Author: INDIAinF1 Desk

Bahrain, April 6: It’s advantage Ferrari after round one in Australia. Now, Sebastian Vettel and his team hope to keep the pressure on as F1 warms up with a trip to the Bahraini desert this weekend, but at a track that’s been very kind to them in recent years, reigning World champions Mercedes will have other ideas.

Ferrari inflicted defeat on Mercedes for the second year in a row in Melbourne. Only this time, rather than the Prancing Horse outracing them, the Silver Arrows were the masters of their own downfall.

Having found the software bug that led to their strategic miscalculation, Mercedes will not let that happen again. But Lewis Hamilton – the man who lost victory in Australia – expects Ferrari to be “rapid” in the heat of Bahrain, suggesting round two of a record-breaking 21-race season will be even closer in pure pace terms.

And a two-team fight could become a three-team fight if Red Bull can show the same speed over a full race that Daniel Ricciardo displayed as he set the fastest lap in Melbourne. Bring it on…

The form book

Until last season, Mercedes had been in control at Sakhir during the V6 era, winning in 2014, 2015 and 2016. However, Vettel stopped the rot in 2017, gifting Ferrari their fifth victory at the circuit.

Hamilton, Vettel and Valtteri Bottas all led at different stages of last year’s race, and based on what we saw in Melbourne, we could witness similar again this year.

The potential jokers in the pack are Red Bull. Team Principal Christian Horner insists his team can mix it with Mercedes and Ferrari after showing strong pace in clear air in Australia, and the team have twice triumphed in Bahrain, in 2012 and 2013.

Behind ‘the big three’, Haas lived up to their billing as the likely surprise package in Melbourne and were on course to finish fourth and fifth before cross-threaded wheel nuts conspired against them.

Team Principal Guenther Steiner has vowed to ramp up pit stop practice ahead of this weekend to avoid a repeat. Having scored a fifth and an eighth in two visits to Bahrain, Haas have every chance of being at the front of the midfield again if they can keep it clean.

But one factor working against the American team is the development race. Expect changes to cars up and down the pit lane, with McLaren one of the teams making the most moves. The Woking squad are aiming to bring much of the package which failed to make it to Australia, while rivals Force India are set to introduce a new front wing – and that could lead to a slight shuffling of the pack.

Hamilton Milestones

Hamilton may have seen victory slip through his fingers in Australia, but second place was enough to stretch his point-scoring streak to 26 races. Another top-10 finish in Bahrain will equal Kimi Raikkonen’s all-time record. In the grand scheme of things, it may seem insignificant, but make no bones about it – it would be a mighty achievement.

Hamilton failed to convert pole into victory for the fifth time in seven attempts in Melbourne. In Bahrain, he has converted one of two poles into victory. If he can improve that record this weekend, he will surpass Michael Schumacher’s record of 40 wins from pole.

However, pole isn’t the be all and end all. In only one of the last five races here has the pole-sitter claimed victory (Hamilton in 2015). Lining up at the sharp end, though, is imperative as the race has never been won from outside the first two rows of the grid.

Hamilton will make more history just by starting the race. It will be his 100th for Mercedes, making him the first driver to reach 100 starts for two different teams – he made 110 starts for McLaren between 2007 and 2012.

Raikkonen poised for Finnish record

Speaking of Raikkonen, victory this weekend would move him ahead of Mika Hakkinen as the most successful Finnish driver in terms of race wins. The two are currently tied on 20. However, despite scoring eight podiums in 12 attempts at Sakhir, the Iceman has never found his way to the top step. He has also never qualified on the front row in the desert.

Vettel set to join 200 club

After making it to 100 career podiums in Melbourne, Vettel will make a bit more history this weekend by joining the 200 race starts club – the 18th driver to do so. The German has so far scored four World championships, 48 wins and 50 poles in 199 Grand Prix weekends. Another win here will boost the confidence around the halls of Maranello.

For the superstitious out there, victory in Bahrain takes on even greater importance as nine of the previous 13 winners in the desert have gone on to win the drivers’ title!

Alonso, McLaren win-drought

Fernando Alonso’s fifth place in Australia equalled McLaren’s best result in the previous three years with Honda. If they fail to win at Sakhir, as seems likely given their pace relative to Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull, it will be the first time in their history they have gone 100 races without victory. Their last triumph came in the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix, courtesy of Jenson Button.

By coincidence, this weekend is also Renault’s 100th since their last Grand Prix victory. Only two teams have gone that long without a win and once again made it to the top step of the rostrum. Williams went 132 races between victory in Brazil 2004 and Spain 2012. Ligier started 231 between Canada 1981 and Monaco 1996. So, both Renault and McLaren have some way to go to snatch that unwanted record.

