The Bahrain Grand Prix proved to be the perfect antidote to a dull affair at Suzuka last week, delivering a terrific action-packed race on Sunday evening.
The differing tyre strategies, a mid-race safety car and some smooth overtaking ensured plenty of talking points. Below are the key takeaways from a pivotal weekend of action at the Sakhir circuit.
Perfect Piastri is a title contender
Oscar Piastri drove an immaculate race to secure McLaren's first ever victory in Bahrain – their second 'home race’. Owned by Bahrain's sovereign wealth fund, McLaren know they have the car to beat, and Piastri never faltered, finishing an impressive 15 seconds ahead of second-placed George Russell.
After taking pole in qualifying, Piastri made a strong start to the race and dominated throughout, despite the emergence of a safety car that wiped out a seven-second lead midway through.
“It’s great to have this result out here. It’s been an incredible weekend, starting off with qualifying yesterday [Saturday]. To finish the job today in style was nice,” said the Australian, his second win of the season after China. “I can’t thank the team enough for the car they’ve given us – it’s pretty handy out there. It’s been a great weekend, and I’m very proud of what I’ve done.”
Piastri’s brilliant win sees him move up to second in the drivers’ championship on 74 points, just three behind teammate Lando Norris. After struggling in qualifying, Norris said it was like he'd “never driven a Formula One car before” and that he “needed to find some answers”.
He found them on Sunday when he stormed up the grid from the first lap and went on to finish third despite receiving a five-second penalty.
It was a scrappy race at times and Norris faced challenges. He overcame Charles Leclerc and began pursuing Russell in the final laps of the race. However, he was unable to overcome the Mercedes to make it another one-two finish for McLaren.
Russell shows his quality
Russell was in warrior mode on Sunday evening as he masterfully managed his soft tyres to the end to secure P2.
“It felt all under control for a moment, then suddenly we had a brake-by-wire failure, so the pedal was going long, then it was going short … I didn’t know what was going on … the steering wheel wasn’t working properly,” Russell explained.
“It was really hard-fought to keep Lando behind. I think one more lap and he would have got me pretty comfortably. Nevertheless, I’m really pleased with P2.”
Russell got off to a terrific start, passing Leclerc and holding on for much of the race. However, he began suffering electrical problems in the closing stages and accidentally used an “auxiliary button in the cockpit which serves as a back-up radio button but also serves as a manual DRS activation button”.
Russell escaped a possible penalty for DRS infringement, as the stewards explained: “Whilst technically a breach occurred, the stewards decide that as there was no sporting advantage gained, no penalty is imposed.”
Russell has had an impressive start to the season, delivering some strong displays to sit fourth in the championship, 14 points behind leader Norris.
Russell should have won driver of the day for his performance, and for a driver whose contract expires at the end of this year, he needs to continue progressing and impressing if he wants to secure a long-term deal.
Verstappen fails to build on Suzuka
After a dominant display last week in Japan, it was all set for Verstappen to produce another dazzling race and defy the mediocrity of the RB-21. However, two slow pit stops and a brake problem left him down in sixth, and complaining that “everything went wrong”.
His first pit stop took longer than expected due to a traffic light failure, while the second was even worse, according to Verstappen, when his crew struggled to remove his front right tyre.
Tyre degradation was always going to prove problematic, and Red Bull struggled, overheating their tyres far more than their rivals. It all begs the question as to how long Verstappen will tolerate his car’s issues? Can Red Bull keep hold of their champion?
As for Yuki Tsunoda, he finished in ninth to secure his first points for Red Bull, progressing nicely in his second outing as the team’s No 2 driver.
Baby steps for Ferrari
It’s been a difficult start to the season for the Scuderia, and the team introduced several upgrades for Bahrain, including a new floor, in the hope of closing the gap on the cars ahead of them.
Leclerc battled for a podium finish until the speed of Norris eventually snatched P3 away from him. The Monegasque admitted the upgrades proved helpful, but the car still doesn’t have the pace to compete and a lot of work is still needed.
“A baby step [forward] but we need many baby steps before getting to where we want,” explained Leclerc after the race.
As for his teammate, Lewis Hamilton won driver of the day, as voted for by the fans. Securing P5, it was his best finish to date for Ferrari, despite only qualifying in ninth.
It is always difficult to move to a new team, but it’s especially difficult if you are a veteran with a distinct style and are forced to adapt and change to suit the strengths of the Ferrari.
“The car is sometimes quite hard to drive and I’m really working hard to adapt my driving style so that’s really what I’ve got to do,” Hamilton explained.
“I learnt a lot today and [in] that middle stint I was really in line with the car and I had the pace and was moving forwards. I need that at the beginning and the end, and I need that in qualifying so I know what to search for now.”
