It looked like it was all going to be very simple for Vettel but the tyres struggled to get him over the line, although he jus about planned it perfectly. It was a good strategy for Ferrari, so they were thoroughly justified. Now the German has two wins in two and looks in command. Mercedes will need to work out how to respond to this.
Ferrari will have to answer questions about the pit lane farce which left a mechanic with what looked like a horrible injury.
Thanks for joining me. See you soon!
Full details of the race:
INITIAL CLASSIFICATION (LAP 57/57)
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 8, 2018
Immense pressure from Bottas, immense effort from Gasly in P4!#BahrainGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/YeBLa92uSo
The lads are on the podium and the national anthems are being played, which is nice. Everyone looks quite pleased with themselves in the vicinity.
Updated
Obviously it is a good day for Ferrari due to Vettel’s win but there will be deep concern for the mechanic who suffered a gruesome injury after a failed pit-stop with Raikkonen.
Ferrari are still waiting on an update from the hospital where the mechanic was taken after the incident.
Bittersweet WIN for #Seb5 and for the Scuderia, great performance but we are all waiting for the medical bulletin for our mechanic #BahrainGP pic.twitter.com/YKhti68Xpv
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) April 8, 2018
A a longer list of the placings here...
🏁 TOP TEN (CHEQUERED FLAG) 🏁
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 8, 2018
VET
BOT
HAM
GAS
MAG
HUL
ALO
VAN
ERI
OCO#BahrainGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/YHRtRBDLFl
Hugh says: “Bottas should have won that. Closing the gap that quickly with 4 to go was great but then only getting 1 lap of DRS was criminal. I’ve got a feeling the big lock up he had as soon as he made contact with Vettel was a factor.”
He really could have gone earlier. He will be left to rue that.
Great stuff for Gasly to make it to fourth. Lovely work from him.
Vettel is celebrating with his team and the fans as fireworks go off all around Bahrain. He really enjoyed this one. Vettel said his tyres were done with 10 laps to go, so it was fantastic for him to get the car through to the end.
Placings:
1. Vettel
2. Bottas
3. Hamilton
4. Gasly
BREAKING: Sebastian Vettel WINS the #BahrainGP 🇧🇭 on his 200th #F1 start 👏 pic.twitter.com/mCzFgHnazt
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 8, 2018
Two wins in two for Vettel. He did superbly well to keep the lead and ensure his tyres were just about good enough.
Vettel wins!
The German has just about held off Bottas to win in Bahrain!
Updated
Lap 57/57: It is exciting stuff. Can Vettel get over the line? Can Bottas use DRS to his advantage. Maybe he is too far off!
Lap 57/57: Here we go! Bottas has a look but can’t overtake it.
Updated
Lap 56/57: Vettel is doing is best to hold Bottas, using every trick in the book.
Lap 56/57: It is Vettel v Bottas all the way here. Very close! Barely a car’s length int it now. Bottas is just getting himself into position to overtake.
Lap 55/57: This Ferrari plan seems to have gone wrong. Bottas is really closing. Just over two seconds behind Vettel going into the final laps. Oooooof! Nail-biting stuff for all involved. Vettel is doing his best to hold his rival off. Bottas is putting everything into this! Lots of exclamation marks coming. DRS is coming into play.
Lap 54/57: Blue flags galore and the potential for a bit of DRS for late overtaking. Lively.
Bottas is hunting down Vettel. Is he set for his fourth F1 win?
Hugh says: “This is all about whether Vettel’s tyres will go off a cliff. I think Hamilton’s last lap before his pit suggests they just might...” Quite right, too.
Lap 53/57: Five laps to go. Really is getting interesting out there on the track as Bottas closes the gap on Vettel. The German is now complaining about vibrations in the front.
Placings
1. Vettel
2. Bottas
3. Hamilton
4. Gasly
5. Magnussen
6. Hulkenberg
Lap 52/57: Bottas is really going at Vettel, looks like his tyre plan is really failing him. The grip at the back is no longer there for him. Really has a tough gig here to keep going. And I thought it was all over. Silly me.
Lap 51/57: Gasly could get fourth in just his seventh Grand Prix which would be a great achievement for him. He has done a wonderful drive and had a great weekend overall.
Lap 50/57: Bottas is going a touch quicker than Vettel, he has closed half a second on the most recent lap. Could still be interesting.
Lap 49/57: Not long left now. Looks like Vettel will ease to a victory here. Would really need a huge disintegration of his tyres to make it interesting. Bottas is the only one who can challenge but he isn’t doing much.
Lap 48/57: Vettel is stuck in traffic, which will not please him. All about his tyres but it has all been relatively simple so far due to a lack of real competition.
