2013 Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix

Markus Neumann · Apr 22, 2013

Carlos Luna said:
Wait, did they really not shake hands with the rep that Red Bull sent to the podium? What a lack of respect and show of outdated ideals.

Astra said:
In Islam, men are not allowed to shake hands with woman. Or to be more precise, you are not allowed to touch anyone of the other gender, except your wife/husband and close family members.

So it would be a scandal if the Bahrani politicians would do that, because they represent an Islamic State.

One of them, I think it was the transport minister or something, actually did shake hands with her. But the crown prince as well as the guy who handed the trophy to her (after looking puzzled for a few seconds) didn't.

David Garcia · Apr 22, 2013

It impressed me Alonso managed to set the third average laptime of the race after Vettel and Grosjeand without DRS... Impressive.

Hampus Andersson · Apr 22, 2013

I bet if they gave him this he would still manage to get some points.

My993C2 · Apr 22, 2013

David Garcia said:
It impressed me Alonso managed to set the third average laptime of the race after Vettel and Grosjeand without DRS... Impressive.

Vettel set the fastest lap on his 55th lap. I am not at home right now and thus don't have access to the video from the race, but can anyone confirm if Vettel did or did not use DRS on this lap? Unless he was lapping a back marker in the two places where DRS was allowed, he couldn't have use it and would not have had any DRS advantage over the Spaniard.

Warren Dawes · Apr 23, 2013

David was referring to "average" laptimes, not fastest lap.

David Garcia said:
It impressed me Alonso managed to set the third average laptime of the race after Vettel and Grosjeand without DRS... Impressive.

However, DRS usages during the race will still influence the comparison somewhat.

Sérgio Marques · Apr 23, 2013

Why Ferrari DRS failed twice:

The mechanic is right, that needs a DRS too!

Tony Holder · Apr 23, 2013

My993C2 said:
Vettel set the fastest lap on his 55th lap. I am not at home right now and thus don't have access to the video from the race, but can anyone confirm if Vettel did or did not use DRS on this lap? Unless he was lapping a back marker in the two places where DRS was allowed, he couldn't have use it and would not have had any DRS advantage over the Spaniard.

Maybe, just maybe this is a case to drop DRS.

Jack Acid · Apr 23, 2013

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Bahrain GP results
In a contest that was rife with action from start to finish, there was no drama at the front where Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel won his second race in the young season and moved into 6th on the all-time wins list, surprassing legend Jackie Stewart. While Vettel was overtaken by Fernando Alonso on Turn 1 and had to bide his time briefly, within three laps he had overtaken surprise pole-man Nico Rosberg for the lead and -- like so many times before -- never had to look back.

Ferrari had plenty of pace to compete with Red Bull but their weekend was ruined by non-stop problems, most notably Alonso's rear wing issues (DRS mechanical failure) and Felipe Massa's numerous tire problems and incidents. By the end, the team had to feel lucky they got any points at all, thanks to Alonso's 8th.

Elsewhere, Mercedes once again qualified well, but watched their pole position advantage evaporate as Nico was overtaken time and time again, eventually finishing 9th. Meanwhile Lewis Hamilton was able to steal 5th after starting 9th following a grid penalty for changing gearboxes. Ultimately, the Mercedes W04 did not seem well-equipped to handle the 57 lap grind at Bahrain.

Lotus scored a double podium when two-stopping Kimi Räikkönen took 2nd & Romaine Grojean took 3rd. This result was surprising considering their poor qualifying session. Right now, Lotus looks to have a reliability advantage over Ferrari which could be the scale-tipper for the Constructor's race moving forward. The Lotus E21 also proved to be fantastic on its tires, which may amount to many races being a chess match between Lotus and Red Bull -- the Red Bull generally has better pace, but also must stop more, where Lotus could make up the difference.

Meanwhile, it was game on in the McLaren paddock as Sergio Perez aggressively charged to a P5 finish, even at times almost compromising the drive of his teammate Jenson Button. Jenson expressed frustration after the race, saying Perez needed to "calm down". However, McLaren had to be happy seeing such life from their new driver. Button and Perez were reported to settle their difference following the race, but this is a teammate rivalry worth monitoring moving forward.