In Australia, Force India failed to score points with either car for the first time since the Monaco Grand Prix last May. If they can get back inside the top 10 in Bahrain and score 13 points or more, they will break the 1000-point barrier.

It has been a while since Marcus Ericsson last scored a point. In fact, it’ll be 50 races this weekend if he fails to make the top 10. Should he score again, he will set a record for the number of races between points finishes.

The circuit

Bahrain won the honour of bringing F1 to the Middle East in 2004 and since then has played host to a Grand Prix every year bar 2011.

Built on the site of an old camel farm, the 15-turn 5.412km Bahrain International Circuit features a mix of long straights and slow corners. Its stop-start nature makes traction important. It is also one of the best for overtaking, with opportunities at Turns 1, 3 and 11.

Hitting a barrier or wall is unlikely courtesy of the acres of run-off that engulf the circuit. But that means track limits will come into play. Put four wheels over the white line at the edge of the track and you risk a penalty from the stewards.

The track isn’t used all that often. Combine that with the venue’s desert location and you’ve got a recipe for low grip. Conditions improve as the weekend goes on as rubber is gradually laid down.

In 2014 the Bahrain Grand Prix became a twilight race, with the lights set to go out just after sunset this year. While temperatures drop as the race goes on, it is still one of the hottest of the year.

The timetable places more emphasis on second practice, as it is the only session to take place in the cooler conditions that are representative of qualifying and the race. First and third practice sessions are run earlier in the day when temperatures are much higher.

The tyres

Pirelli have nominated the same tyre choices as last year in Bahrain, bringing their medium, soft and supersoft tyres. But this year, all of the compounds are one step softer.

“Bahrain provides a very different challenge to Australia, but one of the things it has in common is that is quite a stop-start circuit characterised by longitudinal rather than lateral loads, which also means that it is rear-limited in particular,” said Pirelli Head of Car Racing, Mario Isola.

“Because of the abrasive surface and also thermal degradation we would expect more than one pit stop for most drivers, especially as the entire tyre range is softer this year and Bahrain has produced a variety of interesting strategies in the past.

“The race schedule, with track temperatures that fall considerably during the evening, means that teams need to maximise their learning from the sessions that are most representative and draw the most effective conclusions from the unusual track conditions in the evening.”

The forecast

Bahrain usually offers a chance to slap on sunscreen and dust off the sunglasses, and forecasts suggest this year will be no different. Sunny intervals are expected on Friday and Saturday with clearer skies set for Sunday. Temperatures will peak around 28C throughout, but drop quickly as the sun sets and the floodlights flicker on.

If recent trends are to be believed, the hotter conditions should play into the hands of Ferrari.

Source: formula1.com

Bahrain, April 6: Simpler, louder and road-relevant power units besides revenue distributed according to meritocracy were some of the key initiatives in a set of proposals for the future of the sport from 2021 that Chase Carey, Chairman and CEO of Formula 1 presented to the teams and the FIA in a meeting held at the Bahrain International Circuit, here today, according to a Formula 1 Press Release.

Chase Carey said: “Formula 1 is a sport with a rich history. We want to preserve, protect and enhance that history by unleashing F1s potential, by putting our fans at the heart of a more competitive and more exciting sport. We are driven by one desire: to create the world’s leading sporting brand; fan-centred, commercially successful, profitable for our teams, and with technological innovation at its heart.”

Key strategic initiatives

Power units (PU)

• The PU must be cheaper, simpler, louder; have more power and reduce the necessity of grid penalties.
• It must remain road relevant, hybrid and allow manufacturers to build unique and original PU. • New PU rules must be attractive for new entrants and Customer teams must have access to equivalent performance.

Costs

• We believe how you spend the money must be more decisive and important than how muchmoney you spend.
• While there will be some standardised elements, car differentiation must remain a core value • Implement a cost cap that maintains Formula 1 position as the pinnacle of motorsport with a state-of-the-art technology

Revenues

• The new revenue distribution criteria must be more balanced, based on meritocracy of the current performance and reward success for the teams and the Commercial Rights Holder.
• F1s unique, historical franchise and value must and will still be recognised.
• Revenue support to both cars and engine suppliers.

Sporting and technical rules & regulations

• We must make cars more raceable to increase overtaking opportunities.
• Engineering technology must remain a cornerstone but driver’s skill must be the predominant factor in the performance of the car.
• The cars must and will remain different from each other and maintain performance differentiators like aerodynamics, suspensions and PU performance. However, we believe areas not relevant to fans need to be standardised. Governance
• A simple and streamline structure between the teams, the FIA and Formula 1.

