Great race and all, but important to remember that this is just sport. If you haven’t read this piece yet, you should.
F1 released a statement today in which they rejected that Bahraini human rights violations are linked with the Grand Prix and insisted that they “are committed to respecting human rights.” In unrelated news, it was His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa – Deputy King, Crown Prince of Bahrain and heir apparent – that welcomed Vettel onto the podium after this afternoon’s race.
HRH CP #Salman_bin_Hamad receives President of the #Philippines Rodrigo Duterte at the @Bah_Int_Circuit #Bahrain pic.twitter.com/IPCbZdjk7E
— اخبار سمو ولي العهد (@BahrainCPnews) April 14, 2017
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That’s your lot. It was an extremely tactical race, and Ferrari shaded it. Bottas never really looked like holding onto the pole he earned yesterday, he will be extremely disappointed. Hamilton raced well, but that needless penalty hurt him.
Thanks for all your email and texts. It’s been a hoot. See you next time. Bye!
Race report:
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Vettel, Hamilton and Bottas all hug and shake hands in the warm-down room. Vettel is absolutely overjoyed, he can’t hide his excitement. Hamilton and Bottas greet him warmly. “You were nearly catching me, huh?”, says Vettel, as he takes a well-earned glug of water.
So Sebastian Vettel takes a seven-point lead at the top of the drivers’ championship. He pulls into the garage, leaps out of the car, arms aloft and embraces all those dressed in red that lean over the barriers to meet him.
Here are your full results:
PROVISIONAL CLASSIFICATION
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 16, 2017
#BahrainGP 🇧🇭 pic.twitter.com/aHHjf2i6nk
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“Wahoooooo. Yes guys. Grazie mille,” screams Vettel inside helmet as red fireworks are fired into the Bahraini sky.
Elegant language, Italian. A thousand thank yous. Nice.
Sebastian Vettel wins the Bahrain Grand Prix!
Hamilton second, Bottas third.
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Lap 57. Our final lap. Both Vettel and Hamilton are doing little more than coasting now. They are taking it easy: Hamilton about seven seconds adrift.
Lap 56: Kvyat passes Alonso to go into 12th. “Engine trouble. Box. Box,” says the Spaniard. He’ll retire fromt he race with one lap left of the race. That’s his third DNF of the season!
Hamilton is now slower than Vettel. He’s backed off, and accepted defeat/second place.
Lap 55: It looks as though this is going to be too little, too late for Hamilton. He’s probably going to get within of five seconds of Vettel by the end, but I don’t think he will get anywhere near to passing the German. What might have happened, though, if Hamilton didn’t get that five-second penalty?
Lap 54: It’s all getting a bit much for Ferrari chief Maurizio Arrivabene. He’s left the pit wall and gone for a walk!
Lap 53: The gap is now seven seconds between Hamilton and Vettel. Hamilton is quicker, but it’s all about how they can get through the traffic. Vettel is past Alonso in 12th. He should have two more cars to negotiate before the finish line in four laps.
Lap 52: Ericsson is out of the race! His gearbox has gone, his car steaming from the front. Hamilton is able to get past him no problem, then.
Lap 51: It seems that oversteering did for Bottas. He’s been on the radio complaining about it. Bottas still in third, ahead of Raikkonen in fourth, Ricciardo in fifth.
Lap 50: Vettel now finds himself stuck behind Ericsson! Hamilton is 9.6secs behind, with eight laps to go! Remember Hamilton will have to get around Palmer and Ericsson as well.
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Lap 49: Hamilton is just one second quicker than Vettel in the last lap, but here comes that traffic for the German. Palmer blocks his path, and it takes two blue flags for Palmer to move out of the way. Hamilton is 1.8seconds quicker this lap. This is going to be tight!
Bottas lets Hamilton through into second!
Lap 48: Hamilton is now 13 seconds shy of Vettel out in front. “Vettel is running into traffic, all still to play for,” reassure Mercedes to Hamilton.