Force India was in the spotlight again as both drivers qualified in the top 6, but it was only Paul di Resta who was able to take advantage of their start, finishing 4th. Adrian Sutil was left to play the unfortunate role of victim yet again, overcoming early problems to finish 13th.

Biggest Winners

Lotus - Despite the team's sub par qualifying, both driver's ended up climbing a combined 13 spots and finished on the podium. Kimi Räikkönen was able to maximize his tires, while Romaine Grojean had his best result of the year. Kimi's 2nd place keeps him right in the thick of the driver's title, a mere 10 points behind Vettel. Meanwhile Grojean completed his fourth race in a row without incident and clearly was catapulted by the new chassis he was provided. If in fact this new chassis proves to be the answer to Grojean's early disappointments, Lotus should be a fly in Red Bull's ear for the rest of the season.

Paul di Resta - Both Force India cars qualified well. In fact, both di Resta's grid start (5th) and teammate Adrian Sutil's start (6th) were career bests. But it was di Resta who was able to maximize his start and come just six laps short of getting his maiden podium, finishing 4th for the second time in his career. The Force India car has tremendous pace in a straight line and if the team can keep up good reliability and avoid bad luck, they are my early front-runner for most improved team.

Sergio Perez - A fantastic result to be sure, but it was how he finished 6th that was a bit more conspicuous. Perez was very aggressive the entire race, most noticeably with teammate Jenson Button. The teammates dueled for several laps and Perez went off track more than once fighting for positions. Jenson rightfully criticized Sergio's behavior, but Perez was also feeling some desperation after three straight less-than-impressive drives, despite the shortcomings of the McLaren car. If nothing else, it's clear the young Mexican driver is eager to please. As long as he doesn't take off his teammate, McLaren has to be happy with his ambition.

Honorable Mention:

Pastor Maldonado. He was finally able to beat out his rookie teammate and finish 11th despite starting 17th. Perhaps Williams is finally making the car "drivable" for Pastor.
Lewis Hamilton. Despite the Mercedes poor performance at Bahrain, Lewis overcame a 5-spot grid penalty to get his result. Lewis has now scored more points in his first four races than Michael Schumacher did in his entire 2012 campaign with Mercedes.

Bahrain GP Driver Productivity

Biggest Losers

Ferrari - The boys of Maranello desperately wanted a good result to keep pace with Red Bull heading into the long break, but component failures and bad luck marred both driver's fantastic qualifying positions. Alonso's stellar race start was hijacked by a DRS rear wing failure and the Spaniard was forced to pit twice to have the team correct the wing manually. Why Alonso tried to use the DRS a second time is unknown, other than a mere case of wishful thinking. Meanwhile, just when Felipe Massa looked like he was in peak form, he had multiple problems on track, including a small tangle with Adrian Sutil on Lap 1. He would go on to suffer multiple tire punctures that required more pit stops. Overall, this was a weekend to forget for Ferrari.

Nico Rosberg - Nico kicked off his weekend by getting his first career pole position -- then ended it with a disappointing plummet all the way down to finishing 9th. The Mercedes car struggled at the hot circuit and Nico had to resort to a 4-stop strategy just to keep in the points. Watching Nico get overtaken was a common theme throughout the race. It was a stark contrast to Lewis Hamilton who was able to make the better of his P9 start (after a 5-spot grid penalty for a gearbox change), but Nico continues to struggle to demonstrate consistency. Eventually Mercedes will need to decide if he's the right driver moving forward.

Adrian Sutil - Things just haven't gone smoothly for Sutil after his eye-popping drive in the season opener in Melboune. Like Malaysia, his race was compromised through no fault of his own as Felipe Massa came into the back of him on Lap 1, puncturing his tire and putting him to the back of the grid right off. He was able to manage 13th, but he will likely rue what could have been after watching his teammate Paul di Resta finish 4th.

