Bahrain GP 2016

Bahrain GP 20165 in a row for Rosberg

Nico Rosberg scored his 5th consecutive win at the Bahrain GP to maintain his perfect start to 2016. Kimi Raikkonen came home 2nd, breaking the record for podium finishes at the same race, whilst Lewis Hamilton had to recover yet another race to finish 3rd. It was another solid 4th for Daniel Ricciardo and Romain Grosjean went one better than he did in Australia, bringing his Haas home in 5th. Max Verstappen was 6th for Toro Rosso, with the Williams pair of Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas coming in 7th and 8th. Dani Kvyat was 9th after starting 18th and Stoffel Vandoorne was 10th on his McLaren debut, deputising for the injured Fernando Alonso. It was a day to forget for Sebastian Vettel however as his engine starting smoking on the formation lap and didn't make it to the start.

This failure for Vettel was one of a few incidents that robbed the fans of a potential fascinating battle for the victory, which Rosberg took comfortably in the end. At the start, Rosberg once again got the jump on Hamilton, whilst Raikkonen was almost static and fell back. In the run down to turn one, the fast starting Williams’ were right up there with the Mercedes’, and Bottas tried to go up the inside of Hamilton before with him, causing the Mercedes body damage. The result of this saw Hamilton fall back down the field and another damage limitations drive was needed for the World Champion. Bottas also received a drive through penalty for causing a collision, something I believe was harsh simply because there was definitely a gap for Bottas to try and go for. This, along with Raikkonen's poor start, allowed Rosberg to control the race from the front again and win comfortably. Had Vettel started, Hamilton avoided contact, and Raikkonen started well, it could have been an absolute cracker up front. A significant thing with this victory is the number five. No driver has ever won five races in a row and not won the World Championship. A sign perhaps?

After another shocking qualifying session, the racing again was exciting to watch, albeit not at the front where everyone wants it. Easily from 4th down to last place, cars were going up the inside, around the outside, any possible way just to make up one place, even if it was just for 11th, 12th or 13th. Pascal Wehrlein was a superb example of this throughout the race, eventually finishing in 13th place and showing the progress the Manor team are making with the Mercedes engines. Amongst all the overtaking, bits of front wing and everything else seemed to be flying all over the place. By the end of lap 1 Hamilton was missing bits of car, as was Bottas and Ricciardo. Sergio Perez also had a collision resulting in a new front wing. Formula 1 had turned into a demolition derby for a few laps at least.

Reliability an Issue for Ferrari

Sebastian Vettel's failure on the formation lap at the Bahrain GP is the second reliability issue the team has had this season. In Australia, Kimi Raikkonen had some kind of engine issue which saw flames shoot out from the overhead air duct. Vettel also had issues in practise that looked like engine or gearbox but turned out to be a loose wheel. Even the fact that a loose wheel was the culprit, it still shows that Ferrari have issues. A problem with the wheel gun and the wheel nut was the issue in Bahrain. The most concerning however would definitely be the engine issues that seem to be plaguing the team. They have clearly made progress with the power unit and closed the gap to Mercedes.

The fact that they seem unwilling to run the car to full capacity with regards to the engine shows that the team are aware of this, even if they don't want to openly admit it. Sebastian Vettel has came out and said that the team are surprised by their reliability issues. These engine troubles could also have ramifications for Sauber and Haas who both run 2016 Ferrari engines. For their season to have a real title push, they really need to sort this out fast, or risk losing more ground to Mercedes.

Haas F1 Fallout?

After the Bahrain GP I posted a question on twitter asking should the likes of Williams, Force India and Sauber feel aggrieved by the fantastic start the team have made to F1 life? It prompted many different responses ranging from definitely yes, to absolutely not. Personally I don't think they should. What the Haas team has done should be the new blueprint for any team wanting to compete in Formula 1. In 2010 when Caterham (Team Lotus), HRT and Virgin Racing came to the grid with no proper financial backing or plan it was a disaster waiting to happen. HRT and Caterham failed to score a single point in Formula 1 during their short tenures in the sport. Virgin Racing have had two name changes, now running under the Manor name and have scored just two solitary points in this their 7th season. Haas in just two races have scored 18 points. The idea of planning out the team and setting it up the way Gene Haas has should be applauded. Essentially they are a Ferrari B team with the amount of Ferrari equipment that has been used and using former Ferrari test driver Esteban Gutierrez as one of its drivers. Williams have been vocal in their opposition to the way Haas have entered F1 but fail to mention that they started in very similar fashion. I can see the point of view of Force India and Sauber a bit more as they have been completely independent since joining F1, and never made a secret of the financial difficulties they've encountered. It was even rumoured at Bahrain that the next race in China could be one too many for the Sauber team, something I pray is not true. But what's done is done now, and it is up to these teams to play catch up or maybe try and strike similar deals elsewhere. 

