Monaco Grand Prix Preview

Michael Schumacher can’t hide his delight at being the fastest man in qualifying despite lining up 6th due to a penalty.

Michael Schumacher rolled back the years in Monaco as he recorded the fastest time in Saturday’s qualifying session. Unfortunately for the seven time World Champion, he will only line up sixth on the grid after the five place penalty he received for his collision with Bruno Senna in Spain. Mark Webber was second fastest and will line up on pole for today’s race. Schumacher was delighted to have shown he’s still got the pace at a time when he was under pressure from Mercedes and will be quietly confident about his chances in today’s race.

Qualifying 1

Before qualifying began, Pastor Maldonado received a ten place grid penalty for clashing with Sergio Perez in FP3 in addition to a five place penalty for a gearbox change. For Perez, the drama did not stop there as he suffered a power steering failure in his first run in Q1 which sent him crashing into the Swimming Pool chicane and ending his session before it begun. As the session wore on, several big names had to change to the supersoft tyres in order to avoid elimination. Sebastian Vettel lay in 16th position before he was forced into using a set of the supersofts along with Kimi Raikkonen. Nico Hulkenberg set the fastest time of the session on the supersoft tyres while Heikki Kovalainen comfortably outqualified team-mate Vitaly Petrov. Sergio Perez will be left trying to make the best of a bad situation in today’s race.

Eliminated:

• 18th Heikki Kovalainen (Caterham F1) 1:16.538
• 19th Vitaly Petrov (Caterham F1) 1:17.404
• 20th Timo Glock (Marussia F1) 1:17.947
• 21st Pedro de la Rosa (HRT F1) 1:18.096
• 22nd Charles Pic (Marussia F1) 1:18.476
• 23rd Narain Karthikeyan (HRT F1) 1:19.310
• 24th Sergio Perez (Sauber F1) – No time, has a five place penalty for gearbox change

Qualifying 2

Jean-Eric Vergne got Q2 underway with a bang when he scraped the wall inside the tunnel, damaging his front wing and suspension and meaning that he would not take any further part in qualifying. He wasn’t the only one in trouble as Sebastian Vettel complained of a poorly handling car. Vettel was eventually able to claw his way into Q3 but at the expense of another set of tyres. Jenson Button and the Lotus’ were also in trouble but while Raikkonen and Grosjean improved, Button did not and was left down in 13th with di Resta, Senna and Kobayashi among the other drivers eliminated. Less than a second separated the top 16 drivers in Q2.

Eliminated:

• 11th Nico Hulkenberg (Sahara Force India) 1:15.421
• 12th Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber F1) 1:15.508
• 13th Jenson Button (Vodafone McLaren Mercedes) 1:15.536
• 14th Bruno Senna (Williams F1) 1:15.709
• 15th Paul di Resta (Sahara Force India) 1:15.718
• 16th Daniel Ricciardo (Scuderia Toro Rosso) 1:15.878
• 17th Jean-Eric Vergne (Scuderia Toro Rosso) 1:16.885

Qualifying 3

After the end of the first runs in qualifying, Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg was on provisional pole ahead of Grosjean and Webber while the two Ferrari’s decided to only run once in Q3, at the end of the session. A flurry of lap times followed with Alonso going up to P5 before Webber overhauled Rosberg’s time. But few could have predicted what happened next as Schumacher went faster still to take P1 and despite his penalty he will be delighted with his performance. Vettel was the only driver not to take part in Q3 and will have a tough task to win from 10th. The race promises to be absolutley captivating.