Everyone not named Sebastian Vettel - When will the dominance end? Forecasting Vettel's race result when he qualifies on the front row is more like a science than speculation now. A podium finish is essentially a lock and generally with very little doubt along the way. Fans outside of Red Bull must share the frustration of other drivers on the grid who are always left wondering how Vettel is able to build such leads and seemingly never suffer any type of mechanical failure. Preventing Vettel from winning his fourth straight World Driver Championship seems like a daunting task already, despite the season being so young. It appears only Kimi and perhaps Alonso will have the opportunity to de-throning him. But for now, no one is holding their breath.

Biggest Surprise
Moreso than di Resta and Perez's finishes, it had to be the result of the Lotus, who looked like the forgotten team after qualifying. But the E21's tire-friendly chassis helped catapult both drivers and should help the team in many races.

Also, the reliability of both Marussia and Caterham continues to amaze, especially in the hands of rookie drivers. Both teams have yet to not finish a race. It makes one think the future grid of F1 is quite bright indeed.

Not So Surprising...

Vettel's dominace, by now, edges into the weariness of Schumacher's reign from 2000-2004. As mentioned above, the only way Vettel can surprise at this point is when he doesn't win. As long as he starts on the first or second row, victory is practically assured short of a Red Bull failure, which just never seems to plague Seb.

What to Look for in Round 4

Will Grojean's new chassis prove to be the missing link for his slow start? Lotus certainly hopes so
Are Force India as prepared to make a push for the 2nd tier teams as they appear?
Will Jenson and Sergio get on OK, or is this the start of a tense garage?
Does Vettel continue to pull away, or is there a dark horse looming that close the gap?

2013 F1 Driver Power Rankings after Round 04

2013 F1 Driver Power Rankings (Round 4)

Shane Butler · Apr 23, 2013

When is the next race? Four weeks time? Sigh...

Andrew Ford · Apr 23, 2013

Shane Butler said:
When is the next race? Four weeks time? Sigh...

is it not 3? sad either way. what will i do with myself? that race was amazing

Hampus Andersson · Apr 23, 2013

2 weeks and 2 days until P1-P2.

In the meantime it´s F3.5, DTM, MotoGP etc

Tony Holder · Apr 24, 2013

Andrew Ford said:
is it not 3? sad either way. what will i do with myself? that race was amazing

I am decorating the stairs, painting and F12012'n...... plus restarting Skyrim.

Andrew Ford · Apr 24, 2013

Tony Holder said:
I am decorating the stairs, painting and F12012'n...... plus restarting Skyrim.

i'd rather watch f1 i'm afraid

driveroz247 · Apr 25, 2013

I'm switching to follow the Pro Cycling Tour at least until the Spanish GP starts.

Tony Holder · Apr 25, 2013

Andrew Ford said:
i'd rather watch f1 i'm afraid

This is true...... however no SKY in my house. Pfft

Kartik Sri Harsha · Apr 25, 2013

Fernando Alonso using DRS before the activation line on Race day
Is it a Telemetry glitch or a Driver error.

remydeleeuw · Apr 25, 2013

Kartik Sri Harsha said:
Fernando Alonso using DRS before the activation line on Race day
Is it a Telemetry glitch or a Driver error.

A drs failure caused this.
Whe alonso used his drs the first time, the moving part of the rear wing opened and opened further then it had too. When it had to close, it didn't. He drove a couple of laps with his drs open and then came to the pit two times to fix it. After that he couldn't use it again.

Kartik Sri Harsha · Apr 25, 2013

remydeleeuw said:
A drs failure caused this.
Whe alonso used his drs the first time, the moving part of the rear wing opened and opened further then it had too. When it had to close, it didn't. He drove a couple of laps with his drs open and then came to the pit two times to fix it. After that he couldn't use it again.

It was on Lap 3 remydeleeuw , I know he has Problem with Rear wing but this happened before he had it, If you observe the First two images Nico was Not using DRS until he reached the Activation Point and in the last two images he showed Alonso was able to Close his rear wing perfectly.