Bahrain: post-race analysis
Blimey. It took 10 goes, but Bahrain was transformed, not unlike a frumpy librarian who turns out to like latex catsuits. An absolutely fantastic race from beginning to end, action throughout, huge amounts of passing, great excitement etc etc ad nauseum.
But only one team is top dog. Mercedes finished over 20 seconds ahead of everyone else, and that after a safety car reduced the gaps to almost nothing with only about 13 laps to race at the end. It is hard to see anyone challenging them.
But it doesn't matter, because the two team mates are free to race and went at it hammer and tongs. The race was bloody fantastic, and this season could be a cracker.
On a less happy note, Maldonado only got a drive-through penalty for his ramming of Gutierrez. It was very stupid and completely avoidable. I've said before I think the Venezuelan's a thug, and I still think so now. A stronger punishment was warranted.
Driver standings after Bahrain:
Rosberg 61
Hamilton 50
Hulkenberg 28
Alonso 26
Button 23
Vettel 23
Magnussen 20
Bottas 18
Perez 16
We have a class apart at the top, but after them it's very close. Positions 3-6 are occupied by drivers of different teams.
Constructor standings after Bahrain:
Mercedes 111
Force India 44
McLaren 43
Red Bull 35
Ferrari 33
Williams 30
It was also the first race I've watched on Sky, which was a bit unexpected. I must say the commentary team are a cut above the BBC (in fairness, they are all ex-BBC and would probably be current BBC if the aforementioned organisation didn't have the loyalty of Judas and the common sense of a drunken bull terrier).
On bets: one red, one green, and I'm content with that. It was the first race so far that was better not to hedge (overall there's not much difference). I'm considering doing Early Bets. These would be mentioned on pb.com and maybe over Twitter (and referred to in pre-qualifying pieces), but would not count towards the records. The reason for this is that I've made a couple so far this year, and they're doing reasonably well, but I don't want to spend any more time writing articles. Anyway, let me know what you think of that idea.
The race was almost decided at the start. Hamilton got a slightly better start and passed Rosberg. Massa stormed into third and Bottas went backwards. Immediately the Silver Arrows drove away and engaged in a private duel.
It's extremely hard to summarise the race. The Mercedes battled with each other closely early on, then Rosberg settled down a short way back. The pair went onto differing tyres for the middle stint (Rosberg medium, Hamilton soft) and (aided by 4s or so gained by pitting first) Hamilton built up the gap to around 9-10s.
Behind them there was constant passing, cars running nose to tail, team mates frequently battling one another. It was excellent. The Ferraris spent the whole race getting passed by other people, and neither McLaren finished, both retiring late on due to reliability issues. A few others retired, the most dramatic of whom was Gutierrez. The Mexican was minding his own business, turning at the first corner, when a Venezuelan lunatic exited the pits and attempted to occupy the same co-ordinates in time and space. Maldonado rammed the side of Gutierrez, and the Sauber went upside down before landing the right way up, albeit wrecked. The collision had also strewn the track with debris, and the safety car, for only the second time in the circuit's history (odds 9/4, considered it pre-race) made an appearance.
This harmed Williams, who (unlike just about everyone else) were trying a 3 stop strategy, and reduced Hamilton's advantage over Rosberg to almost zero, though the Briton still led. However, in the middle stint it was apparent the advantage of the softer compound (which Rosberg, unlike Hamilton, was now on) was much less than expected, only a few tenths a lap. The stage was perfectly set for a mighty clash.
And so it was. Rosberg tried over the last 13 laps or so to get past Hamilton, and very nearly made it, but in the end the Englishman retained the lead for a famous win. A very big boost for Hamilton's title hopes, but also a warning. Rosberg was immensely close, and had he kept the lead at the start I suspect he would've won.
Further down the field the Red Bulls suddenly remembered what pace was and started attacking those ahead of them like half-starved sharks. Ricciardo got past Vettel and managed to pass Hulkenberg late on. Very good driving by the Aussie, and although Hulkenberg did well considering he started 12th he'll be disappointed not to finish higher up than 5th.
On bets: one red, one green, and I'm content with that. It was the first race so far that was better not to hedge (overall there's not much difference). I'm considering doing Early Bets. These would be mentioned on pb.com and maybe over Twitter (and referred to in pre-qualifying pieces), but would not count towards the records. The reason for this is that I've made a couple so far this year, and they're doing reasonably well, but I don't want to spend any more time writing articles. Anyway, let me know what you think of that idea.
The race was almost decided at the start. Hamilton got a slightly better start and passed Rosberg. Massa stormed into third and Bottas went backwards. Immediately the Silver Arrows drove away and engaged in a private duel.
