Bahrain may not be the most loved of Formula 1 races but the Sakhir circuit has produced some great races down the years since it’s inception in 2004.

If nothing else, the track is now a great spectacle having switched to a night race in 2014, with sparks flying off of these incredible machines. So with all that in mind here’s Essaar’s Top 3 Bahrain Grand Prix…

3: 2005

Fernando Alonso qualified his Renault on pole for the hottest Grand Prix ever with Michael Schumacher alongside him on the front row. The order remained the same at the front after Turn 1 but Rubens Barrichello, starting in 20th, had gained 10 positions by the end of Lap 1.

Alonso’s teammate, Giancarlo Fisichella, had engine issues and retired after just 4 laps. Schumacher had stuck with Alonso up until Lap 12, when he overcooked his brakes going into Turn 9 due to a hydraulics failure. He subsequently retired which left the door open for Alonso to claim his second win in a row.

He was joined on the podium by Jarno Trulli in his Toyota and Kimi Raikkonen for McLaren, who started down in ninth. An impressive drive from Raikkonen, but this was far from the Finn’s best performance in Bahrain…

2: 2006

Expectation was high for the opening race of 2006 for the new V8 engines. Michael Schumacher qualified his Ferrari on pole while defending champion, Fernando Alonso, was in a less-than-favourable fourth.

Schumacher lead away from pole but Alonso cleared Jenson Button and the spinning Ferrari of Felipe Massa to fly into second place. The 1-2 was maintained for the majority of the race, but Alonso managed to overcut Schumacher and take the lead after the second round of stops.

It wasn’t easy though, as the Spaniard became the last of the late breakers into Turn 1. Schumacher predictably fought back and pushed the world champion all the way but Alonso started his title defence in the best possible fashion, with a win.

As we saw in Japan in 2005, Kimi Raikkonen is no stranger to sensational drives from the back of the grid with the Finn putting in one of his best performances in Sakhir. He started last on the grid, after his McLaren suffered a suspension failure in qualifying, but that didn’t stop him from scything his way through the field.

Fourth-placed man, Jenson Button, was hoping to challenge for the championship in 2006 so must’ve been horrified when Raikkonen flew past the Briton to claim the final spot on the podium.

1: 2014 – The Duel in the Desert

Formula 1’s 900th Grand Prix was exceptional as the two Mercedes drivers put on a show that we won’t forget in a hurry.

After his retirement at the first race of the season, Lewis Hamilton was desperate to close down the lead that his teammate, Nico Rosberg, was building. The British driver was in great form, having qualified quickest in the first two races of the season, but it was Rosberg who claimed pole in Bahrain by nearly three tenths.

At the start, Hamilton got the jump on Rosberg and lead into Turn 1. The Silver Arrows were the class of the field, several seconds a lap faster than the entire field. Rosberg didn’t lose sight of Hamilton and attacked into the first corner on Lap 18 diving down the inside, both drivers locked up and the German had taken the lead. However, Lewis now had the slipstream and hung it around the outside through Turn 4 and into the S-section to retake the lead in spectacular fashion.

When the Safety Car emerged on Lap 41 for Pastor Maldonado flipping Esteban Gutierrez, Rosberg now had the advantage on faster tyres over his teammate. The Mercedes boys and their cars were even given the green light to race by Paddy Lowe. Rosberg tried everything to get the win, diving inside and outside, but Hamilton showed his class to win a sensational race after a brilliant defensive display.

Force India’s Sergio Perez defied all odds to gate-crash the podium, finishing third. All of that after Ferrari president, Luca di Montezemolo, described Formula 1 as a conservation series, even going so far as to liken it to “taxi-cab driving”.

With a Hamilton vs. Vettel duel on the cards, will we see a classic battle in Bahrain like 2014? Tune in to @essaarGP and @essaarLIVE throughout the weekend to keep up with all the action from Sakhir.