Lap 47: “Come on Lewis, you’ve got the pace to win this now,” say Mercedes over the radio. Bottas is going to let him through! Ten laps to go!
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Lap 46: Perez is holding his own there in seventh, still 11 places above where he started!
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Lap 45: Let’s have a brief round-up of where we are. Here is your top 10.
- Vettel
- Bottas
- Hamilton
- Raikkonen
- Ricciardo
- Massa
- Perez
- Grosjean
- Hulkenburg
- Ocon
Lap 44: Make that five seconds behind! That’s two seconds a lap. Bottas doesn’t look like he’ll be holding on to that second place for long!
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Lap 43: Hamilton already gaining on Bottas in second, just seven seconds behind. That’s two seconds quicker since he stopped.
Lap 42: It would be a brave man that bets against Vettel winning this race now. Ferrari look to have got their tactics spot on today, they predicted that Hamilton would make it a two-stop race, and they nailed it.
Lap 41: Hamilton comes in, spends a total of 30 seconds in the pit lane (including entry, exit, and penalty) and comes back out in third, 19 seconds behind Vettel in first, and 10 seconds behind his Mercedes team-mate, Bottas. Interesting that Hamilton has gone for the softs, not the supersofts. “why did we go for this tyre?”, Hamilton asks. “It’s all based on data,” replies Toto Wolff.
Lap 40: Hamilton coming into the pit lane on the next lap!
Lap 39: Vettel has cut Hamilton’s lead to 10 seconds! Effectively that’s five seconds with the time penalty!
Lap 38: It’s looking increasingly likely that Hamilton will make another stop. The same goes for Ricciardo, he comes in and re-emerges in fifth, behind Raikkonen, ahead of Massa.
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Lap 37: Raikkonen is becoming increasingly irate on the radio. It looks as though he’s going to have to come in. “Is there nothing that I can do?” he asks. Doesn’t look like it, at least out on the track. Raikkonen pits. Bottas up into third then, Ricciardo in fourth, Raikkonen comes back out in fifth.
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Lap 36: Bottas, meanwhile, has moved up to fourth after swooshing around Ricciardo.
Lap 35: It all depends how quickly Vettel is able to make inroads into that 15 second lead. Vettel is let through by Raikkonen. Hamilton first, Vettel second. It looks as though it’s going to be these two battling for the win.
Lap 34: Hamilton has a 15 second lead over Raikkonen. BUT Hamilton has that penalty to take. So it is effectively a 10 second lead. PLUS, Vettel has far fresher tyres on. AND Hamilton may choose to pit again. There are still 23 laps remaining. It originally looked as though Hamilton was running a one-stop race, but I’m not sure he’s going to be able to go to the end on these softs.
Lap 33: “I’m starting to struggle with the tyres”, says Vettel, who immediately comes into the pit lane. He changes to the supersoft tyres. Crucially he re-emerges in front of Ricciardo in fourth. Raikkonen should let Vettel through into second. Then it’s just Hamilton in front, and the Brit has a five-second penalty to take.
Lap 32: Bottas comes into pit and moves onto the softs. He comes out in seventh, and that should be enough for the rest of the race.
Lap 31: There is still an almighty battle going on for 11th/12th/13th between Kvyat/Palmer/Alonso. Kvyat collides with Palmer – there’s some damage to Palmer’s front wing – as the two drivers’ wheels also touch. Alonso takes advantage of the pair’s battle, and gets past Palmer to claim 11th! This is great driving from the hamstrung Alonso.
Lap 30: Hamilton is 0.4seconds up on Vettel in the latest lap times. This race isn’t over yet!
Lap 29: “Keep your head down, this is an important part of the race,” says the Ferrari radio to Vettel.
Lap 28: This is nicely poised. Vettel well out in front, but must come into the pit lane. Hamilton has a clear track, but does have a five-second penalty to take.
Bottas lets Hamilton through into second!
Lap 27: Yep, Hamilton moves through. He’s now six seconds behind Vettel, but has a clear track in front of him.
