Formula One will hold the second of its two Bahrain races around a shortened, fast layout that will take cars less than 55 seconds to lap in qualifying, the sport said in a statement on Friday.
At 3.543 km, the 11-corner layout which makes up the 'outer circuit' of Bahrain’s Sakhir desert track, will be the second-shortest in Formula One behind Monaco, which will not be raced this year.
Simulations showed cars will be able to lap the layout in less than a minute during the race, which will feature the highest number of laps at 87.
Branded the Sakhir Grand Prix, the second race in the Gulf island kingdom will take place on December 6, a week after the country's Bahrain Grand Prix which will be run as usual around the longer 5.4-km 'international layout'.
It will also be held as a full night race, with both qualifying and the race run under floodlights. The Bahrain Grand Prix will remain a dusk-to-dark race.
The Sakhir circuit will be the third venue to host more than one race in Formula One's COVID-19-delayed season, with Austria's Red Bull Ring and Silverstone in England both hosting two races.
It will, however, be the first to use an alternative layout.
"We assessed a number of options for the alternative circuit layout," said Formula One's managing director Ross Brawn in the statement.
"(We) concluded the outer circuit will provide the best alternative and will provide a new challenge for all the teams and entertain all our fans with high speeds and fast lap times.”
Formula One unveiled a fleshed-out 17-race 2020 calendar earlier this week. The second Bahrain race is set to be the penultimate round before the season concludes in Abu Dhabi on December 13.
Athletics coach dies a day before Dronacharya honour
Athletics coach Purshottam Rai died due to a cardiac arrest on Friday, a day before he was to be conferred with the prestigious Dronacharya Award.
"He took part in the rehearsal for the National Sports Awards but later suffered heart attack and passed away," a top source from AFI told PTI. He was 79.
The awards ceremony will be held virtually on Saturday due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
National Athletics Championships postponed to October
The National Open Athletics Championships will now be held in October instead of September with competition committee of the national federation deciding to defer the start of national-level competitions by a month due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The National Championships were scheduled to be held from September 20 to 24 while the Federation Cup, which was due to start from October 5 to 9, has also been postponed.
The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) was hoping to resume competition on September 12 with an AFI Grand Prix in Patiala.
"It would be advisable if the coaches redraw the training schedules of athletes. We are now looking at October end or early November for some competitions for seniors and late November for Juniors," AFI President Adille J. Sumariwalla said in a media release.
"At no point of time do we want to risk the health of our athletes by rushing them into competition with uncertainty and doubt uppermost in their minds," he added.
