The start of the Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix held in Malaysia, a country located in Southeast Asia with a tropical climate, was delayed by more than an hour. Due to very heavy rain on the Sepang circuit.
The seasonal rain showers, known for their abundance, speed and frequency at this time of the year, began about half an hour before the scheduled start of the 22 Formula 1 cars at 15:00 local time (07:00 GMT), which led to the circuit being flooded with water and the cars, their drivers, engineers and technicians working around it getting wet, despite the cars being protected by tents on the starting grid.
All drivers took refuge in their teams' garages, while the race management announced the establishment of a formation lap behind the safety car at 15:40. However, a number of cars, which are models that combine tremendous power and advanced technology, faced electronic and information problems during the warm-up laps on the wet track, including the Red Bull car of the Dutchman Max Verstappen, who was scheduled to start from the front row, and the Haas car of the Frenchman Esteban Ocon.
At 16:00, all the cars were lined up in the side lane in front of the garages to allow the technical teams to work on the electronic systems inside the cars and possibly change the tires.
The large crowd takes shelter under the roofs of the stands, but many fans sit on the grassy areas in light of the bad weather conditions.
This is the first time this year that a Formula 1 race has been affected by rain, despite short showers before the Canadian and Dutch races.
Malaysia, a tropical country located not far from the equator, hosted Formula 1 races between 1999 and 2017 on the Sepang Circuit, which is famous for its long straight lines in which speeds reach 330 kilometers per hour, and its fast turns and winding turns that require severe braking.
The conditions there are characterized by high temperatures and humidity, which constitute a severe test for the tyres, engines, electronic systems and physical ability of drivers.
Malaysia had offered the Formula One Championship and the Kingdom of Bahrain to host the Grand Prix, which was canceled in April due to the war in the Middle East.
Verstappen, the four-time world champion, will start from the first position on board his Red Bull car, which shined throughout the weekend, in front of the Ferrari car driven by the British star Lewis Hamilton, who has won seven world titles.
The race is supposed to extend to 56 laps, each of which is 5.543 kilometers long, or to last a maximum of two hours.
It gets dark around 18:30 in Sepang, located 70 kilometers from the capital, Kuala Lumpur, while the circuit does not have night lighting.
Lamine Yamal continued his remarkable brilliance with the Spanish national team, after scoring for the third match in a row during the current international break, an achievement achieved for the first time with the national team.
Yamal scored a goal for the Spanish El Matador in the sixth minute during their 3-1 win over the Czech Republic, after scoring against England in the second minute. He then scored two goals and made another against Croatia, bringing him to 12 goals and 7 assists in his last 9 matches with Barcelona and his country's national team.
Yamal's goal against the Czech Republic came from a wonderful shot on the edge of the penalty area that landed in the far corner of goalkeeper Antonin Kinski, igniting the enthusiasm of the fans at Carlos Tarteri Stadium.
Yamal raised his score to 11 goals in 36 international matches, when he was nineteen years old, a remarkable number for a player who previously won the World Cup and the European Championship with Spain.
After Spain advanced (2-0) at the end of the first half, coach Luis de la Fuente decided to replace Yamal in the second half, as part of his keenness to manage the players’ participation minutes amid the pressure of the matches.
“It is difficult to maintain a balance between results and the health of the players,” De La Fuente said. We have to win games, but the most important thing is health. “We hope we will not suffer any more injuries.”
The Spanish coach praised Yamal in the press conference, saying: “His development has become a daily reality that we see when he scores. I put my hand on my head in admiration, not astonishment. “If he were the only Spanish player nominated for the Ballon d’Or, I would say he is the best player in the world.”
French national team coach Zinedine Zidane confirmed, on Sunday, that he will make “changes” in the lineup to face Belgium, on Monday, at the “Stade de France” stadium in the fourth round of the European Nations League football competition, three days after a 1-1 draw at home with Italy.
Zidane said in a press conference: “There will be changes, that is for sure.” It's our fourth game (in 10 days), and we shouldn't do anything randomly either. In addition, we must benefit from all the players.”
The former French star added: “Everyone is important in this team. This is the message I want to get across to my players. “I want to depend on everyone.”
Zidane had made a wide rotation of the squad, last Monday, in Belgium (1-0 win), 3 days after another victory in Türkiye with the same result.
Before the last match of his first gathering at the head of the technical management of the “Roosters” team, the coach confirmed that he was “satisfied” with the “morale” shown by his players.
He said: “It was wonderful to be with the players for 15 days. I'm feeling a little disappointed that this camp is about to end. There is still one final push required for us to leave this camp happy. “The players worked well, and it would be good to finish it with a win.”