It's extremely hard to summarise the race. The Mercedes battled with each other closely early on, then Rosberg settled down a short way back. The pair went onto differing tyres for the middle stint (Rosberg medium, Hamilton soft) and (aided by 4s or so gained by pitting first) Hamilton built up the gap to around 9-10s.
Behind them there was constant passing, cars running nose to tail, team mates frequently battling one another. It was excellent. The Ferraris spent the whole race getting passed by other people, and neither McLaren finished, both retiring late on due to reliability issues. A few others retired, the most dramatic of whom was Gutierrez. The Mexican was minding his own business, turning at the first corner, when a Venezuelan lunatic exited the pits and attempted to occupy the same co-ordinates in time and space. Maldonado rammed the side of Gutierrez, and the Sauber went upside down before landing the right way up, albeit wrecked. The collision had also strewn the track with debris, and the safety car, for only the second time in the circuit's history (odds 9/4, considered it pre-race) made an appearance.
This harmed Williams, who (unlike just about everyone else) were trying a 3 stop strategy, and reduced Hamilton's advantage over Rosberg to almost zero, though the Briton still led. However, in the middle stint it was apparent the advantage of the softer compound (which Rosberg, unlike Hamilton, was now on) was much less than expected, only a few tenths a lap. The stage was perfectly set for a mighty clash.
And so it was. Rosberg tried over the last 13 laps or so to get past Hamilton, and very nearly made it, but in the end the Englishman retained the lead for a famous win. A very big boost for Hamilton's title hopes, but also a warning. Rosberg was immensely close, and had he kept the lead at the start I suspect he would've won.
Further down the field the Red Bulls suddenly remembered what pace was and started attacking those ahead of them like half-starved sharks. Ricciardo got past Vettel and managed to pass Hulkenberg late on. Very good driving by the Aussie, and although Hulkenberg did well considering he started 12th he'll be disappointed not to finish higher up than 5th.
Williams and Ferrari took places 7-10, and will be pretty disappointed with that. The Williams seemed to punch below its weight and the Ferrari just didn't look good.
Perez is a contender for driver of the day, as he nabbed the final podium spot. Ricciardo was very close at the end but the Mexican kept his cool, drove well and thoroughly deserved his 15 points. The Force India lineup is pretty strong. They're in danger of being the best of the rest.
Perez is a contender for driver of the day, as he nabbed the final podium spot. Ricciardo was very close at the end but the Mexican kept his cool, drove well and thoroughly deserved his 15 points. The Force India lineup is pretty strong. They're in danger of being the best of the rest.
But only one team is top dog. Mercedes finished over 20 seconds ahead of everyone else, and that after a safety car reduced the gaps to almost nothing with only about 13 laps to race at the end. It is hard to see anyone challenging them.
But it doesn't matter, because the two team mates are free to race and went at it hammer and tongs. The race was bloody fantastic, and this season could be a cracker.
On a less happy note, Maldonado only got a drive-through penalty for his ramming of Gutierrez. It was very stupid and completely avoidable. I've said before I think the Venezuelan's a thug, and I still think so now. A stronger punishment was warranted.
Driver standings after Bahrain:
Rosberg 61
Hamilton 50
Hulkenberg 28
Alonso 26
Button 23
Vettel 23
Magnussen 20
Bottas 18
Perez 16
We have a class apart at the top, but after them it's very close. Positions 3-6 are occupied by drivers of different teams.
Constructor standings after Bahrain:
Mercedes 111
Force India 44
McLaren 43
Red Bull 35
Ferrari 33
Williams 30
Same sort of story. There may well be opportunity for a cunning bet around the driver/team to finish behind the Mercedes pair. I'll have a look at this ahead of China, which is in a fortnight.
So, I'm pretty delighted. The race was utterly fantastic, probably the best since Canada 2011, and it was green too. Huzzah!
Morris Dancer
So, I'm pretty delighted. The race was utterly fantastic, probably the best since Canada 2011, and it was green too. Huzzah!
Morris Dancer
One of the best races I've seen in a long time.
ReplyDeleteLap 15 Ricciardo asks the team to get him past Vettel, though not in those words. Then "Sebastian, Ricciardo is faster than you."
Kudos to Vettel too, as he let his team mate pass without demur.
Great stuff!
Tim B
Mr. B, worth mentioning Vettel had some sort of engine issue, I think (again), and Hulkenberg likewise. Without it, Ricciardo would not have been faster and either Hulkenberg or Vettel would have had a good crack at the podium.
ReplyDeleteMildly surprised there aren't more comments, given the race was so exciting.