Desert storm: F1's biggest Bahrain Grand Prix controversies

Things weren’t quite so clean between the two in 2018 though, with Hamilton labelling Verstappen as a “dickhead” in the drivers’ cool down room post-race.

The two came together as Verstappen tried to pass Hamilton on the second lap at Turn 1, fighting for 10th place. The Red Bull driver’s rear-left tyre ran over the Mercedes front wing and caused a puncture that consequently took Verstappen out of the race.

Hamilton was able to recover from the incident to finish third, and made his comment on Verstappen whilst watching a replay as he prepared for the podium. The comment was caught by the cameras, and even initiated an amusing eyebrow raise from race winner Sebastian Vettel.

By the following round in China, the two had kissed and made up, with Hamilton offering an apology for the remark.

Third time isn’t a charm for Ocon

Esteban Ocon had an abundance of penalties during the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix, in a nightmare that is still mocked by fans online. The “10-second penalty for Ocon” meme originated over this disastrous race for the Frenchman and Alpine in one of the most bizarre sequences of events.

The first telling off from the FIA – F1’s governing body – came as a result of Ocon being out of place on his grid spot for the race start. Replays clearly showed the pink Alpine liveried car being further to the right than those ahead and behind him on the grid, and Ocon was slapped with a five-second time-penalty as a result. Fair enough.

The first telling off from the FIA – F1’s governing body – came as a result of Ocon being out of place on his grid spot for the race start. Replays clearly showed the pink Alpine liveried car being further to the right than those ahead and behind him on the grid, and Ocon was slapped with a five-second time-penalty as a result. Fair enough.

During his first pitstop, Alpine and Ocon had to serve the penalty, which meant none of the team could touch the car for the first five seconds as per the regulations. However, one keen mechanic was found to have made contact with the car 0.4 seconds too soon. This then resulted in a 10-second time-penalty. Oh dear.

Just when you thought things couldn’t get worse, Ocon was found to have been 0.1km/h over the speed limit in the pitlane and was handed a further five-second penalty. A total of three penalties in one race saw Ocon equal a record that was last managed by Pastor Maldonado at the 2015 Hungarian Grand Prix.

Unfortunately for Ocon, he would go on to receive four penalties over the 2023 Austrian Grand Prix totalling 30 seconds worth of reprimands.

Cancelled race during 2011 season

The Bahrain Grand Prix was removed from the calendar during 2011 after pro-democracy protests occurred in the country, resulting in a large loss of life. Scheduled to be held in March of that year, it was later confirmed to be rescheduled to October before teams objected to the change of schedule.

The FIA’s World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) made the decision to give Bahrain the late October slot which was initially for the Indian Grand Prix. India would then be moved to a proposed date of 11 December as the season finale, but the idea was labelled as “unbearable” for staff by FOTA – an organisation that represented all but one F1 team.

This plan was then reversed, meaning Bahrain was removed entirely from the 2011 calendar. It was reintroduced the following year, despite much unrest in Bahrain and has remained an annual addition to the schedule despite the disapproval from some locals.

Hamilton’s penalised pitlane tactics

For the 2017 race, any chance of victory came crashing down for Hamilton after receiving a five-second penalty for a pitlane incident.

Lance Stroll and Carlos Sainz had made contact at Turn 1 and deployed the safety car, after Sainz left the pitlane but Stroll was apparently unaware he was approaching the corner. The two tangled, causing significant damage to both their cars, and saw a flurry of drivers make their first pitstops during the safety car window.

Race leader Valtteri Bottas was quickly called in to switch tyres, but Mercedes had made the decision to double-stack their drivers. In order to give the team more time and stop himself from waiting around too long, Hamilton slowed on the approach and entry to the pitlane. However, he had third-placed Daniel Ricciardo following him closely.

The penalty came as a result of slowing in the pitlane, not on entry to it, and meant Hamilton would have to settle for second to eventual race winner Vettel by 6.6 seconds.

Should the 2020 race have resumed?

One of the scariest moments in recent motor sport memory was Romain Grosjean’s fireball accident at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix. Then driving with Haas, Grosjean’s car speared into the barriers on the opening lap, splitting in two and immediately bursting into flames. Thankfully, and largely thanks to the incredible safety measures put in place by the FIA, he was able to remove himself from the cockpit and jump into the arms of the doctors who were fighting the flames.

Although the story had a happy ending, despite Grosjean suffering second-degree burns to his hands, it was still a traumatic event for everyone involved; including teams, the other 19 drivers and fans watching on at home.

Grosjean hit the barriers at almost 120 km/h, and spent close to 30 seconds engulfed by the flames before his exit. Once it was known he was safe, replays were run on the international broadcast and vulnerable radio clippings of driver radios played for all to hear.

“I’m disgusted and disappointed with Formula 1 for showing or choosing the way to show it as they did,” Ricciardo said at the time. “Broadcast replays after replays after replays of the fire, and his car split in half. And then, like that’s not enough, they go to his onboard.

“Why do we need to see this? We’re competing again in an hour. His family has to keep watching that. All our families have to keep watching that. And you’re fucking with everyone’s emotions. It’s really unfair. It’s not entertainment.”

After a lengthy 80-minute red flag period to fix the barriers, the race was restarted to many people’s disapproval. But, no sooner had things got going again, the race came to a halt again after Lance Stroll‘s Racing Point was flipped upside down due to contact with Daniil Kvyat. With people’s nerves and the tension at an all time high due to so many incidents in quick succession, there were questions raised on whether the race should continue.

It did resume, with Hamilton converting his pole position into the victory. Nevertheless, the win was undoubtedly overshadowed by the terrifying reminder of how dangerous this sport really can be.