Bahrain – Race: Hamilton and Rosberg make Mercedes shine, Gutierrez rolls over

The cars complete the warm-up lap at the brink of sunset, with all the floodlights already on. Only two drivers are on medium tires: Sebastian Vettel and Adrian Sutil.

At the start, Lewis Hamilton gains the advantage over his teammate, but the battle is fierce in the first corners. Felipe Massa makes a great start to gain third position, while Jean-Eric Vergne suffers a puncture after a collision. Kimi Räikkönen complains over the radio about being hit by Kevin Magnussen and has already lost 4 places in the standings, while Nico Hülkenberg is attacking Fernando Alonso.

After 5 laps, the German managed to overtake the Ferrari driver with the help of DRS, as a battle looms between Felipe Massa and Sergio Perez for third place. In the pack, both Red Bulls are truly suffering from a lack of top speed, with Vettel stuck behind Kimi Räikkönen and Daniel Ricciardo behind Kevin Magnussen. Both drivers are getting closer to their targets, without being able to overtake. At the front, Nico Rosberg changes strategy and is asked to take care of his tires.

In the tenth lap, Valtteri Bottas is overtaken in quick succession by Jenson Button and Nico Hülkenberg, with the German making a remarkable comeback since the start of the race. The Williams driver heads into the pits, followed by Daniil Kvyat and Jules Bianchi. After using DRS on the straight, Daniel Ricciardo manages to catch up to Kevin Magnussen and overtakes him in the next corner. For third place, Sergio Perez overtakes Felipe Massa and climbs onto the provisional podium while Daniil Kvyat sets the fastest time at 1:40.160. In the pack, Sebastian Vettel stays close to Kimi Räikkönen, despite the difference in tires, before the Finn stops. The German is put under pressure by his teammate, as his DRS malfunctions. An accident occurs between Sutil and Bianchi, the two drivers collide and both suffer a puncture. The incident is under investigation.

In the fifteenth lap, Sebastian Vettel is asked to let his teammate pass, and the German complies, as both men are on different strategies. But the world champion later pits, having lost all grip. In the pack, Nico Hülkenberg overtakes Kimi Räikkönen quite easily, followed by Daniil Kvyat. At Mercedes, they are in a league of their own, with both men holding almost a 20-second lead over their nearest rivals. Nico Rosberg takes the opportunity to attack but is overtaken again by his teammate. The 2008 World Champion pits, leaving his teammate in the lead: Rosberg is instructed to push before switching to medium tires.

On the twentieth lap, a fierce battle unfolds for the podium: the Williams and Force India drivers are within a few seconds of each other, while the Ferraris seem outpaced, as do the Red Bull and McLaren, as Jenson Button overtakes Kimi Räikkönen. Meanwhile, Adrian Sutil retires, and Nico Rosberg puts on medium tires to come out behind his teammate. There are fights at all levels, Sebastian Vettel with Kimi Räikkönen, while the battle between Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa takes place just ahead of Nico Hülkenberg. Both Williams drivers request to pit, but it will be the Finn who stops first.

On the twenty-fifth lap, Felipe Massa squeezes Nico Hülkenberg to the edge of the track, which benefits Sergio Perez, the Mexican manages to pass his teammate. When it’s not one Red Bull, it’s the other: Daniel Ricciardo attacks Kimi Räikkönen. In a superb exchange, Sergio Perez manages to overtake Felipe Massa, and the Brazilian is subsequently overtaken by Nico Hülkenberg. The Williams driver heads to the pits shortly after, followed by Fernando Alonso and Romain Grosjean.

On the thirtieth lap, Sergio Perez is 22.5 seconds behind Nico Rosberg. It goes without saying that the Mercedes drivers have a margin over their opponents while there’s a battle for third place. Valtteri Bottas, fighting to overtake Daniel Ricciardo and Kimi Räikkönen, makes a mistake. Surprised by Ferrari’s early braking compared to his Williams, number 77 has no choice but to swerve to avoid a collision, going off track. After a few laps, the Australian manages to overtake Kimi Räikkönen and brings Valtteri Bottas with him. Felipe Massa also manages to overtake his Ferrari replacement: only the Red Bull driver now separates the Williams drivers.