Placings
1. Vettel
2. Bottas
3. Hamilton
4. Gasly
5. Magnussen
6. Hulkenberg
Lap 47/57: Hamilton has finally been given instruction to up the pace a little. Their radio is not in good nick. Might need to change them. He’s 18 seconds behind Vettel and getting frustrated by everything.
Lap 46/57: Ocon has overtaken Grosjean as he looks to earn some points. Could be a great day for the Force India man if he gets points on the board.
Lap 45/57: Hamilton and his team are struggling to communicate, much to the frustration of the driver. Not what he wants as he seeks advice on what he should be doing. He is going quicker than Vettel but it is not helping the Mercedes man.
Lap 44/57: Hamilton is 17 seconds off Vettel. Bottas is looking to get the pace up and hopefully make it an interesting ending.
Matt feels Ricciardo’s pain, he says: “I really wish dan had a good reliable car. Put him in a Ferrari or Mercedes and he would dominate!!!! So disappointed.” A real shame for him today.
Lap 43/57: Grosjean is being lapped and his car looks like it is falling apart as he goes. Might be time to pull him in as it does not seem safe.
Lap 42/57: Vettel does not look like he will be pitting again, so he will need to really nurture his tyres through to the end - 15 laps to go...
Lap 41/57: Gasly pits and comes out fourth, which is good work from him and his team.
Hamilton is seeking advice from what he needs to do. Targeting ‘low 34s’ currently.
Confirmation from Ferrari that their mechanic has been taken to hospital.
Our mechanic was taken to hospital for treatment #BahrainGP
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) April 8, 2018
Lap 40/57: Vettel is seven seconds ahead of Bottas and looking to get quicker at this stage. Will anyone be able to catch him?
Placings:
1. Vettel
2. Bottas
3. Hamilton
4. Hulkenberg
5. Alonso
6. Gasly
Lap 39/57: It is the second time this weekend that Ferrari have failed in the pit lane. No idea what has happened with them. The mechanic has gone to the medical centre. Stewards are planning an investigation for an unsafe pit lane execution.
Lap 38/57: Back to the race. Vettel is at the front and looking in command at the moment.
Verstappen has packed up and gone home. Not a busy night for him.
Lap 37/57: Kimi is now out of the race but the key is the health of the mechanic who is still on the ground. A very worrying moment for all concerned. Ferrari will be looking to see what is going wrong. Never even got the tyre off. Something has gone very wrong there.
Updated
Lap 36/57: Raikkonen has a nightmare in the pits. A mechanic was hit with the car leaving. Medical assistance is on its way. Did not look good. The mechanic is down. Let’s hope he is OK. Time to shut the pit lane?
Lap 35/57: Vettel is now doing some lapping at the front as he maintains a good lead. Looks like Ferrari want their guys to keep their tyres on to the end. Bold move.
Lap 34/57: Hamilton is in fourth, so he has plenty to do if he wants to catch Vettel but he has had a decent drive so far.
Lap 33/57: Ricciardo: “I just lost all power.” Not really ideal that for a car. He adds: “It is the worst feeling. The sport can rip your heart out.” That is one disappointed man.
Lap 32/57: Stroll has back on the track not that it really matters as he is not doing much. Magnussen will be pleased to be ahead of his team-mate, meaning he will need to swear less. He uses his aggression to go past Ocon on the straight.
Lap 31/57: Magnussen wants his team-mate out of the way. He has just done some lovely swearing in frustration at Grosjean. Not a happy family. Grosjean belatedly puts to sort his broken car out.
Bad day for Red Bull summed up here.
WATCH: Heartbreak for @redbullracing at the #BahrainGP 🇧🇭 😢
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 8, 2018
Ricciardo = OUT
Verstappen = OUT
VIDEO >> https://t.co/o7mwf3yYsI pic.twitter.com/YNmHXQjmeb
Lap 30/57: Ericsson has just seen off Perez, sending the Sauber man into 11th. Good work from him there. Grosjean has lost a left-hand side barge board, which is not good news. His car won’t be pleased with that. Wait...more has come off. Bad for handling.
Lap 29/57: One of the Haas cars seems to have lost something. What could it have been? Nothing too important by the looks of things. VSC time?
Lap 28/57: Current placings...
1. Vettel
2. Bottas
3. Raikkonen
4. Hamilton
5. Gasly
6. Magnussen
Lap 27/57: This is a good reminder that I need to take my car for an MOT next week. I suspect the mechanic won’t be as quick as some of the guys in the pit lane here. Hamilton is off sharpish after a tyre change.
Lap 26/57: Vettel goes beyond Hamilton with some sparks flying! Still a long way to go. Hamilton will need to pit now and change his tyres. A lot to take in there.
