The famous Winfield flight school is exported to the Middle East

The famous Winfield Racing School, which trained no less than 1960 drivers between the mid-1990s and the end of the 30s. Formula 1 including ten Grand Prix winners and two world champions – Damon Hill and Alain Prost –, opens a new page in its history by establishing itself outside the borders of France.

Relaunched in 2016, the school introduced to piloting some of the main current hopes of the car as Theo Pourchaire (FIA champion F2 2023 / F1 reserve at Sauber), Isack Hadjar (protected by Red Bull Junior Team), or Dorian Pin (which will represent Mercedes in F1 Academy this season).

With the “Bahrain International Circuit” (BIC), through a global education program with the support of the Bahraini authorities, they will develop a training center on the Sakhir track capable of training the best drivers and mechanics of tomorrow, all by offering activation tools for businesses, VIPs, thought leaders, etc. The initiative aims to spread motorsport culture and deepen its understanding in the Middle East, as Bahrain prepares to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its first Formula 1 Grand Prix.

« Historically, the Winfield School has always operated on two circuits in France – Magny-Cours and Paul Ricard – and we wanted to reproduce this pattern, explains Frédéric Garcia, President of Winfield Group.

Except that today we are in a much more international context than it was in the last century and having two schools in France is no longer of much interest. Conversely, having a school in Europe acting as a bridgehead to develop other schools around the world and thus reach young pilots from other backgrounds makes sense.

Training, evaluating, and detecting young people who have potential will be our primary mission on the Bahrain international circuit, but we will also develop the events part. For me, the two necessarily go hand in hand.

By setting up in the Middle East, which is our target market, the idea is also to reach the Asia-Pacific. For young Australians or Indonesians for example, it is complicated to go from national championships to karting at F4 championships in Europe. This is a big step on all levels, and Bahrain will offer a closer and more affordable alternative »

Winfield and BIC aim to strengthen the Middle East's growing weight in the motorsport ecosystem @ Winfield Racing School

A global effort

For Sherif Al Mahdy, Commercial Director of the circuit, “ Creating a flight school with a partner like Winfield is a natural progression for BIC, given the work we do to support the next generation of pilots.

We have had flight academies in the past, but I think what is different about our new partnership with Winfield is that we share the same passion and vision for what we are trying to achieve. At BIC we have incredible facilities capable of accommodating a wide variety of motorsport disciplines and Winfield will bring its expertise as a driving school supporting the progression of young drivers through the ranks and disciplines of the race.

But our vision does not stop at driving alone since it affects all motorsport professions, starting with the training of talented mechanics. Our effort will be global to ultimately make the Middle East a stronghold for motorsport. This is the mission that we have set for ourselves and which begins today. »

The system will be the same as at the Circuit Paul-Ricard du Castellet (Var) for training, but with some adjustments since it is necessary to ride in the evening due to the high temperatures. This is a big challenge that Winfield Racing School is facing today, which is leaving its environment for the first time in its 60-year history.