Formula 1 will finally return for the 2021 year with an exciting season that is going to kick off in Bahrain this weekend. The wait will be over soon as drivers are already prepared to begin a new campaign, in which everyone will try to dethrone Lewis Hamilton

The F1 won't have its first habitual first date in Australia, and instead Bahrain is going to host the long-awaited return of racing weekends. Pilots have already gone through practice in Sakhir, and the countdown for the new championship is coming to an end.

The 72nd edition of the Formula One World Championship is looming around and fans can't be more excited for its beginning. With many new faces, plus a return like Fernando Alonso's, in addition to interesting movements in teams, the F1 2021 is about to start with the Bahrain GP.

Starting grid for the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix

The first pole of the 2021 F1 season was won by Red Bull driver Max Verstappen and Mercedes riders Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. Surprisingly, with Charles Leclerc in the top five and the new driver Carlos Sainz in the eighth, Ferrari also started off solid.

Among the others, Sebastian Vettel was lucky with two yellow flags slowing down his race and thus, he finished 18th with his new side Aston Martin. Take a look at Sunday's starting grid:

1. Max Verstappen, Red Bull

2. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes

3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes

4. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

5. Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri

6. Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren

7. Lando Norris, McLaren

8. Carlos Sainz, Ferrari

9. Fernando Alonso, Alpine

10. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin

11. Sergio Perez, Red Bull

12. Antonio Giovinazzi, Alfa Romeo

13. Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri

14. Kimi Raikkonen, Alfa Romeo

15. George Russell, Williams

16. Esteban Ocon, Alpine

17. Nicholas Latifi, Williams

18. Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin

19. Mick Schumacher, Haas

20. Nikita Mazepin, Haas

When is the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix?

The 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix race will take place on Sunday, March 28, 2021 at 11 am (ET). 20 drivers from 10 teams will compete to start the championship with the right foot, in the beginning of a very demanding year with a 23-race calendar.

Where can I watch the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix?

The 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix will be broadcasted in the US by ESPN. In UK, Sky Sports will bring live coverage of the race. In Canada, you can watch the F1 via TSN or RDS.

What are the odds for the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix?

Oddsmakers have already made their predictions for the upcoming F1 first race of the year. According to FanDuel, Max Verstappen is the main favorite for this Grand Prix as a victory for him was given odds of +105. The defending champion Lewis Hamilton has odds of +175 instead, while a triumph for his teammate Valteri Bottas would result in a +1000 payout. Check out the odds for each driver: 

  FanDuel
Max Verstappen +105
Lewis Hamilton +175
Valteri Bottas +1000
Sergio Perez +1300
Daniel Ricciardo +1800
Lando Norris +1800
Charles Leclerc +7000
Carlos Sainz +11000
Yuki Tsunoda +11000
Pierre Gasly +11000
Sebastian Vettel +14000
Lance Stroll +14000
Fernando Alonso +18000
Esteban Ocon +18000
Antonio Giovinazzi +20000
Kimi Raikkonen +20000
George Russell +20000
Nicholas Latifi +20000
Nikita Mazepin +20000
Mick Schumacher +20000

* Odds via FanDuel

What is the weather forecast for the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix?

The weather forecast for race day on 2021 Bahrain GP is promising, as there are no signals of rain and it is expected that Sunday will be a sunny and dry day. It will probably be cold, though, as the maximum temperature would be of 26º C,  but there's a 0% chance of rain.

Which drivers have won the Bahrain Grand Prix?

Seven different drivers have won the Bahrain Grand Prix, and three of them are still in the Formula 1. Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel are tied with the most victories in this circuit, with four wins each. Fernando Alonso triumphed here three times. Here is the full list of Bahrain GP winners:

. Michael Schumacher (Ferrari) - 2004
. Fernando Alonso (Renault) - 2005, 2006
. Felipe Massa (Ferrari) - 2007, 2008
. Jenson Button (Brawn-Mercedes), 2009
. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) - 2010
. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) - 2012, 2013
. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) - 2014, 2015
. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) - 2016
. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) - 2017, 2018
. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) - 2019, 2020

Tyre choices for the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix

Like in the 2020 race, the tyres for the 2021 Bahrain GP will be C2 (Hard), C3 (Medium), and C4 (Soft) for all drivers. The tyre allocation for each race of the year is of two sets of hard, three of medium, and eight of soft.

F1 live streams: Bahrain Grand Prix in the US

The 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix will be live streamed through the ESPN App in the US.

F1 live streams: Bahrain Grand Prix in the UK

Sky holds the rights to broadcast the Formula 1 races, so Sky Sports suscribers can watch the weekend's action. The Sky Go app will live stream the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix in the UK.

F1 live streams: Bahrain Grand Prix in Canada

The 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix will be live streamed via TSN Direct and RSN Direct for suscribers.

Full 2021 F1 calendar

. Bahrain Grand Prix - March 26th to 28th 
. Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - April 16th to 18th
. Portuguese Grand Prix - April 30 to May 2nd
. Spanish Grand Prix - May 7th to 9th
. Monaco Grand Prix - May 20th to 23rd
. Azerbaijan Grand Prix - June 4th to 6th
. Canadian Grand Prix - June 11th to 13th
. French Grand Prix - June 25th to 27th
. Austrian Grand Prix - July 2nd to 4th
. British Grand Prix - July 16th to 18th
. Hungarian Grand Prix - July 30 to August 1st
. Belgian Grand Prix - August 27th to 29th
. Dutch Grand Prix - September 3rd to 5th
. Italian Grand Prix - September 10th to 12th
. Russian Grand Prix - September 24th to 26th
. Singapore Grand Prix - October 1st to 3rd
. Japanese Grand Prix - October 8th to 10th
. United States Grand Prix - October 22nd to 24th
. Mexico City Grand Prix - October 29th to 31st
. São Paulo Grand Prix - November 5th to 7th
. Australian Grand Prix - November 19th to 21st
. Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - December 3rd to 5th 
. Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - December 10th to 12th