F1 Bahrain Grand Prix history: Former winners, notable events and past incidents

Nathan Evans

F1 Bahrain Grand Prix history: Former winners, notable events and past incidents image

The 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix will be the 19th running of the event on the Formula One calendar. 

During that time, eight different winners have been crowned since the first race back in 2004 with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc adding his name to that list last season. 

The event has also previously seen a number of notable events take place, including Romain Grosjean's huge crash in 2020. 

In this profile, The Sporting News brings you everything you need to know about the history of the Bahrain Grand Prix. 

MORE: 2023 season calendar, list of circuits, fastest ever lap times and more

Who won the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix? 

The 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix took place on March 20 last year and was selected as the first venue and 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 in 16 attempts since the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. 

Leclerc would also go on to win the race and set the fastest lap to assume the very early lead in the World Drivers' Championship standings. Teammate Carlos Sainz (P2) and Lewis Hamilton (P3) rounded out the podium positions whilst rookie Zhou Guanyu took a point for Alfa Romeo on his debut. 

Charles Leclerc wins the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix. Photo: Richard Mille
Charles Leclerc wins the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix. Photo: Richard Mille

There was plenty of drama elsewhere as well, as Red Bull pair Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez both suffered failures towards the end of the race which saw neither finish. 

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Past winners at the Bahrain Grand Prix 

A full list of the previous race winners by driver and constructor. 

Year Winning Driver Winning Constructor
2004 Michael Schumacher Ferrari
2005 Fernando Alonso Renault
2006 Fernando Alonso Renault
2007 Felipe Massa Ferrari
2008 Felipe 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'll come as little surprise to Formula One fans that British driver Lewis Hamilton holds the record for winning the Bahrain Grand Prix the most times in the sport's history.

The seven-time world champion has tasted victory five times around the Bahrain International Circuit during his career with those wins coming in 2014, 2015, 2019, 2020 and 2021. In fact, he's finished in the podium places 11 times at this event in 15 entries. 

When it comes to constructors, Italian giants Ferrari have claimed the most titles in Bahrain.

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The Prancing Horse have won the Bahrain Grand Prix seven times, including last season when Leclerc took the chequered flag. They also won the very first running of this race back in 2004 as racing legend Michael Schumacher picked up full points on his way to his seventh and last world title. 

Notable events at the Bahrain Grand Prix

The Bahrain Grand Prix is one that has often been shrouded in controversy which mainly began back in 2011 when the race was cancelled less than a month before it was meant to go ahead. 

That was owing to the 2011 Bahraini protests and even though the FIA attempted to reschedule the race for October, the overall event was eventually fully cancelled. 

The 2012 Grand Prix was also effected with various human rights activists calling for its cancellation due to reports of ongoing use of excessive force by authorities. Despite the protests, the event went ahead.

On the track, the most notable event came in 2020 when Haas driver Romain Grosjean miraculously survived one of the biggest crashes in the recent history of the sport. 

On lap one of the race, the French driver hit a barrier at high speed, splitting his car in half which subsequently ignited in flames. Eventually after a few seconds he managed to exit the wreckage with minor burns, though that race acted as his final in the sport. 

The crash was an unusual one at the Bahrain International Circuit as due to its large run off areas and wide racing lanes, it's generally regarded as one of the safest in the world and as such, major accidents are few and far between. 

Nathan Evans

Nathan Evans Photo

A Sports Journalism Masters graduate, Nathan Evans joined The Sporting News in 2022 after working at Opta/Stats Perform for six years. He's an avid fan of Bradford City, FC Köln and the Pittsburgh Penguins.