[SilentEngine]

Originally Posted by arun_kun

One quick question though, was there any issue with the tyre fitting with Kimi or they just stopped because crew was injured?

Rear left tyre didnt come off and the light turned green sending Kimi out with only 3 new tyres fitted.

There is a video in YouTube of the incident and it looks pretty nasty and you can clearly see how the impact breaks the mechanic's leg.

[RWD]

Originally Posted by arun_kun

One quick question though, was there any issue with the tyre fitting with Kimi or they just stopped because crew was injured?

Kimi was released before the rear left wheel could be changed. The said wheel was jammed, and the (later injured) crew member was still holding the super soft tyre, waiting to put it on, while Kimi was erroneously given the green light.

[da_lowrider]

Originally Posted by fz_rider

This pit stop menace is going out of hands. That was scary today.

Aah! Ferrari's own innovation, the pit light control system, has screwed them over this time. Maybe it's time to bring back the old lollipop!

On a serious note this was something that might have been preventable, not sure, but wasn't it the rear left that was an issue in practice too? When Kimi had to end his session?

[shibujp]

What a stocking race from Vettel! Those last 10 laps were gutsy and extremely well managed. Overall fantastic race with over taking up and down the order.

[StarrySky]

Great race from Vettel, running about 2/3rds of the race on Softs was a big gamble. I think Bottas ran out of laps in the end. He did seem to lose a bit more than Vettel overtaking the backmarkers.

It was damage limitation for Hamilton, as he mentioned. He was lucky to escape without damage after contact with Max.

Poor reliability was an issue for Redbull last year too, and it continues to haunt Ricciardo.

Good race from Gasly.

Poor pitstop for Kimi, after they had a similar issue in FP2. This time a mechanic ended up getting hurt. This incident overshadowed the whole race for me. It's never nice to see someone getting hurt.

[ashwin.terminat]

The Ferrari mechanic suffered a double leg fracture. Meaning, his leg snapped in two due to breaking both the tibia and fibula.

Looks like Kimi's retirement and the mechanic's subsequent injury was completely avoidable given Vettel's race result. Then again, hindsight is a perfect 20/20, Is it not? Poor pitstop ruined a potential double podium or at least a 1-4 finish for Ferrari today.

The race was intriguing largely due to the different strategies employed by Ferrari and Mercedes. The double retirement of the Red Bulls was a massive disappointment as well.

PS: Does anyone else feel Kimi is being treated like a 2nd driver too early into the season? Gives me the Schumi and Barrichello vibes of the early 2000's Ferrari team.

[Joxster]

Here's the highlights of the race for anyone who missed it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIm2cqy7-AI

Cheers

[deetjohn]

What a gripping race it was! Brilliant stuff!

I feel bad for Kimi and Daniel. Both got done for no fault of theirs. And both of them were in good places for a strong finish. Kimi' pit release looked real bad and the mechanic sustained a fractured tibia and fibula and will undergo surgery in Bahrain. Hope he recovers well.

For a second race in succession, Max blew it. He wanted to run Lewis off the track but he literally got the raw end and picked up a puncture. Is the pressure from the weekends getting a bit too big for the wonder kid?

Coming to Mercedes, they did everything right. If Australia was lost due to poor strategy calls, they made all the right calls here and was poised for a 1-2 finish. Recall the big testing Mercedes did on the medium tyres? The learning from that was all put to use here at the race. But Vettel and Ferrari had other ideas.

That was a very bold call from Ferrari to switch the strategy mid race. I heard plan D on the radio at one point. Plan D? Really? But it all worked, just about. Vettel was impressive, he didn't put a wheel wrong when all it would take to retire or box was a wheel to lock up. Also managed the straights very well with Bottas right on the gearbox towards the end.

For a second race in succession, Lewis got short changed. He had pace, but they couldn't make the best of it with a broken radio. You will have to wonder what would have happened had it been Lewis following Vettel on those final laps.

Then again, considering it was damage limitation by Mercedes, 2-3 is a very good result. The car doesn't like Bahrain and its heat. That's the reason why they had to put those slower but harder compound tyres.

So, are Ferrari the favorites? The answer is No! Let's recall that Vettel won both Australia and Bahrain last year too. The Mercedes tracks are just coming up starting with China next.

And that means we got a season! Wait for RBR to also join the party. Honda will be smug with that P4! Christian and his team got a decision to make.

[F150]

It was more a Mercedes loss than a Ferrari win. Bottas didn't try hard enough to overtake Vettel. Hamilton would have succeeded if he was behind Vettel, but he was in third place.
Overall an exciting race.
Sad to see that, Alonso is still no where near the top 5.
How did Gasley manage the 4th place?

[imidnightmare]

Originally Posted by F150

It was more a Mercedes loss than a Ferrari win. Bottas didn't try hard enough to overtake Vettel. Hamilton would have succeeded if he was behind Vettel, but he was in third place.
Overall an exciting race.
Sad to see that, Alonso is still no where near the top 5.
How did Gasley manage the 4th place?

Mercedes loss? Sorry, but can’t agree. The Ferrari was quicker all through the weekend. Bottas closed in on fresher mediums, but he too was slipping and sliding by the end. Add the dirty air which the Merc always struggles in and that was that. Would Lewis have passed? Who knows? Then again, there've been races when Seb has held him off so I think you’re jumping to conclusions.

For me, the big takeaway is that the Ferrari remains the car to beat in hot races while the Merc will bounce back very strongly in Shanghai where temperatures will be lower and of course, in the European races too.

