will also be a Kids Race Festival featuring popular characters such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Snoopy, Popeye Kids, and much more. Spectacular shows will be put on by the Living Garden, the Circus Cortex, Circolation acrobat performers, and a Girlesque Band, while roaming entertainments will be interacting with race-goers, including Jordi The Mime Clown, Hop Hop, Professor Bubbles, Pop the Balloon Man, Colourful Puppets, Acaia Flag Wavers, Kalimba Batucada, and the Dapper Chaps.

For motorsport enthusiasts, F1 Fan Zone will be bringing them closer to the sporting experience with all kinds of motorsport activations. All these plus so much more await all those attending at the F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2025.

Charity auction featuring F1 memorabilia and more

BIC also announced today the launch of a special charity auction to raise money for the Royal Humanitarian Foundation. With the generosity of many of the F1 teams, BIC has gathered an incredible selection of unique items of F1 memorabilia along with some amazing donations from Gulf Air.

The auction will run from today until race day on 13 April, and it can be accessed on mazad.app/c/87 where you can place your online bids for the items.

They include:
• An F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2024 licence plate signed by F1 drivers in a presentation frame with plaque
• A framed print of a Mercedes F1 car design, signed by Lewis Hamilton
• Limited edition print artwork of George Russell’s car, signed by the driver
• Racing gloves signed by Valtteri Bottas
• Commentary notes from Sky F1’s David Croft from the F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix. Signed and framed with plaque.
• 2024 Bahrain Darts Masters match-used darts board, framed and signed by all players, including World Champion Luke Littler.
• Signed F1 memorabilia from teams including Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari.

BIC’s Corporate Lounges fully booked, grandstand tickets selling fast

Shaikh Salman announced that the circuit’s Corporate Lounges have already completely sold out for this year’s F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix.

Shaikh Salman added that ticket sales for this year’s event have so far been similar to last year, when record crowds flocked to BIC for the three days of the F1 weekend.

Shaikh Salman commented: “For our 2024 event, we had an all-time high of 37,000 spectators on race day and 100,000 over the weekend. So far this year, we are slightly ahead compared to last year in terms of overall sales. Therefore, I would certainly advise fans to buy their tickets now as it looks as though we will head towards a sell-out before we get to race week.”

For hospitality, corporate lounges have already sold out and there is very limited capacity for Paddock Club, with some availability for Champions Club and The Dome by F1 Experiences.

Ticket prices for grandstand seats are amongst the most affordable in the world for an F1 weekend, giving race-goers the best value for money to be a part of one of the most sought-after events in the sport. They can be purchased online at bahraingp.com or by calling the BIC Hotline on +973-17450000.

Amongst the available hospitality options, F1 Paddock Club is world-class hospitality at its finest, offering true luxury at the heart of F1. Champions Club is an exciting offering created by BIC and F1 Experiences for fans who want to enjoy top-level hospitality and behind-the-scenes access along with insight throughout the race weekend, while The Dome by F1 Experiences is an entry-level hospitality offering that comes with its own range of benefits.

For all information on the available hospitality or to make a booking, call +973-17451086.

Travel packages curated with Gulf Air

BIC is also offering a number of travel packages for the F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2025 for fans wishing to attend from abroad.

These have been curated in collaboration with Gulf Air Holidays and Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority. The packages offer a range of options, including return flights, hotel accommodations, grand prix tickets, and transfers – all at competitive rates.

More information on the travel packages are available on gulfair.com/f1.

F1 Aramco Pre-Season Testing 2025

F1 Aramco Pre-Season Testing 2025 marks the fifth consecutive year that Bahrain has been selected as the venue for these important sessions. F1 testing was first held in Sakhir in 2009, then in 2014, and they have now been hosted by the Kingdom each year since 2021.

All 10 F1 teams will be together on track for the first time in 2025 at BIC, and fans will have an exciting sneak peek on what’s to come this year in the two open days on Thursday and Friday (27 and 28 February).

There will also be plenty of off-track entertainment for the whole family during the tests, including racing simulators and roaming family entertainment and a replica 2025 F1 car that will be on show at the BIC vending area.

Tickets to F1 Aramco Pre-Season Testing 2025 cost BD10 for adults and BD5 for kids, per day, for the two days open to fans. They can be purchased online at bahraingp.com or by calling the BIC Hotline on +973-17450000. Meanwhile, those who had purchased their tickets to the F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2025 on or before 7 December, 2024, will have free access to the tests, making for an incredible two F1 events with one single ticket. BIC’s gates are scheduled to open at 11am on both test days open to fans.