Bahrain – Race: Vettel and Ferrari by a whisker, Gasly just off the podium!
Sebastian Vettel won the Bahrain Grand Prix ahead of Valtteri Bottas. Lewis Hamilton salvaged the situation and finished on the third step of the podium. Pierre Gasly achieved the best result for a Honda engine by finishing 4th! Both Red Bulls retired, as did Kimi Räikkönen, who was victim to a disastrous pit stop during which one of his mechanics was injured.
Night falls and the 20 single-seaters are ready to start the Bahrain Grand Prix. On the Sakhir track, Sebastian Vettel, who is on pole, will make his 200th start. His teammate Kimi Räikkönen will be alongside him on the front row just ahead of Valtteri Bottas’s Mercedes.
At the lights out, it’s the Finnish Mercedes driver who takes advantage and steals the second position from his compatriot. Behind, Stoffel Vandoorne, Sergio Pérez, and Brendon Hartley battle and break some carbon parts.
In the second lap, Max Verstappen, who had a flying start, is already challenging Lewis Hamilton. Exiting the first corner, the Dutchman shuts the door on the Briton and the two cars make contact. The left rear tire of the Red Bull is punctured! At the same moment, Daniel Ricciardo also has to stop at the side of the track due to an electrical issue with his car. The virtual safety car is deployed, and Verstappen won’t go much further despite a tire change. There’s already no Red Bull left on the track!
Hamilton continues his climb and overtakes, a few laps later, three cars at the end of the straight: Alonso, Hülkenberg, and Ocon are the victims of this masterful maneuver.
Kevin Magnussen opens the first pit stops on lap 11. He is followed by Fernando Alonso, who puts medium tires on his car. Gasly and Hülkenberg pit at the same time: the Frenchman comes out just ahead of Magnussen. The Ferraris of Vettel and Räikkönen also pit on the 19th and 20th laps to fit soft tires, leaving the leadership to Bottas and Hamilton. Both Mercedes stay on track for one more lap. The Finn comes out on mediums while the Brit stays on track. A strategic battle unfolds.
Building on his momentum, Bottas sets lap records on medium tires and puts pressure on Vettel, who easily gets past Hamilton for the lead of the race. The Briton stops shortly after and also switches to medium tires.
On the 36th lap, Räikkönen stops at the pit for a second pit stop. But it goes very badly. The Finn leaves but collides with a mechanic, who is seriously injured and taken to the medical center, then to the hospital. The furious Ferrari driver is ordered to stop his car a few meters further on, and it’s a retirement.
As a result, Pierre Gasly climbs to 4th place, and his pace is nothing to be ashamed of, as he is lapping in the same times as the three drivers ahead of him and managing to keep the Haas of Magnussen, 5th, Renault’s Hülkenberg, 6th, and Fernando Alonso, 7th, at bay. A surprising Marcus Ericsson, very combative with his Sauber in 8th place, Vandoorne in the other McLaren and Carlos Sainz in the other Renault complete the Top 10.
At the front, Bottas increases the pace and puts pressure on Vettel. Will the Ferrari be forced to stop a second time? If that’s the case, it’s undoubtedly a lost victory for Scuderia. The “blue flags” for the German are coming out on the radio. The gap with the Mercedes driver behind him is melting away, and the Ferrari’s tires seem to be suffering.
But the German holds firm and ultimately wins his second race of the year after withstanding pressure from Bottas until the end. Beyond the victory, the Italian team is thinking of their mechanic injured during Räikkönen’s pit stop.
INITIAL CLASSIFICATION (LAP 57/57)
Immense pressure from Bottas, immense effort from Gasly in P4!#BahrainGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/YeBLa92uSo
— Formula 1 (@F1) 8 avril 2018