Lap 25/57: Daniel Ricciardo has already showered and change, which shows how badly things went for Red Bull earlier. Could get a flight out tonight.
Lap 24/57: Ericsson doing his thing to frustrate those behind him. Very clean work from the Sauber man. He goes into the pits as he looks to maintain his pace. Vettel pushing Hamilton now, which could be interesting.
Lap 23/57: Oh...Bottas has just become the fastest man on the track with a 1.33.7 or so. He’s on the slowest tyre here, so he could be a contender with that sort of form.
Lap 22/57: Kimi has now notched the fastest lap, going round in 1.34.411, which is not to be sniffed at. Can anyone beat that?
Lap 21/57: Vettel has just done the fastest lap of the race after his pit stop, showing the tyre change was worth it. Worryingly, though, he might have to keep those tyres on for the rest of the race. Will that work? We shall see.
Lap 20/57: Nothing like a replay of a pit stop, really gets the juices flowing. Unless it is the Haas team they are rarely worth watching. Bottas goes into the pit for a new set of medium tyres.
Lap 19/57: “It’s all going to start happening now” comes the message over the radio for Hamilton. He is sticking to Plan A, which seems to be just doing one stop. Raikkonen is the latest man into the pit lane to change the tyres.
Lap 18/57: Ferrari are getting some new tyres out. Mercedes looks like they’ve bluffed the Ferrari mechanics by pretending they were going to pit Bottas. That’s lovely banter, it really is.
Lap 17/57: Alonso is getting aggressive with his overtaking, as he will not be happy sat down in 11th. Vettel has slowed down a little over the laps, which is a concern for him.
Lap 16/57: Hamilton is lapping quicker than the Ferraris as he looks to get up to the top. Can he maintain the pace and for how long?
Lap 15/57: Pitting galore now as everyone decides they need to change their tyres. Seemed to be a but of a domino effect there as a lot of drivers came in.
Lap 14/57: A very important question from Chris: “It’s pretty hot in Bahrain and you have to drink a lot of fluids. If you miscalculate and overdo the intake then you’ll need to break the seal and decant. Two questions:1. With the near horizontal driving position, is it better to aim it down one leg or accept it will settle in your pants?2. Do you tell the team?”
1. Accept it 2. No
Lap 13/57: Plenty of movement in positions over the opening 13 laps. A lot has gone on. Hamilton up into fourth now, which is impressive work from him.
Haas have done some competent pitting there, which makes a change.
LAP 10/57
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 8, 2018
Hamilton and Alonso both making massive gains 💪#BahrainGP 🇧🇭 #F1 pic.twitter.com/QBmlkqyfEb
Lap 12/57: Red Bull have packed up. Grim day for them. Ricciardo seemed to have a complete power failure. Verstappen had problems with a power surge yesterday, so their engineers will be set for some head scratching.
Lap 11/57: Change of tyre to medium for Perez. Should allow him to go a little longer. Stroll is into the pits due to some wing damage.
Lap 10/57: Hamilton is 14 seconds off the lead but his tyres could really make it interesting as his will allow him to go a lot further on this track, whereas others will be putting.
Lap 9/57: Di Resta is in the pits with Red Bull to rub it in over their failings today. It was so bad even Christian Horner was not willing to chat.
Hartley has been given a 10 second penalty for his clash with Perez.
Lap 8/57: Hulkenberg is struggling with his battery which is a bit of a concern for Mercedes with their man currently in seventh. Alonso might be able to catch him soon at this rate.
No further action over the Verstappen and Hamilton clash on the first lap.
Lap 7/57: All gone a little quiet on that lap. Sergio Perez and Brandon Hartley are under investigation for something or other, though.
Lap 6/57: Vettel has maintained the lead from the start as he looks to build on his win in Australia. Bottas is a couple of second behind him and will be looking to put a challenge on the German soon.
Lap 5/57: Verstappen is done, too, now. Red Bull have had a horrendous day. Looks like the puncture might have done too much damage. Hamilton has moved up to sixth, which is a good start. Now he’s fifth. Lively from the Mercedes man.
Lap 4/57: The VSC is done and we’re back racing properly, which is nice. Gasly and Magnussen are the latest to clash. Sparks are flying all over the place here. Hamilton has made up a few places too.
Verstappen has made it back to the pit lane to get a new tyre but is there more damage to his car? That’s the real question. Ricciardo has retired and been collected by a motorbike.
Chris asks: “Are there any local drivers competing whose knowledge of the conditions might enable them to challenge?”
Can’t think of any, to be honest.