“These rear tyres are overheating,” Bottas offers as an explanation to his poor speed. His job is now to hold off Raikkonen for third place.
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Lap 26: Looks like Bottas is going to let Hamilton through …
Lap 25: Gosh, Vettel is making this race his own, nearly five seconds clear of Bottas in second. Mercedes have no answer to the German at the moment, they’ve got to make a play, and soon.
Lap 24: “I’ve never raced in a worse car, in all my life”, says Alonso over the radio: damning for McLaren, damning for Renault engine. He’s currently 13th and in an almighty battle with Kvyat, who has way more power and speeds past the Spaniard.
In a dreadful car @michaelbutler18, Fernando is an absolute beast. Imagine what he'd do in even a Red Bull. Hope he gets a good car in '18.
— Guy Hornsby (@GuyHornsby) April 16, 2017
Lap 23: Raikkonen gets past Massa and moves into fourth! That’s better Kimi.
Lap 22: It’s getting worse for Mercedes: Vettel is now 2.6secs ahead. Remember Vettel still has to make one more stop, he’s yet to change to the softs.
Lap 21: Vettel is still lightning fast at the front, now two seconds ahead of Bottas. There is a discussion on the Mercedes radio for Bottas to let Hamilton through to second, and try to attack the Ferrari.
Five second penalty confirmed for Hamilton!
Lap 20: Yep, for driving unnecessarily slowly as he entered the pit lane in front of Ricciardo. Replays show it is a good decision. Hamilton currently third, behind Bottas in second and leader Vettel.
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Lap 19: A word on Sergio Perez. He started the race in 18th, the Mexican is up to seventh! The safety car definitely helped, but that’s a fantastic effort.
Lap 18: 1.6 second lead for Vettel over Bottas. There is a suggestion that Hamilton could get a time penalty for deliberately slowing down in front of Ricciardo when they came into the pit lane a couple of laps ago. Would be very surprised if he doesn’t get a five-second penalty.
Lap 17: Safety car comes off, and we’re racing again! Hamilton screams past Ricciardo, who seems to be driving in treacle as he goes into the first corner. Next it is Massa who passes the Australian! Now Raikkonen does the same thing! Gosh, those soft tyres are not heating up for Ricciardo, he looks like he’s got no grip!
Lap 16: The safety car has been deployed due to the collision between Stroll and Sainz – Mercedes were gambling that they could get the cars out before, but they are too late! Bottas in second. He’s on the supersofts with Vettel, both will have to pit again before the end of this race. Hamilton and Ricciardo are on the softs, they could in theory go to the end of this race without another pit stop.
Lap 15: Vettel is way too quick, so Mercedes bring both their cars into the pit lane. Daniel Ricciardo also comes in to roost, just behind Hamilton. The Brit re-emerges in fourth. We have a new leader: Vettel!
Lap 14: Lance Stroll and Carlos Sainz are both out of the race! The Toro Rosso driver came right up the inside and clattered into the side of Stroll. There is debris everywhere in the track.
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Lap 13: Verstappen is furious! He’s safely out of the car, and stomps off behind the barriers. Meanwhile, Vettel is flying on his new tyres, three seconds faster per lap than the Mercedes!
Verstappen is out of the race!
Lap 12: “I think we need to do something”, says Verstappen, “just like Ferrari.” And sure enough, the 19-year-old comes into the pit lane to change onto the soft tyres. But wait, he locks up in the first corner after coming out, rolling into the barriers! Verstappen is out! “The brakes failed,” he says.
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Lap 11: Vettel is the first in the leading pack to hit the pit lane. It’s an early gamble going onto the soft tyres, but as he emerges in front of Palmer in 12th, it looks like it’s a gamble worth taking. A clear two-stop strategy for Vettel.
Lap 10: Kevin Magnussen is out! It must be a technical problem, as he rolls off the track and across the gravel. No need for safety car.
“Starting to lose the rear. These tyres are feeling not feeling so good,” says Bottas over the radio!