About Formula 1®

Formula 1® racing began in 1950 and is the world’s most prestigious motor racing competition, as well as the world’s most popular annual sporting series. The 2018 FIA Formula One World Championship™ runs from March to November and spans 21 races in 21 countries across four continents.

Formula One World Championship Limited is part of Formula 1 and holds the exclusive commercial rights to the FIA Formula One World Championship™. Formula1 is a subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation (NASDAQ: LSXMA, LSXMB, LSXMK, BATRA, BATRK, FWONA, FWONK) attributed to the Formula One Group tracking stock.

The F1 FORMULA 1 logo, FORMULA 1, F1, FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, GRAND PRIX and related marks are trademarks of Formula One Licensing BV, a Formula 1 company: All rights reserved.

Formula 1 Press Release

Bahrain, April 4: Having finished fifth after starting 10^th on the grid at the Rolex Australian Formula One Grand Prix in Melbourne a fortnight ago, Fernando Alonso heads to Bahrain feeling positive, as also his McLaren team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne who made two places for a ninth place finish.

Fernando Alonso said: “After a positive start to the season I’m already really excited to head to Bahrain and get back in the car. Australia gave us a positive feeling and I hope we can continue that momentum as we head into these back-to-back races.

“I know the team is working hard back at the factory to push through the upgrades that are in the pipeline, as these, along with the development work we’re doing on the chassis and with the power unit, are what will be key to unlocking further performance from our car.

“We mustn’t get complacent – these two races in Bahrain and Shanghai are tough on the cars and it’s important that we maintain good reliability if we are to maximise our potential. The competition is very strong and we need to keep pushing forward for more points.”

Stoffel Vandoorne said: “I’m very happy to be heading to Bahrain on the back of a positive weekend for us in Australia. There’s a good feeling in the team and we’re all working hard to keep that going. We know there’s a lot to do and every race brings a new set of challenges.

“Bahrain is a great venue – it’s where I started my F1 career when I filled in for Fernando as reserve driver in 2016, and it’s an important race for us thanks to our shareholders. The weather is good and the later-than-usual programme for the weekend sets it apart from a lot of other tracks we visit.

“Racing from day to night always feels special and makes this grand prix so unique – it means it’s very different from Australia in terms of set-up so I’m keen to maximise track time to work on preparation with the engineers. Last year I had a lot of bad luck there reliability-wise so I’m hoping we can have better fortunes there this time around.”

Eric Boullier, Racing Director, said: “Bahrain is an exciting event for the whole team and a special venue for McLaren. It’s our second home due to the team’s ownership and we always receive a fantastic welcome from our Bahraini hosts. The facilities are world-class and it’s a very enjoyable venue at which to host a Grand Prix.

“The back-to-back races of Bahrain and China pose very different challenges, and, given that most of our personnel don’t travel back to the UK between them, both logistics and car development are two tricky issues that everyone needs to get on top of.

“Speaking of car development, we’re working hard to bring updates to the next two grands prix, which we hope will help our boys continue to put up a good fight. As we saw in Melbourne, our competition is tough. We can’t take anything for granted and we know that despite a stronger performance than we’ve seen in recent months, we also benefitted from circumstances around us. Our principal targets are further up the grid ahead of us, so we know there’s work to do and our focus is on the development race as well as the race on track.

“The result at Albert Park was a boost that we all needed, but now we must move on, look firmly ahead and keep pushing forward.”

A run-down on the race from McLaren team’s perspective:

The toughest corner is Turn 10, a downhill left-hander taken in second gear (85kmph/53mph). The cars are simultaneously turning left and braking, which makes it easy to lock the unloaded inside front wheel. The drivers need to drive in a progressive and controlled fashion because the second DRS zone follows and a good exit is vital.

Temperatures: In 2014, the time of the race was switched from day to night, from 14:00hrs to 18:00hrs. The race starts seven minutes after sunset, meaning the track and ambient temperatures drop as the race progresses. That alters the balance of the cars and affects tyrewear.

The Bahrain International Circuit is the only track on the calendar that is located in a desert. It is windy and sand from the surrounding wilderness gets blown onto the track surface, which affects grip levels and forces the teams to attach filters onto the brake and engine inlets.

Brakes: There are eight significant braking zones, the toughest of which are into Turns One and 14. It is also the first hot race of the year and the combination of high ambient temperatures and heavier cars (734kg) means brakes will need to be monitored closely during the race.

Fuel consumption: The cars use 1.8kg of fuel per lap, which is high. Without a Safety Car period, it will be difficult for the cars to make the end of the race without some degree of fuel saving. Fuel consumption is negatively affected by the large number of acceleration zones from low speed.

