Bahrain officials make circuit repairs ahead of GP

Bahrain International Circuit officials have confirmed measures have been taken to prevent a repeat of the issues that occurred during last week's pre-season test, RacingNews365 can confirm.

The second and final days of the sole three-day test plan were disrupted by lengthy red-flag stoppages due to a drain lifting on the approach to Turn 11.

The forces created by the current ground-effect cars following the introduction of new aerodynamic regulations at the start of 2022 exposed a weakness at the 20-year-old track which has now been remedied.

Red Bull chief technical officer Adrian Newey further suggested the increase in weight of the cars over the years had also played a part.

The issue that arose during testing resulted from a fault in specific areas that could not be identified through the normal testing process of drains.

At the conclusion of the test on Friday, BIC undertook a detailed review, along with FIA race director Niels Wittich, and in consultation with its circuit designers, Tilke.

BIC and the FIA agreed to a programme of work for the affected drain area, as well as other areas of the circuit where there could be potential issues with drains.

That has resulted in the drains at Turn 11, and also Turn 7, being filled in with concrete. Additional welding work in certain areas was also undertaken.

The completed works have since been inspected and approved by Wittich. Analysis has shown that filling in the two drains will not have a material impact on the overall effectiveness of the drainage system at the circuit.