Lap 9: “We are quicker than them, but we got stuck!” says Verstappen over the radio. Verstappen, remember, is in fourth behind Hamilton. I think he got stuck behind Palmer. Still about half a second behind Hamilton.
Lap 8: Raikkonen steals sixth place back from Massa! The Ferrari’s straight-line speed is too much for the Brazilian on the home stretch, and some expert braking from Raikkonen allows him to come through on the inside. Nice.
Lap 7: Verstappen has now closed the gap to Hamilton to less than half a second!
Lap 6: “A little bit of overheating now, but not significant.” Unclear exactly what the Mercedes team are talking about on Bottas’ radio, but it’s almost certainly the rear tyres.
Lap 5: There’s now only half a second between the top three of Bottas, Vettel and Hamilton. Verstappen is still just 2.5 seconds off the lead. It’s all the play for.
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Lap 4: Raikkonen is the loser is all of this, he’s down into seventh. With Bottas having such an important weekend, a lot of pressure has been on the Ferrari driver, who simply isn’t giving Vettel the same competition that Bottas is giving Hamilton.
Lap 3: The pack is still very bunched. Palmer has slipped to 12th from 10th. Massa has had an excellent start, he’s moved from eighth to sixth.
Lap 2: Hamilton is slipping behind Vettel in third! He’s over a second behind the Ferrari in second.
Lap 1: Both Mercedes hold their line off the line, and Bottas reaches the turn first, blocking Hamilton’s path. Vettel avoided the headwind by staying in Bottas’s slipstream and continues his pace into the turn, burning around Hamilton on the outside to claim second! Verstappen, meanwhile had a lightning start, coming down the inside to nab a couple of places, up from sixth to fourth!
1 Bottas
2 Vettel
3 Hamilton
4 Verstappen
5 Ricciardo
What a first lap!! Wheel to wheel action throughout the pack #BahrainGP
— Mercedes-AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) April 16, 2017
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LIGHTS OUT!
And we’re off!
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The cars are out on their formation lap.
Everybody – bar Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson in 19th – is on the supersoft tyres. The cars on the grid, the anthems are done and dusted, the supermodels have been ushered into the stands. We’re a couple of minutes away here.
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Three of the winners in the last three years in Bahrain have been won by the driver that started in second. The only way I can see Bottas winning here is if he keeps his lead throughout, a tough ask with so many aggressive drivers behind him. The first corner should be mayhem into that headwind.
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Confirmed: Stoffel Vandoorne is out of the race. McLaren are having a power unit issue. Remember it was on this circuit that Vandoorne made his debut and scored his first F1 point last year.
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It doesn’t look like Stoffel Vandoorne will even be starting the race, his car is being pushed back to the garage. He’ll start from the pitlane, if at all. It’s been a torrid weekend so far for McLaren: another disappointing qualifying and the problems were once again with the Honda engine. Alonso was unable to run in Q2 with a power unit problem and will start the race in 15th.
Still, it’s a nice paint job.
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It might not be on every F1 fans’ mind, but it should be: whether the race in Bahrain should even be taking place.
The Bahrain Grand Prix is proving the achilles heel of the old Ecclestone policy, famously summed up with his question: “What human rights? I don’t know what they are.” Cancelled in 2011 after the government declared martial law to forcefully crush pro-democracy protests, the race returned in 2012 – but it was never the same. That year, the grand prix attracted protesters in the tens of thousands calling for its cancellation. On the eve of the race police shot deadfather of five Salah Abbas. No one was ever held accountable for his death.
Some believe having the Bahrain Grand Prix gives journalists the opportunity to cover human rights abuses from the inside, because at no other time are journalists allowed into the country. But when one journalist was asked if he would indeed be willing to meet with protesters and torture victims, he hesitantly answered that it would probably not be a good idea, since they are required by the Bahraini government to sign papers stating they would cover nothing but the race, or immediately lose their visa.
Expect to see most of the drivers on supersoft tyres. Two changes, around 15-18 laps, and then again at around 32ish laps. There might be some that chance their arm and try for one stop, but they’ll be vulnerable come the final laps.