Top 10:

1. Michael Schumacher (Mercedes AMG Petronas) 1:14.301 – will start 6th after 5 place grid penalty
2. Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing) 1:14.381
3. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes AMG Petronas) 1:14.448
4. Lewis Hamilton (Vodafone McLaren Mercedes) 1:14.583
5. Romain Grosjean (Lotus F1) 1:14.639
6. Fernando Alonso (Scuderia Ferrari) 1:14.948
7. Felipe Massa (Scuderia Ferrari) 1:15.049
8. Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus F1) 1:15.199
9. Pastor Maldonado (Williams F1) 1:15.245 – will start 23rd after 10 place grid penalty plus 5 place penalty for gearbox change
10. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing) – No time

Well, who would’ve thought Schumacher would’ve taken pole? Ironic given the fact he’s had 68 of them but he’s been under such pressure this week with Mercedes almost publicly declaring that they’d hire Paul di Resta if Schumacher didn’t raise his game. Raise his game he did and he must be feeling confident today and when he’s confident he usually pulls something special out the bag. Webber will be delighted to be starting on pole but Rosberg should pose a strong challenge to him. My prediction is thus:

1. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes AMG Petronas)
2. Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
3. Romain Grosjean (Lotus F1)

Enjoy the glitz and glamour (I hate how they’ve become what the Monaco Grand Prix is about rather than the racing) and I’ll see you on the other side!

Maldonado Defies the Odds to Win First Grand Prix

Pastor Maldonado cannot hide his joy at winning his first ever Grand Prix

Williams’ Pastor Maldonado converted pole position into a race win to record his first victory in the elite level of motorsport. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso provided stiff competition for the majority of the race while Kimi Raikkonen scored another podium as he edges closer to a comeback win. A dramatic Spanish Grand Prix was capped with a fire in the Williams garage after the race which gutted a great deal of equipment and has left the team struggling to gather themselves at Monaco next weekend.

When the lights went out, Alonso delighted the home crowd by powering past Maldonado into turn one, in a repeat of his brilliant start 12 months ago. Behind him, Raikkonen gained a few places while Perez clashed with Grosjean, giving the Mexican a puncture while Mark Webber was left down the order after a bad getaway.

Perez pitted and switched to the hard compound tyres which would emerge as the faster tyre in the course of the race. Alonso and Maldonado led Raikkonen but the Ferrari driver couldn’t shake off the Venezuelan. Further back, Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa were making swift progress from their lowly grid positions with Hamilton running as high as fourth at one point. Lap 13 saw the first major talking point of the race as Michael Schumacher careered into the back of the Williams of Bruno Senna forcing both cars into retirement and earning Schumacher a 5 place grid penalty for Monaco.

Alonso was happier in a much-improved Ferrari but just couldn’t catch Maldonado.

McLaren’s pitstop woes continued as Hamilton’s first stop was marred by contact with a tyre as he exited his box. McLaren weren’t the only team with problems as Red Bull’s Mark Webber suffered from a loose nose which cost him several places. At the front, Alonso was still holding Maldonado at bay after the first round of stops but the Venezuelan looked to be the equal of Alonso. Maldonado had closed the gap down to 1.5 seconds by lap 21 and Williams brought him in to try and undercut the Spaniard. He set a blistering out lap and with Alonso held up in traffic was able to end up in the lead by lap 25.

Sebastian Vettel and Felipe Massa were handed drive-through penalties for ignoring yellow flags following the Schumacher/Senna accident which compromised their strategies. The Lotus drivers were back on the pace after switching to the hard tyres and it seemed as though Raikkonen might have had an outside chance of victory. Williams had a slight issue with a rear tyre during Maldonado’s final stop and Alonso was able to close the gap to three seconds. Raikkonen’s third stop saw him switch to a fresher set of tyres than Maldonado and Alonso and the Finn was closing in on them at a second a lap.

The tyre situation created a grandstand finish as Maldonado preserved his tyres and Alonso and Raikkonen went all out in the hope of overhauling him. Alonso closed onto the gearbox of Maldonado but couldn’t pass him and eventually had to concede defeat as his tyres hit the metaphorical performance ‘cliff’. Raikkonen was in hot pursuit but could only close to within three seconds as Maldonado opened the throttle and powered to his first career win and the first ever win for a Venezuelan in Formula 1 history.