Honda - nice to see McLaren getting their portion of humble pie. Hope they choke on it. They spent all last season claiming that with a Merc or Renault engine, they’d be challenging for wins. Clearly that was rubbish. It’s been obvious all through pre-season and now the first two races that the car itself needs a lot of work.

Onwards now. Let’s hope Ferrari can keep the pressure up! Nobody since 1982 has won both of the opening rounds and not won the WDC. Hopefully that will continue.

[SilentEngine]

Originally Posted by ashwin.terminat

PS: Does anyone else feel Kimi is being treated like a 2nd driver too early into the season? Gives me the Schumi and Barrichello vibes of the early 2000's Ferrari team.

Nothing new, isn't it? His side of garage simply isn't in same level as Vettel's.

Originally Posted by deetjohn

That was a very bold call from Ferrari to switch the strategy mid race. I heard plan D on the radio at one point. Plan D? Really? But it all worked, just about.

It must have been Plan B. They have hard time getting Plan A right most of the time, so to expect them to have plans C/D figured out would be too much to expect. They simply had no choice other than asking Vettel to stay out after Kimi retired. You are giving more credit to the team than what they deserve.
Yesterday's win was a combination of some good driving by Vettel in the end and very poor attempt by Bottas to overtake him. Any other driver instead of Bottas (RIC/VER) there would have made something happen.

[anukritbhargava]

Originally Posted by jraj

Sebastian Vettel take a bow. The guy didn't just beat Bottas today, he beat the mighty Mercedes

An absolutely smashing drive by Vettel today. He displayed the calm composure and steely determination that earned him four world championships!

Originally Posted by sourav9385

...Bottas, like I said before, IMO doesn't have what it takes to be a world champion...Good drive by Hamilton. But I fear this year belongs to the prancing horse & Vettel. Unless Mercedes really amp up their game.

Agreed, about Bottas not being World Champion material - he just doesn't seem to want it enough! I wouldn't be so sure about the year belonging to Ferrari - one must not forget that Vettel won in Australia and Bahrain in 2017 too, and, by his own admission, the car was definitely faster compared to the SF71H. The conditions in Bahrain, along with the mastery of Vettel at managing his tyres and the added advantage of track position gained by staying out were crucial in this victory. I am sure Merc is going to come back strong and, notwithstanding any further penalties or unforeseen circumstances, Hamilton should be back with a bang.

Originally Posted by fz_rider

Wow ! Wow ! Wow ! That was heart pounding. It almost looked undoable for Vettel. What a drive by him...As Rosberg said, strike Hamilton when he is not the most stable...Exceptional job by Gasly. What a drive by the lad...

I know, right! Unbelievable stuff by Vettel! The last ten laps were a treat to watch - I almost had tears in my eyes when he crossed the line. To be driving on tyres as old as his and manage to keep a charging Merc behind and not lockup even ONCE was unbelievable! A true masterclass by one of two of the greatest drivers of this generation! Agree with Rosberg's point - the key to winning the battle against Hamilton is to try and ensure he's off-balance, and if Vettel isn't given the car he needs, he must be shrewd and calculative, both on and off the track. Having said that, he must also be careful not to implode as last year - those three grands prix, starting with Singapore, derailed his entire campaign! Both these drivers are mega-competitors, amazing drivers and would not be as good as they are if they weren't as emotional and passionate as they are - it remains to be seen who can cross the line first and which constructor is able to iron out the kinks in their cars while giving their drivers the benefit of accurate and performance boosting updates.

[sgiitk]

Hats off to Vettel. Traces of Schumi in him cool, and calculated. He managed it to the last second. I sometimes was wondering whether he was keeping some tyre skills under the belt.

It was sad to see the accident/incident of the wheel change in Raikonen's car. Should we still call it a racing incident?

[DigitalNomad]

And just as I was about to give up on F1 as being too predictable and boring compared to MotoGP, along comes the Bahrain GP.

I could feel my heart race in the final two laps when Bottas was catching Vettel by a second a lap; fantastic lesson in defensive driving by Vettel - "those tyres were done, done, done" - although, I can't help but feel that had it been Hamilton (or Max) instead of Bottas, Vettel might have come up second best. Having said that, it was strange to see Hamilton pleading with the race engineer for instructions over a broken radio - "What should I do? Tell me what to do" - whatever happened to just putting your foot down and driving as fast as you can.

Fine result also for the rookie Gasly - his 4th place would certainly have cause some heartburn at McLaren.

With two quadruple champions on the grid, realistically capable of going past the Schumster, I'm now not sure which of them will get there first - and that is fantastic for the sport and the fans.

[Fullrevs]

New found respect for Sebastien Vettel. That was a fabulous drive by him. Very Schumacheresque. How he held those tyres together was tremendous. Going beyond the recommendation of the manufacturer also.

Its also good to see how he has matured a lot this year and not being the hothead he was last year.

Not sure if you guys saw the post race conference, his defence of Hamiltons comments on Max verstappen was extremely sporting. I reckon the journalist will never attend a press conference again.

Fantastic drive by Gasly for the Toro Rosso. The Honda engine has come good this year and it makes me want to question if all the blame was to be passed on to Honda. Was Mclaren cooperative enough with the Japanese engine supplier?

Whats with the wheel drama this year? Feel bad for the Ferrari mechanic. He will be out of action for a long time. As far as I know the pit light system is activated by each wheel gun mechanic and finally confirmed by the front jackman. Its been going terribly wrong this year.