Aero balance: The cars run in a medium downforce configuration. The aero balance is slightly different to elsewhere on the calendar because the cars are set-up to under-steer in an effort to protect the rear tyres

McLaren Press Release

Melbourne, March 24: Lewis Hamilton took his first pole position of the 2018 season in imperious fashion, beating Ferrari’s Kimi Räikkönen and third-placed Sebastian Vettel by nearly seven tenths of a second. It was a bittersweet session for Hamilton’s Mercedes team, however, as the defending team-mate, Valtteri Bottas, crashed out heavily at the start of the final session.

Räikkönen set the pace early in Q1, eventually rising to a time of 1:23.096s ahead of the Red Bulls of Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen. The order changed when Hamilton began to put together laps and five minutes before the flag the defending champion jumped to the top of the order with a lap of 1:22.824.

That put him 0.272 ahead of Räikkönen who finished ahead of Sebastian Vettel and the Red Bulls Verstappen and Ricciardo.

At the lower end of the order, it looked like Toro Rosso’s Brendon Hartley was going to prop up the table, as he sat in P20 ahead of the final runs. The New Zealander rose to the challenge, though, and put in a superb final flyer to climb up the order. His time of 1:24.532 was only good for P16, however, and he missed out on progress to Q2 by just 0.029s, as Force India’s Esteban Ocon scraped through in P15.

Eliminated behind Hartley were the Saubers of Marcus Ericsson and Charles Leclerc in P17 and P18 respectively, while Williams’ Sergey Sirotkin went out in P19 ahead of the second Toro Rosso of Pierre Gasly who had an off on his final run.

Q2 saw Verstappen set the first quick lap on supersofts, but that of the ultra soft-shod Räikkönen quickly bypassed his lap of 1:22.830. This time top honours went to Vettel, with the Ferrari driving rising to P1 with a second-run time of 1:21.944. That put him a tenth clear of Hamilton, who stayed on his first-run time of 1:22.051. Bottas took third ahead of Verstappen and Ricciardo.

Alonso was the main driver to miss out. Ahead of the final runs the Spaniard sat in P7, but once the final times came in the McLaren driver had been edged out to P11, some 1500^ths of a second behind 10^th-placed Nico Hulkenberg of Renault.

Alonso’s McLaren team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne was meanwhile eliminated in P11 ahead of Force India’s Sergio Perez, Stroll and Ocon.

Q3 began in dramatic fashion, with the first runs being interrupted by a red flag being shown when Bottas crashed heavily in Turn 2. The Finn lost control on the approach to the corner and broadsided the wall, causing severe damage to his Mercedes.

When running resumed, Hamilton led the way, with a time identical to his Q2 best. That left him just three hundredths of a second clear of Vettel, with Verstappen third ahead of Räikkönen and Ricciardo.

In the second runs, though, Mercedes turned up the heat and Hamilton simply powered ahead, taking almost nine tenths of a second out of his first-run time to claim his 73^rd career pole position with a time of 1:21.194.

Räikkönen took second place, though the Finn was 0.664s behind Hamilton. Vettel was third, just one hundredth of a second behind his Ferrari team-mate.

Ferrari were pushed hard, however, by Red Bull Racing who looked closer to the Italian team than last season. Verstappen qualified just four hundredths of a second behind Vettel, with Ricciardo fifth on a time of 1:22.152.

Behind them, Haas confirmed their dark horse status, with Kevin Magnussen taking sixth place ahead of team-mate Romain Grosjean. Hulkenberg was eighth ahead of Renault team-mate Sainz, while the unfortunate Bottas qualified 10^th.

2018 Australian Grand Prix – Qualifying:

1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1:21.164
   2. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 1:21.828
   3. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) 1:21.838
   4. Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) 1:21.879
   5. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull Racing) 1:22.152
   6. Kevin Magnussen (Haas) 1:23.187
   7. Romain Grosjean (Haas) 1:23.339
   8. Nico Hulkenberg (Renault) 1:23.532
   9. Carlos Sainz Jr. (Renault) 1:23.577
   10. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
   11. Fernando Alonso (McLaren) 1:23.692
   12. Stoffel Vandoorne (McLaren) 1:23.853
   13. Sergio Perez (Force India) 1:24.005
   14. Lance Stroll (Williams) 1:24.230
   15. Esteban Ocon (Force India) 1:24.786
   16. Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso) 1:24.532
   17. Marcus Ericsson (Sauber) 1:24.556
   18. Charles Leclerc (Sauber) 1:24.636
   19. Sergey Sirotkin (Williams) 1:24.922
   20. Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso) 1:25.295

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