Edo is a bit of a Bahrain specialist…

On the Thursday afternoon before each race, all the drivers walk the track accompanied by their engineer, to talk themselves through every line, bump, braking zone and gear change. Here, Edo describes the Bahrain International Circuit corner-by-corner.

Turn 1

I’m punching 275kph before I apply the brakes here, at the 100 metre board, shifting from 6^th down to 1^st gear. Brake too late, of course, and I’ll compromise my exit. When I hit the apex I’ll jump right on the throttle while my tyres are working, but as the race goes on I will need to ease the power on here more gently.

Turns 2 and 3

Immediately after T1 there’s a left hand kink. The guys who qualify in the top five will all have done this flat out, and that’s my aim too. I stay away from all the kerbs here as it threatens to upset the balance of the car. As I exit T2 up to T3 I’ll experience some oversteer as the camber changes.

Turn 4

I’m up to 6^th gear here, before braking at the 100 metre board. It’s very bumpy under braking. The corner is banked, so they’re plenty of grip. Downshift to 2^nd for the apex, the car feeds itself around before exiting over a little crest.

Turns 5, 6 and 7

There are a couple of advertising hoardings beside the track here which I think are unlikely to survive the weekend! I drop one cog to 3^rd as I pass through T5 and flick right for T6, without braking. Taking T7 flat is going to be a great challenge.

Turn 8

Then I brake in a straight line for what is essentially a hairpin. There is a big bump, and I use that as my braking point. It’s 1^st gear and I take a wide line getting lots of kerb on the exit before builfing up to 4^th gear.

Turns 9 and 10

This is a very trick corner combination. Essentially it’s a double left-hander. I brake right on the apex of Turn 9. Then I select 1^st for T10 and have to make sure I don’t lock my front-left wheel. I’ll adjust the brake bias to the rear.

Turn 11

A long straight down to this corner means I’m hitting 260kph in 6^th before braking hard about 75 metres before the corner and sweeping left.

Turn 12

After bearing hard left at the previous corner, I now flick right and flat-out. There’s a bump right on the apex of T12 and it makes the car understeer. But it’s essential to keep my foot planted and ride it out. Lift off and I could lose it. The nose will come back and turn in before it’s too late, you just need a little faith. Grip will be restored. 

Turn 13

Now I’m carrying quite a lot of speed and need to shift from 5^th to 2^nd for this next right-hander. I need to brake in a straight line before turning in late and brushing the kerb on the inside – there’s a marker post here for reference. It’s a very late apex. I take as much kerb on the exit as possible. But I need to take care as alongside the red-and-white kerbing is a slice of sand-coloured Astroturf. If I get a wheel on this the car could flick left and chuck me into the gravel trap.

Turn 14

When I raced here in January I think I was braking too early for T14. Instead, I’ll try to brake 75 metres before the corner this time. If that doesn’t work I guess you’ll find me in Saudi! A decent exit from this corner is important because the straight is very long. However, because the Asia Series engines are wound down the cars all level out as they pass the start/finish line. Braking is more important in GP2. I take this corner in 2^nd gear and ride the kerb on the exit.