F1 records set to tumble as plans for Bahrain race with laps under 60 seconds and average speed of 143mph announced

FORMULA ONE have released details of a second race in Bahrain where records will be smashed – all under the night sky. The Sakhir circuit will host two GPs later in the year with the second instalment on December 6, raced around the outer track and after sunset. F1 predict that a lap for qualifying […]

FORMULA ONE have released details of a second race in Bahrain where records will be smashed – all under the night sky.

The Sakhir circuit will host two GPs later in the year with the second instalment on December 6, raced around the outer track and after sunset.

F1 predict that a lap for qualifying will take just 55 seconds, while in race trim the cars will still be lapping at under a minute a lap.

The 3.543km track has just 11 corners and is the second-shortest on the calendar behind Monaco.

However, the speeds will be considerably higher in Bahrain – averaging around 143mph per lap.

That in turn means the number of laps has been set at a dizzying 87 for the full race.

Only once in the history of F1 has a driver produced a qualifying lap quicker than 60 seconds.

And that was Niki Lauda at the French GP in 1974, when he posted a time of 58.79 seconds while driving for Ferrari.

F1 managing director Ross Brawn said: “We are excited to announce the outer circuit as the format for the Sakhir Grand Prix.

“[We] want to thank our partners at the Bahrain International Circuit for their continued support.

“We assessed a number of options for the alternative circuit layout.

“[We] concluded the outer circuit will provide the best alternative and will provide a new challenge for all the teams and entertain all our fans with high speeds and fast lap times.”