Lap 2/57: Verstappen is already up into 10th but he suffered a puncture after making contact with Hamilton. He is struggling to get back to the pit lane. Ricciardo is done, too. What a terrible day for Red Bull so far. Virtual Safety Car is deployed.
Updated
Lap 1/57: That was a lively start into the first corner and beyond. Sergio Perez spun out and there were plenty going into the run-off area. Ooooof!
And...we're off!!
Lap 1/57: The lights have changed to green and everyone is off into the first turn.
Updated
The formation lap sees everyone getting their engines going as the drivers and cars get used to the track conditions under the lights.
Andrew has emailed in.
“Whaddya think are Hamilton’s chances of victory? He’s caught up from the back of the grid before.....could be good.”
I just think he’s too far back on this occasion, he will need to have an incredible drive to get anywhere close.
Not long to go now! All the drivers are with their cars and readying themselves for 57 laps under the lights in Bahrain.
Naturally, if you have any views you can get in touch in the usual places. *Points upwards to contact details*
Guy!
Are we on for a #BahrainGP blockbuster, @realguyritchie? 🎥 pic.twitter.com/2NsDkp2jgP
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 8, 2018
The band have done there bit with the national anthem. Martin is back with Marcus Ericsson who anticipates an “interesting race”. Now Martin is just offering bad news to drivers at the back of the grid.
The hunt for Guy Ritchie is on. This is potentially his worst ever film. Will Martin find him? Only time will tell. NOOOOOO!!! Someone got there first, so he’s missed out on the catch. Instead poor Martin has been left to chat to Rory Bremner, who I assume his doing his voices. Finally we have Guy!
Mr Brundle has chased down the Crown Prince who is, needless to say, being incredibly positive about the whole event. That brief chat did allow some cars to come out onto the track, so he can go look at them. He did also amuse himself by going to speak to Rob Smedley of Williams whose cars sit 18th and 20th, something he will not be please about.
Brundle is pointing at floodlights, which is nice. Sadly his walk has gone wrong as no one has a car on the track. In better news he has found Frankie Dettori but they did block the Ferrari coming out.
Currently there is a jumbo jet flying over the track just for the amusement of the airline. The wind is also picking up and a plane going overhead will not help with the breeze. There is a band, too. A lot to take in pre-race in Bahrain.
Hamilton is delaying making plans for the future.
Zak Brown accepts McLaren messed up in qualifying and their drivers are in 13th and 14th at the start, which is underwhelming to sat the least. On the upside, for Alonso and Vandoorne, Brown has a couple of plans to get them up the field. The main problem with the car is that it is slow, which is a minor problem in Formula One.
Martin Brundle is excited about the race, so we probably should be, too. He’s discussing Hamilton’s softer tyres and the potential for him to only do one pit stop.
It looks nice in Rioja where Fernando Alonso and his boss are having a drive and asking some questions. It is not exactly in depth but if you are driving at 100mph or so, it is not that easy to answer anything too tricky.
Fernardo Alonso is 13th on the grid today. Giles Richards spoke to the Spaniard about life and driving.
Stroll living up to his name today as the lad Lance sits at the back of the grid in 20th place. Maybe a change of name would speed him up, otherwise he will not enjoy a fruitful career.
Here are the grid positions for the first five rows.
ONE HOUR TO GO ⏰
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 8, 2018
This is how the first five rows of the grid will line up 👇
But how different will the order be going into Turn 1? 🤔#BahrainGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/mDRYiTV6Lx
Nice to see Lewis Hamilton going for a ride with Billy Monger. Some inspirational stuff from the young driver to get back in the car and succeed since suffering his injuries at Donnington.
Here is Richard Williams on the legendary Jim Clark, who died 50 years ago.
Daniel Ricciardo is aiming for the podium and fancies at least a second-place finish, which is fighting talk from the Red Bull driver. Will he be able to achieve his aims?
His team-mate Max Verstappen is down the grid after a power surge caused problems in qualifying, resulting him crashing out, so he has plenty to do once the race starts.
Preamble
Good afternoon!
We have the excitement of the second race of the season in Bahrain, under the lights. It is a great showpiece event and one Sebastian Vettel will be looking to use to prove that he is the frontrunner for the title this season.
Lewis Hamilton is worried by the speed of the Ferrari and with good reason, too. The German is on pole today, with his British rival suffering a five-place grid penalty for some gearbox shenanigans last time out, leaving him down in ninth at the start, meaning it will be rather tough to make up the ground especially with the tough conditions for overtaking. He will need a fast start otherwise he will be set for a worrying look at at the table at the finishing line as he is already seven points off Vettel.
Mistakes were made by Mercedes in Melbourne, so they will be aiming to avoid repeating them today, proving they have learned from their errors.
I am sure we are all looking forward to finding out.
Updated
