Three is a magic number.

No other digit holds such power, mystique, or significance. From religion to rhetoric, the rule of three is inescapable. Omne trium perfectum or, for those of you who haven't studied Latin, ‘every set of three is perfect’ – there’s a sense of balance whenever this integer is involved. And, in F1 right now, nothing is more finely balanced than the midfield Constructors’ Championship fight. Three weeks, three races and oh so much to play for in the Middle East.

Our Middle Eastern sojourn starts with the Bahrain Grand Prix and everything you need to know is right here in our race preview. Get the thoughts of Carlos Sainz, Lando Norris and McLaren F1 Team Principal Andreas Seidl ahead of this weekend, and make sure you’re all clued up on the latest McLaren merch offers and giveaways. Did someone say Black Friday?!

How to follow

Round	15
Where	Bahrain International Circuit
When	27 - 29 November
Start time	17:10 local, 14:10 GMT, 09:10 EDT
Follow	TEAMStream and the McLaren App for exclusive commentary and insight

What they say

“What a great comeback we had in Turkey and more importantly secured vital points for the team. Consistency is key for the final three races. We want to score as many points as possible and we will fight until the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi. 

“But first we have two rounds in Bahrain, so it’s going to be an intense final triple-header. It’s not an easy task after such a compressed calendar this year, but as a team we’re prepared and ready to go racing. Bahrain is a track I’ve always enjoyed and I’m looking forward to racing the two track layouts. Let’s go for it!” 

“We’re ending the season just like we started it with one final triple-header, and I can’t wait to get back into the rhythm of racing back-to-back again. It’s definitely going to be a tough challenge as we haven’t had a triple-header in a while, but we’re going to give it everything. Turkey showed that we’re still in the fight and anything can happen. We just need to make every session count and most of all focus on ourselves.  

“The circuit in Bahrain usually makes for some good wheel-to-wheel racing with plenty of chances to overtake, especially with the three DRS zones. Looking back at last year, Bahrain was one of my best races and it’s where I scored my first points in Formula 1. Hopefully we can continue to score some important points this weekend and kick off the triple-header strong.” 

“We head to Bahrain this week to begin the final triple-header on the calendar as the season starts to come to a close. We’ve got three very exciting and equally challenging races left with two in Bahrain – which is a very special venue for McLaren and a home-from-home race – followed by the final race in Abu Dhabi. Looking back to the start of the season, we know what to expect with already having three triple-headers under our belts. Of course, the demands and challenges that come with this intense format still remain the same and as a team we’re ready for the task ahead.  

“We know how strong our competitors are, so our focus is to extract everything we can out of the car, stay on top of reliability, maximise any opportunities and continue to keep scoring important points.” 

What the stats say

After four consecutive race weekends at circuits where neither Carlos nor Lando had raced an F1 car before, taking to the track at the familiar Bahrain International Circuit feels like coming home. It’s a circuit that holds good memories for Lando in particular. It’s the scene of his first F1 points score, and he stormed to victory here in the inaugural race of the 2018 F2 campaign. Although Carlos has yet to finish in the top 10 here, you can’t help but feel that wouldn’t be the case if things had gone just a little more his way last year. Having qualified P7 in the MCL34 and getting off to a strong start in the race, contact scuppered his chances of a points finish.

The circuit has not exactly been the happiest of hunting grounds for the team either. A win here still eludes us, although we have scored four podiums: two with Lewis Hamilton at the wheel, and two with Kimi Räikkönen. The latter’s remarkable comeback drive from 22nd on the grid (due to a suspension failure that prevented the Finn from setting a lap time in qualifying) to third is arguably the pick of the bunch.

What to watch out for

Every leg of what Racing Director Andrea Stella has dubbed “the final sprint in the Middle East” is going to be crucial. The cars in the midfield are so evenly matched that it’s impossible to make predictions – but that only adds to the intrigue. You’d be mad not to keep a close eye on how things play out under Sakhir’s starry skies this weekend. 

What to wear

Stick a pony in me pocket
I’ll fetch the suitcase from the van
’Cos if you want the best ones
But you don’t ask questions
Then brother, I’m your man…

That’s right folks, it’s Black Friday this week so, at the risk of sounding like Del Boy from Only Fools and Horses, that means there are bargains to be had and deals to be done – and that includes on the McLaren Store. It gets even better for our McLaren Plus members though. While we can’t promise that this time next year you’ll be millionaires, we can guarantee you early access to our Black Friday discounts before everyone else. Stay tuned for more details on when our early access goes live.

Don’t be a plonker. Join the team and sign up to McLaren Plus below. Now!

Plus one

Both Carlos and Lando swung by the MTC last week, and we couldn’t resist asking them to put pen to…err…glass? We framed (classy, right?) some smouldering snaps of the boys, got them to sign them and now we’re giving them away! Want to get your hands on one? You know the drill, just complete this form and make sure you’re signed up to McLaren Plus.

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