Onto Bahrain we go!

The Bahrain International Circuit, home to this weekend's third round of the 2017 Formula One Championship, is a venue that was purposely built for the Formula One circus. The stunning state of the art circuit here in the desert made its debut in 2004 when it became the first GP to be held in the Middle East.

On the one hand the many slow corners here require a high level of downforce, while on the other the exceptional breadth of the track encourages the drivers to overtake, which means we can't leave maximum speed out of the equation. Even though overtaking may be harder to do this year with the season opening Australian Grand Prix showing that the new regulations make it harder, not easier, to get past a rival on track, last weekend's Chinese Grand Prix proved it is possible on circuits more suited to overtaking, as Bahrain is.

With the low-speed corners, traction and brake balance also play a major role here. In fact brake wear on this circuit is particularly high, especially in the turn after the start-finish straight and in turn 4.

At night the wind regularly sweeps sand onto the track. Generally conditions improve as the day goes on, but tyre wear can nevertheless be fairly high on account of the sand. That is an important factor for race strategy. The race takes place near dusk and finishes under the lights, with the temperature swing from the heat of day to the cool of night adding another variable to a car's setup and adjustability.

This year's event at the stunning state of the art circuit is the thirteenth race to be contested by the Formula one circus, it's fourth night event and the second in a back to back run with China, making it the third round of the 2017 season.

Ferrari have won the event a total of four times, the most of any other team on the grid, in fact the inaugural event in 2004 was won by Michael Schumacher with then teammate Rubens Barrichello crossing the line in second place. McLaren driver Fernando Alonso won here in his two championship seasons with Renault, 2005 and 2006, Ferrari regained control of the track in 07 and 08 with Felipe Massa winning both times, the latter being a one two finish with Kimi Raikkonen following him home in P2. Then, in 09 Brawn GP and Jenson Button took the win as he worked on six straight victories to start off the season.

In 2010, Alonso won again, this time for Ferrari, their final win at this track, before it was cancelled in 2011 due to protests in the country and the FIA deeming it unsafe for their drivers to go there. The FIA opted to postpone the event until October, however there were too many against the idea and it was finally scrapped altogether.

There was more controversy in 2012 when human rights activists called for the cancellation of the event, however it went ahead as planned, just on the shorter version of the track.

"The Formula One teams want the sport's governing body to cancel, or at least postpone, the Bahrain Grand Prix,” a team member said at the time, “because of increasing safety concerns amid ongoing protests in the kingdom. I feel very uncomfortable about going to Bahrain. If I'm brutally frank, the only way they can pull this race off without incident is to have a complete military lockdown there. And I think that would be unacceptable, both for F1 and for Bahrain. But I don't see any other way they can do it."

That year saw the first of Sebastian Vettel's wins here, with 2014 and 15 belong to triple world champion Lewis Hamilton with now retired Mercedes man Nico Rosberg, taking the win here in 2016.

Like Australia, the heat experienced here can easily pose a challenge for both car and driver, more so with the added physical demands this season and unlike last weekend's Chinese Grand Prix, rain is more than likely not on the menu. At this stage a hot race is expected and together with the sand constantly being blown onto the track it can often change grip conditions quite suddenly, something that may cause more dramas with the new wider tyres.

During the course of the Bahrain Grand Prix, lows should range from 25-26 degrees Celsius to 30-35 degrees Celsius. Relative humidity ranges from 35 percent to 82 percent, with a dew point varying from 11 degrees Celsius to 21 degrees. The dew point is rarely below 5 degrees Celsius or above 24 degrees Celsius. Typical wind speeds vary from 5-27 kph/3-17 mph (light air to moderate breeze), rarely exceeding 42 kph/26 mph.

The race consists of 57 laps and Pedro de la Rosa holds the race lap record of 1:31.447, set in 2005 with McLaren. Lewis Hamilton holds the qualifying lap record of 1:29.493, set in 2016 with Mercedes in Q3, however with the faster speeds already seen this season, we can probably expect both of these to be broken this weekend.

Although alcoholic beverages are legal in Bahrain, drivers do not spray the traditional champagne on the podium. Instead, race organizers provide drivers with Waard, a non-alcoholic drink made from rosewater and pomegranate.

The fight at the front is sure to be another thriller after Ferrari proving in the opening two rounds that they are par with their rivals at Mercedes with Vettel taking the win in Australia while Lewis Hamilton finished second and in China, the result was opposite. So with one win apiece, this weekend's race will see the two teams fighting hard to come out on top with Red Bull striving to catch up. Max Verstappen's run from 16^th to 3^rd in China cannot be discounted either as Bahrain will offer very similar opportunities for the young Dutchman.

With just days to go before first practice gets underway, it won't be long before we know who will come out on top before we head to Russia...let the games begin!

For all the facts and figures on the Bahrain International Circuit, click here.