Bahrain GP 2015

Nobody Can Do Anything About Hamilton

Round 4 of the 2015 Formula 1 World Championship came from the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain, which saw Lewis Hamilton continue his impressive start to the season by winning the race ahead of a reinvigorated Kimi Raikkonen and his team mate Nico Rosberg. Again, it was a flawless performance from Hamilton as he eased into his 3rd victory of the season. The reigning World Champion looked so comfortable all afternoon and didn't seem as though he was going to be troubled at any point during the race. Ferrari tried splitting their strategies to see if they could exploit any weaknesses in the Mercedes team which won them a second place; but not the victory that they wanted. Kimi Raikkonen looked like the Kimi of old with his battling attitude and brilliant tyre management, meaning he was able to beat Rosberg to second and finished only 4.5 seconds behind Hamilton. He would have got my vote for driver of the day for sure! He managed to leap frog Rosberg for 3rd at the 1st corner and then chose to go for the medium tyre for his second stint, whereas Sebastian Vettel and the two Mercedes opted for another stint on the soft tyres. With Kimi's tyre management being fantastic and even matching Hamilton's times whist on the medium compound was truly impressive. Unfortunately for Kimi, the Mercedes are still that little too strong for the Ferrari, but at least thereT is a challenge from them this season. Had Rosberg not had his brake issue on the second last lap, Kimi may have only finished 3rd. That is not taking anything away from Raikkonen's drive, but I believe that Rosberg could have kept the Ferrari at bay for another lap had the breaks lasted on his car. Hamilton's closest title challenger, Sebastian Vettel, kept Hamilton honest again in his Ferrari before what seemed like driver error, caused front wing damage after he ran wide at the final corner after his second pit stop. This meant a new front wing and another podium thrown away for Vettel. It would definitely have been a tasty encounter had the two Ferrari's been right there at the end to put pressure on both Mercedes, but I am sure this will come sooner rather than later. The question going in to the first European race of the season is: what can anybody do about Lewis Hamilton taking a 3rd World Championship this season? 

Rosberg Shows Bite and Talent

Nico Rosberg has had a lot of criticism aimed at him in the close season and in the early part of this season; some of it justified and some of it not. The justifiable criticism is that Rosberg doesn't seem to have the same bite on track as Hamilton. This was seen on many occasions last season, none more so than the Bahrain GP where Nico had many opportunities to take the win from Hamilton but, just didn't seem to have that little bit extra that Hamilton has. This cost him on a few occasions last season especially in Italy and Russia. It also seems to have been missing in the first three rounds this season as he has not really had an answer for Hamilton's pace and hasn't been in any kind of rhythm. All of this changed in Bahrain as that bite was clear to see in the overtaking manoeuvres he produced on both Ferrari's, and the pressure that he put on Hamilton. Had this same bite been here since round one in Australia and in other rounds last season, Rosberg would be a different animal all together. I think that this is where the two drivers differ massively. Hamilton always has this bite when he is racing whereas Rosberg is hit and miss, and this proves to be the difference.

As I mentioned, there has been criticism of Rosberg that is totally unjustified in my opinion, and that is that he isn't on the same level as Lewis Hamilton.

I start this argument with the fact that you don't win at Monaco twice by accident like Rosberg has done. Rosberg is a fantastic driver and over many years has proven this time and time again. He would constantly out perform his Williams cars during his time there and how many people can say that they dominated Michael Schumacher in the same team? I know Schumacher wasn't the Schumacher of old when he was Rosberg's team mate, but this doesn't take anything away from Rosberg. So now he isn't as close to Hamilton as he would want to be. So he hasn't won as many Grand Prix or world championships. The fact of the matter is for me, is that he can be just as good as Hamilton and he has shown that many times. If he was to constantly perform the way he did in Bahrain and showed that talent and bite race in race out he would be giving Hamilton a proper run for his money, this much I promise you.

Bottas Shows Worth

It wouldn't be a race post without mention of one of F1s future stars or World Champions. Whilst watching the race I was noticing that none of the previous race’s stars stood out for me. Okay, the Toro Rosso's were nowhere all race, even after impressive qualifying from Carlos Sainz, which was a letdown. Felipe Nasr seemed to have a solid, if not spectacular, race and finished back in 12th. Step forward Valtteri Bottas. The Williams team seem to have consolidated their position as best of the rest behind the leading two teams, but nothing more. It was again another solid performance but the car seems to be missing a little something, a problem I am sure the team will be addressing. Despite this, Bottas' performance against Sebastian Vettel was flawless. Granted, he wouldn't have been in a position to fight Vettel had Sebastian not had that front wing change, but this should take nothing away from Bottas. He kept the Ferrari at bay during the closing stages of the race with some brilliant driving. Many other young drivers may have been intimidated into making a mistake and allow Vettel through, but not Bottas. He is so calm at the wheel of an F1 car and is exciting to watch as well. I say this a lot, but we are blessed to have such a brilliant crop of young drivers in the field and a lot of potential World Champions, Bottas being near the top of that list in my opinion.

