Lewis Hamilton led the most unexpected of Mercedes 1-2s as Ferrari’s prospects collapsed amid a driver mistake and a cruel reliability setback. Motorsport Week reflects on the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend.
Ascending Star
It is too superfluous to suggest that the Bahrain Grand Prix was the event at which Charles Leclerc outlined his status as a future World Champion (he was this writer’s tip for the 2019 title), as he has already done that with scintillating displays in GP3, Formula 2 and for Sauber in 2018. But Bahrain was the first Grand Prix at which he cemented his status as a de facto front-runner with a sublime display from start to finish. He was at one with the SF90 from the outset of practice and on-track looked like a steely veteran.
A flustered first lap risked undoing his hard work but the manner in which he unsettled Valtteri Bottas, and then made mincemeat of team-mate Sebastian Vettel, spoke volumes about his ability. His opponents already hold him in the highest esteem. Such was his dominance that it was easy to forget he had never before led a Grand Prix nor ever finished a race higher than fifth. The cylinder loss was a cruel blow but his professionalism and magnanimous approach post-race, focusing on the positives and praising Ferrari for its pure pace, was merely another feather in the cap of a driver who is winning fans at a very rapid rate. His time will come.
Sheikh and Bake
The understandable focus on Leclerc shifted the attention away somewhat from the race winner, whose own grace towards the youngster was commendable, but whose own performance was superb. Another so-so getaway from the line left Lewis Hamilton fourth but in a near-repeat of his 2014 battle with Nico Rosberg was able to profit from Valtteri Bottas’ minor mistake to sneak past into Turn 5, thus ensuring he was in a position to be Mercedes’ lead.
The second stint on the Soft compound was a frustrating one but once on Mediums the W10 came alive, allowing Hamilton to re-apply the pressure to Vettel. Mercedes’ straight-line speed deficit, even with the assistance of DRS, meant Hamilton had to pounce once a half-chance opened and he did so around Turn 4, brilliantly passing his perennial rival. That left him in an unexpected second, which became first once a cylinder broke on Leclerc’s car. Fortune was undoubtedly involved, but Hamilton – as he did frequently in 2018 – put himself in prime spot to be the beneficiary.
Slide Effects
For the fourth time since the middle of last season Vettel found himself facing the wrong way while battling a rival. It was another error that blotted the copybook of a four-time World Champion whose form since mid-2018 has raised even more questions about his approach. Vettel denied that pressure played a factor and instead pointed to not feeling as in the groove in the SF90 compared to Leclerc. The spin was evidently a misjudgement but of greater interest to the wider world was the manner in which he was so comprehensively beaten by Leclerc at a venue where he has historically been strong. If – and how – the dynamic changes within Ferrari over the coming Grands Prix will be one of the fascinating sub-plots to track. Vettel cannot afford many more events at which he either errs or is made to look firmly second-best by Ferrari’s young protégé.
Ren-No
Renault’s intentions for 2019 were to prove it could creep clear of the midfield and edge towards the front-runners. On the evidence displayed so far it has failed that exam. Recurring glitches continue to cost the team dearly; Nico Hulkenberg dropped out in Q1 while Daniel Ricciardo failed to make Q3, meaning the R.S.19 has not yet appeared in the top 10 shootout.
The race pace was much more encouraging but the late double retirement was a bitter blow; few in the paddock could recall such an occasion when both of a team’s cars halted at the same point on the same lap. Those in the Renault garage were understandably shell-shocked. It has to get on top of its reliability – and fast – for its chassis is hardly the breakthrough it wanted, judging by its pace compared to the similarly-engined McLaren team.
Ricciardo, too, is still getting up to speed, accepting that adapting to less downforce is taking more time than anticipated. “In Charles’ situation coming up his seat this year, it is a bit like me when I came from Toro Rosso to Red Bull,” he said. “Everything becomes easier, you have more grip, and it is like oh wow the car can do this? So trying to come back down to figure out the best way it is the moment… a bit of patience and discipline for me.”
Pierre Despair
Pierre Gasly was handed an unexpected opportunity in the wake of Ricciardo’s Renault switch but so far his Red Bull career has been littered with frustration. Two pre-season crashes were followed by a dismal Australian weekend – albeit the Q1 exit a team misjudgement – but in Bahrain his ill-feeling with Red Bull’s RB14 was dearly exposed. Max Verstappen salvaged fourth spot from fifth on the grid, but 12 months on from Gasly’s achieving that result for the junior team, the Frenchman was mired in the midfield group.
“It just feels like I can't really drive how I want,” he said. “It's quite unpredictable. Sometimes I turn, nothing happens, next corner I will turn, I will lose the rear. It's just really unpredictable at the moment.” That unpredictability was accentuated by the rear-limited nature of Bahrain’s circuit, resulting in worsening tyre wear and the snowball effect that comes with it, but Gasly could do with an upturn in performance and results – and soon.
Monitoring The Midfield
Only one midfield driver has scored points in both Grands Prix – and his team is fourth in the Constructors’ Championship as a result. Step forwards Kimi Raikkonen. Such is the competitive and unpredictable nature of the midfield that four of the five midfielders who scored in Australia found themselves point-less in Bahrain, albeit with different circumstances affecting each one.
The star of Bahrain was Lando Norris, who made amends after a first-lap off to vault to sixth spot, scoring his maiden points via a series of stellar overtakes and defensive driving. Ex-F2 rival Alexander Albon also fared well after a subdued start to take a fine ninth, while wily Sergio Perez salvaged a point for Racing Point. Lance Stroll and Romain Grosjean, along with Antonio Giovinazzi and Daniil Kvyat, were undone by separate collisions, with the Russian’s prospects having already been compromised by Toro Rosso erroneously fitting used tyres for his last Q2 run. Kevin Magnussen, the midfield king of Australia, qualified just 0.005s behind Verstappen but slumped to a “hopeless” 13th in race trim, as Haas perplexingly struggled. This F1 lark is never predictable…
Two-In-One
Williams’ struggles continued in Bahrain as more questions were raised in the team’s quest for answers regarding the all-at-sea FW42. Robert Kubica’s compromised Australian weekend gave misleading results but in Bahrain the team ran identical set-ups in practice – only to find that there were discrepancies in the aero results. In effect – and Kubica was blunt in his evaluation – they are running two different cars. George Russell was less talkative on the matter but accepted it was the case, and, naturally, it shouldn’t be. Motorsport Week will take a closer look at Williams’ predicament later in the week but it is not a pretty situation for the team, which has turned to co-founder Sir Patrick Head for guidance on a part-time consultancy basis.
Racing, Not Writing
Bahrain was a hive of activity off-track with several celebrities in attendance – most notably chequered flag waver David Beckham – while Formula 1 announced a new partnership with auction house Sotherby’s. There was a generally relaxed vibe, assisted by the (relative) proximity of Bahrain to Europe and the pleasant structure of the paddock. Bahrain is also the home to the annual journalists’ karting competition, and this year 16 of the finest scribes and snappers (okay, a motley crew of morons) took to the adjacent kart track for a fierce pair of events. Yours truly qualified in fifth position (as top rookie – we have to take small wins where we can) but took only eighth in both races – and yes, there were a long list of excuses, including avoiding a midfield collision in Race 2 that resulted in Crash.net’s Haydn Cobb getting flicked into the air to the extent that his steering broke upon landing. Congratulations to F1 Racing’s Ben Anderson for his victory!
