F1 Bahrain Grand Prix history: Former winners, notable events and past incidents
The 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix is the 19th edition of the event on the Formula 1 calendar.
In that time, eight different winners have been crowned since the first race in 2004, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc adding his name to that list last season.
A number of notable events also took place at the event previously, including the major crash of Romain Grosjean in 2020.
In this profile The sports news brings you everything you need to know about the history of the Bahrain Grand Prix.
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Who won the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix?
The 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix took place on March 20 last year and was chosen as the first venue and first race of the season in the Formula One World Championship.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc stole the show in qualifying as he took pole position for Sunday’s race, his first of 16 attempts since the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Leclerc would also win the race and set the fastest lap to take the lead in the Drivers’ World Championship standings very early. Team-mate Carlos Sainz (P2) and Lewis Hamilton (P3) completed the podiums, while rookie Zhou Guanyu took a point for Alfa Romeo on his debut.
There was plenty of drama elsewhere too, as Red Bull pairing Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez both suffered retirements towards the end of the race, neither of whom finished.
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Previous Bahrain Grand Prix winners
A complete list of previous race winners by driver and constructor.
| Year | Winning Driver | Winning Constructor |
| 2004 | Michael sSchumacher | Ferrari |
| 2005 | Fernando Alonso | Renault |
| 2006 | Fernando Alonso | Renault |
| 2007 | Philip Massa | Ferrari |
| 2008 | Philip Massa | Ferrari |
| 2009 | Jenson Button | Brawn Mercedes |
| 2010 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari |
| 2012 | Sebastian Vettel | red bull |
| 2013 | Sebastian Vettel | red bull |
| 2014 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes |
| 2015 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes |
| 2016 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes |
| 2017 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari |
| 2018 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari |
| 2019 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes |
| 2020 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes |
| 2021 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes |
| 2022 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari |
Which driver and constructor has won the most Bahrain Grand Prix races?
It will come as little surprise to Formula 1 fans that British driver Lewis Hamilton holds the record for having won the Bahrain Grand Prix the most times in the sport’s history.
The seven-time world champion has won five times at the Bahrain International Circuit during his career, with those wins coming in 2014, 2015, 2019, 2020 and 2021. In fact, he stood on the podium 11 times in 15 entries at this event.
When it comes to constructors, Italian giant Ferrari has won the most titles in Bahrain.
The Prancing Horse has won the Bahrain Grand Prix seven times, including last season when Leclerc took the checkered flag. They also won the very first edition of this race in 2004 when racing legend Michael Schumacher scored full points on his way to his seventh and final world title.
Notable events at the Bahrain Grand Prix
The Bahrain Grand Prix is often the subject of controversy, which mainly started in 2011 when the race was canceled less than a month before it was scheduled to be held.
That was due to the Bahrain protests in 2011, and although the FIA tried to move the race to October, the entire event was eventually canceled entirely.
The 2012 Grand Prix was also held with several human rights activists calling for its cancellation following reports of the authorities’ continued use of excessive force. Despite the protests, the event took place.
The track saw the most notable event of 2020 when Haas driver Romain Grosjean miraculously survived one of the biggest crashes in the sport’s recent history.
On lap one of the race, the Frenchman crashed into a barrier at high speed, causing his car to split in half which subsequently burst into flames. Finally, after a few seconds, he managed to get out of the wreck with minor burns, even though this race was his last race in the sport.
The accident at the Bahrain International Circuit was unusual as it is widely regarded as one of the safest in the world due to its large run-off zones and wide racetracks, making serious accidents rare.