I’m excited to see lots of overtaking, it’s a very wide track, so there should be some exciting lines, particularly into turns three and four.
It’s still about 30°C out there. Local time is 5.39pm, sunset in 20 minutes or so, so should get a lot cooler.
Hats off to the Renault boys. Hülkenberg qualified in seventh and Jolyon Palmer had an expert last lap in qualifying to make Q3. He’s 10th on the grid. Podiums will be beyond him in that car, but Palmer should be aiming to match his German team-mate this season. That said, I don’t think ambition is the problem with the man from Horsham.
Verstappen is sunburnt on his arms, by the way. It’s been hot in Bahrain, obviously, but today’s race will be much cooler, which should favour the Mercedes. It really struggled in the heat in Australia on the season’s opener.
There’s a strong wind, too. A headwind down the straight into turn one, so it should be interesting to see how much the Ferrari and Red Bull boys go for it, or if they decide to get into a slipstream.
It’s hard to know what to make of Max Verstappen. He was breathtaking in Shanghai to secure third: the Dutch driver passed nine cars on the opening lap and was in fourth place by lap six. He looks, without doubt, the heir to the throne. But now, he finds himself sixth on the grid after a poor day yesterday. Sure, different races, different conditions, different outcomes, and the Red Bull car isn’t perfect, but it seems impossible to predict which Max will show up today.
Red Bull principal Christian Horner has had his say:
We haven’t hit the sweet spot yet with this car. We’re a little bit behind where Mercedes and Ferrari are. We were 1.8second behind in Melbourne, 1.3 in China, 0.8 behind here, so we’re moving in the right direction, but not there yet.
It’s a Mercedes one-two then at the front of the field. Bottas has been talking:
We’re allowed to race. We can race fair, we can race hard. We need to be sensible, though, we need this first 1-2 finish.
Bahrain Grand Prix – Starting Grid https://t.co/JJzwUQJcJO #F1 pic.twitter.com/ReVTVaFSKU
— SportFan (@PatPa72) April 16, 2017
Preamble
The narrative in Formula One was easy last year. Mercedes were lightyears ahead in their machinery and what with the two drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, not getting on like a house of fire, the conversation – the interviews, the press conferences, the podiums, the commentary, the blogs , even the humble lap-by-lap reports – naturally revolved around them.
Results were largely predictable: only on one occasion was one of Rosberg and Hamilton not on the podium in the entire season – with Daniel Ricciardo, Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen occasionally able to show their class and break the carbon fibre ceiling. Hamilton and Rosberg were mostly professional towards each other, pleasant even, but on the few occasions that they weren’t, the media pounced and F1 fans largely fell into one of two camps, bickering on forums and below the line until the season’s final chequered flag.
Valtteri Bottas’s pole in qualifying yesterday in Bahrain does not represent a huge change to this culture, particularly as Mercedes still appear to have the fastest car, but at a time when everybody is all too keen to latch onto the next F1 fight to the death – Hamilton v Vettel, it is a timely reminder that F1 is not binary: not just about two teams in a tunnel, two men slugging it out a ring, with little regard given to the undercard. There is more nuance here, fantastic drives that might end with a 7th-placed finish, the satisfaction of watching a team in the pit-lane working in perfect unison, Fernando Alonso, a world champion of unspeakable talent imprisoned in a McLaren car with all the speed and reliability of an Altavista search.
Sometimes, especially at the beginning of the season when things are so uncertainty, it is better to leave narrative at the door. Bottas’s pole does not mean that this is a three-man race to the title. You never know, he could spin out behind the safety car again. It doesn’t mean that Lewis Hamilton has lost his mojo: he was three-hundredths shy of Bottas’ time, which equates to about six feet behind. For now, let’s just applaud a hugely-talented Finnish man for putting in a good shift, his first ever pole. When we know more about equipment, temperament, overtaking and a new aerodynamic focus later in the season, then we can make our predictions.
Lights out: 4pm BST.
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