Races F1 Wouldn't Miss

2014 looks set to be the longest season in the history of the sport with a record breaking 21 races scheduled. This could be increased even further with the news that the Grand Prix of America, in New Jersey, could yet to be added to the calendar, making a very heavy 22 race season. Teams have made no secret of their desire to have a calendar of 20 races or less, with McLaren team principle Martin Whitmarsh being very vocal about the issue; especially with more in season testing scheduled next year. Contrasting opinions are coming out of Torro Rosso, with team principle Franz Tost saying he would like to see less testing and more races, something I agree with. The extra races along with in-season testing will put extra financial strain on the smaller teams. The turbo engines will also set the teams back extra millions per season. So if Bernie Ecclestone wants to broaden F1’s horizons further and further and with the teams reluctant to go past 20 races, what races could be dropped without any real shame? India has already bitten the bullet for next year, but where else could be dropped? Here are the top three I would drop to accommodate a smaller race calendar.

Bahrain

In the 10 years that the Bahrain GP has been on the calendar (exclude 2011 when the race was cancelled), I can genuinely not remember one entertaining or exciting race here. It held its first race in 2004 and was the first Middle Eastern country to hold an F1 race. Possibly the first mistake with Bahrain is that the track was designed by Hermann Tike, who has designed countless boring F1 tracks. Its long straights and slow twisty corners mean there is little over taking or excitement. The circuit is located in the middle of the desert causing a logistical problem for the teams and making it difficult for any fans actually turn up. All of this begs the question: why is the race still there? The answer is simple. Money. The amount of revenue that this race builds for F1 is so vast, that Bernie wouldn’t dream of dropping the race. The 2010 race was so dull; it was nick-named by many as the “Bore-rain Grand Prix”. If a race is deemed that uneventful, I personally wouldn’t want this race on the calendar. However the sport is channelled by money and Bahrain gives a lot of money. Even severe political unrest in the kingdom leading to the cancellation of the grand prix didn’t stop the race from coming back in 2012. It is one of the races that I actually find hard to watch because, I know unless something extreme happens; which is unlikely due to the massive run off areas (making it the safest racing circuit in the world) it will ultimately be a dull 90 minutes.            

Korea

The Korean GP can be described in one word: ridiculous. A track designed, again, by Hermann Tike, built three hours away from the nearest major city was a recipe for disaster. In my opinion that is exactly what the whole Korean GP experiment is, a disaster. When the inaugural event only gets the go ahead two weeks before it’s scheduled, something isn’t right. I remember getting up early on race day and waiting hours for the race to start because of rain. I have seen races go ahead with a lot more rain on the circuit, yet Korea was different. Apparently the concrete was only laid a few short days before F1 arrived in Korea meaning when the rain came down, it just rested on the circuit instead of seeping into track, leaving the circuit like an ice rink. At least the rain made the race exciting to watch, but it was the only reason. To add to the fact that it is in the middle of nowhere, the race looked like it was being staged around a construction site.

None of the hospitality facilities or road links were there and it looked horrendous on the television. When the race came round in 2011 I thought it would be a different story. How wrong I was. The place still looked like a building site with barely any grand stands or anything. Without the rain, it was a shockingly boring race as was the one in 2012. On a positive note, Korea is still subject to approval for 2014, so fingers crossed!

Abu Dhabi

In superficial terms, the grand prix in Abu Dhabi is absolutely fantastic. The facilities around the track are to be envied by any other country who builds a grand prix circuit. It made history by becoming the first twilight race in F1. Sounds fantastic right? The problem with the circuit is yet again Hermann Tike. The mixture of long straights and tight intersections make for tedious viewing. In its debut season, it was given the honour of hosting the final race. 2009 was personally my favourite season that I have ever witnessed. Each race had something going on to keep you on the edge of your seat. Fair enough, the title was already wrapped up so there wasn’t much to play for. This was obvious in the way the race panned out. However, 2010 should have been different. It was the last race of the season again and four drivers could have taken the title. A crash on lap 1 involving Michael Schumacher and Tonio Liuzzi meant a safety car was needed. After this, there was no major drama in what should have been an action packed race for the title. Instead, Vettel ran away with the race and secured the title. Fernando Alonso, who probably should have won the title, languished in seventh as there are no proper overtaking opportunities on the track. Yes, if you are going for a world title, you make the overtakes, regardless what track you are on. However if a driver of Alonso's quality and skill can’t put an overtake on Vitaly Petrov, who had an awful debut season for Renault, then what does that say about the track? It lost its honour of holding the last race in 2011 where Lewis Hamilton won and last year where a few crashes and some famous Kimi phrases made for good viewing. Despite last year’s race, I still think that this is a race on the calendar purely for financial reasons. The big Ferrari world theme park next door and the massive off track entertainment ensure lots of revenue. This is another race however that, despite its faults will be on the calendar for a few years yet.