There was plenty of drama at Sakhir Circuit this weekend, with a riveting as well as unpredictable race that forced Sebastian Vettel to use a daring 1-stop strategy to counter the mighty Mercs’ strategic masterclass.
Here are some key points we can take from the Bahrain Grand Prix that took place on Sunday:
-
The midfield this year is closer (and more colourful) than ever
With Force India struggling somewhat and Williams simply having a shambolic start to the year, this has brought the other midfield teams further into focus. Renault, Haas, McLaren and even Toro Rosso have been propped up as a result of Williams’ and Force India’s struggles, and thus the field looks to be a lot more exciting and close together this year. Could we see something other than a Ferrari, Mercedes or Red Bull taking the chequered flag soon?
-
Honda may have worked something out
If anyone told me before the weekend that Toro Rosso would’ve been heading up the midfield this year, even at only one race, I’d have recommended a trip to a psychiatrist. However, not only did Pierre Gasly qualify fastest out of all the non-top-3 drivers, but he also brought the car home in 4th place, after Raikkonen, Ricciardo and Verstappen dropped out due to their luck running short once again. Deservedly, Gasly took home the Driver of the Day prize – after 89% of respondents voted for him.
-
Kimi Raikkonen is still cursed
Kimi Raikkonen looked set for a 3rd place finish after a poor start, but a dodgy pitstop by Ferrari not only put him out of the race, it also resulted in one of their most experienced mechanics getting his leg broken. It is almost comical if you consider how bad Raikkonen’s luck has been throughout his career… But that’s for a dedicated article.
-
Vettel is the tyre whisperer
With a tyre failure ruining Vettel’s races three times in three previous seasons with Ferrari, Sebastian would most certainly have been worried by his team’s instruction for him to follow “Plan D” – basically “go to the end on your ruined Soft Pirellis and hope for the best because we messed up Kimi’s pitstop again and the Mercs are doing a one stop on Medium Pirellis.” With Vettel’s car getting wheel spin halfway down the straights, Ferrari fans were praying for a miracle. Sure enough, Vettel beat the odds and came home to win after a tense battle with Bottas for the win.
-
Mercedes is still the team to beat
With Mercedes seemingly struggling in the unique conditions presented by the Sakhir Circuit, they were still able to keep the Ferraris honest throughout the race. Toto Wolff was saying that the Mercedes does not react well to the hot conditions of Bahrain, which means that everyone’s money should be on Mercedes for the next race in Shanghai. However, with Vettel making the perfect start to the season, we could be in for a season-long battle between the 2 superpowers up front.