At the thirty-fifth lap, Sergio Perez and Sebastian Vettel enter the pits. The Mexican quickly gets rid of Fernando Alonso, in front of him after his pit stop. At Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton is informed that he no longer needs to preserve his fuel, but the Englishman must be careful with his tires. Marcus Ericsson retires, his Caterham parked at the side of the track. Nico Hülkenberg and Jenson Button stop at the pits. After his pit stop, Daniel Ricciardo catches up with Kimi Räikkönen, but the Australian swiftly overtakes the Finn, Kevin Magnussen, and Pastor Maldonado. Among the drivers fighting for third place, Nico Hülkenberg is linking fast sectors while Felipe Massa heads to the pits to put on medium tires, just like Kevin Magnussen.

SAFETY CAR ! Les deux Mercedes au stand ! #F1Bahrain

— La rédac’ de Motors Inside (@fanformule1) 6 Avril 2014

On the fortieth lap, Valtteri Bottas comes into the pits. The next lap, the Safety Car is out! Indeed, at the first corner, Pastor Maldonado violently hits Esteban Gutierrez. The shocked Sauber is sent into the air and rolls over almost in place. Fortunately, the Mexican driver emerges unscathed despite being stunned for a few seconds in his car. Adrian Newey’s concerns about the leverage effect of these low noses are now realized. Kevin Magnussen experiences his first retirement in Formula 1, immobilizing his McLaren. The hierarchy is thus upset by the pit stop game, with both Williams drivers only in eighth and ninth place, while Fernando Alonso and Kimi Räikkönen are just behind.

In the forty-sixth lap, the safety car lingers, while the two Mercedes drivers are instructed to prioritize bringing their cars to the finish: their overwhelming advantage having been wiped out by the safety car. The race resumes on the 47th lap, the battle immediately reignited between the Mercedes drivers, with Nico Rosberg on soft tires. Behind them, the fight between Sergio Perez and Nico Hülkenberg is fierce. Pastor Maldonado receives a 10-second stop-and-go penalty for the collision with Esteban Gutierrez.

The times of the Mercedes being well above the rest, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg take off in a way that would make Sebastian Vettel’s race in Singapore in 2013 look modest. The fight will be tight between the two Mercedes drivers.

On the fiftieth lap, there’s a battle between all the teams. Daniel Ricciardo manages to overtake Sebastian Vettel while Nico Rosberg closes in on his teammate. Behind the Hülkenberg-Ricciardo-Vettel struggle, the Williams drivers are making their way up.

In front, it’s heating up at the top, Nico Rosberg launches attacks on Lewis Hamilton but the Englishman resists!

With four laps to go Daniel Ricciardo manages to gain the advantage over Nico Hülkenberg while Lewis Hamilton is advised that he can use a specific button at the corner exit to give him more power.

On the penultimate lap, Jenson Button retires! It’s the first time in a year that a McLaren has retired. You have to go even further back to find a GP where no Silver Arrows finished. Massa attacks Sebastian Vettel, who defends very aggressively. At Force India, Sergio Perez is warned about Daniel Ricciardo closing in: fortunately, the Red Bull driver won’t have time to catch the Mexican.

On the last lap, the two Mercedes drivers are separated by only a small second! Sebastian Vettel is under heavy pressure from Felipe Massa, who himself sees his teammate closing in on his exhaust.

It is Lewis Hamilton who takes the victory ahead of his teammate at the end of a thrilling race. Sergio Perez earns his first podium since Monza 2012, ahead of Daniel Ricciardo. The Williams, despite being favorites for the podium, only finish 7th and 8th, ahead of the two Ferrari drivers. The race was marked by the accident of Esteban Gutierrez, who was flipped over by Pastor Maldonado.