An eventful weekend for the Williams team was capped in dramatic fashion with a fire in their garage. Investigations are still continuing as to the cause of the fire but it gutted a large section of the garage and a great deal of IT equipment and data. Fortunately the majority of personnel got to safety including Team Principal Sir Frank Williams and several of the other teams helped fight the fire. Sadly, at least nine mechanics were injured, one seriously and the Williams outfit face a battle to be ready in time for Monaco. One thing is certain, Williams will never forget this Grand Prix weekend.

The smoke from the fire covered the paddock and track

Provisional Classification:

1. Pastor Maldonado (Williams F1) 1hr39:09.145
2. Fernando Alonso (Scuderia Ferrari) + 3.195
3. Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus F1) + 3.884
4. Romain Grosjean (Lotus F1) + 14.799
5. Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber F1) + 1:04.641
6. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing) + 1:07.576
7. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes AMG Petronas) 1:17.919
8. Lewis Hamilton (Vodafone McLaren Mercedes) + 1:18.140
9. Jenson Button (Vodafone McLaren Mercedes) + 1:25.246
10. Nico Hulkenberg (Sahara Force India) + 1 Lap
11. Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing) + 1 Lap
12. Jean-Eric Vergne (Scuderia Toro Rosso) + 1 Lap
13. Daniel Ricciardo (Scuderia Toro Rosso) + 1 Lap
14. Paul di Resta (Sahara Force India) + 1 Lap
15. Felipe Massa (Scuderia Ferrari) + 1 Lap
16. Heikki Kovalainen (Caterham F1) + 1 Lap
17. Vitaly Petrov (Caterham F1) + 1 Lap
18. Timo Glock (Marussia F1) + 2 Laps
19. Pedro de la Rosa (HRT F1) + 3 Laps

Not Classified:

• Sergio Perez, Transmission – Lap 37
• Charles Pic, Driveshaft – Lap 35
• Narain Karthikeyan, Loose Wheel – Lap 22
• Bruno Senna, Collision – Lap 13
• Michael Schumacher, Collision – Lap 13

Drivers’ Championship Standings:

1. Sebastian Vettel – 61 Points
2. Fernando Alonso – 61 Points
3. Lewis Hamilton – 53 Points
4. Kimi Raikkonen – 49 Points
5. Mark Webber – 48 Points
6. Jenson Button – 45 Points
7. Nico Rosberg – 41 Points
8. Romain Grosjean – 35 Points
9. Pastor Maldonado – 29 Points
10. Sergio Perez – 22 Points
11. Kamui Kobayashi – 19 Points
12. Paul di Resta – 15 Points
13. Bruno Senna – 14 Points
14. Jean-Eric Vergne – 4 Points
15. Nico Hulkenberg – 3 Points
16. Daniel Ricciardo – 2 Points
17. Felipe Massa – 2 Points
18. Michael Schumacher – 2 Points

Constructors’ Championship Standings:

1. Red Bull Racing – 109 Points
2. Vodafone McLaren Mercedes – 98 Points
3. Lotus F1 – 84 Points
4. Scuderia Ferrari – 63 Points
5. Mercedes AMG Petronas – 43 Points
6. Williams F1 – 43 Points
7. Sauber F1 – 41 Points
8. Sahara Force India – 18 Points
9. Scuderia Toro Rosso – 6 Points

UEFA Champions League Final Preview

Tonight see’s the final of Europe’s premier football competition. Bayern Munich and Chelsea have seen off the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid to make it this far and will now compete in front of a global audience of millions for the title of best team in Europe and for an estimated £48 million in prize money!

Chelsea

Can the Blues pull off another surprise tonight?

Few expected Chelsea to make it anywhere near this far after all they were 3-1 down on aggregate against Napoli in the first knockout round and had to face the might of Barcelona in the semis but they survived those tests and their reward is a chance to win their first Champions League and avenge the penalty defeat against Manchester United in 2008.

Their problem tonight will be coping against a potent Bayern attack without the likes of John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic who both miss out through suspension. They’re also missing Raul Meireles and Ramires who are two important creative forces in the middle of the park. As if that wasn’t bad enough, there are also major doubts over the fitness of David Luiz and Gary Cahill who would make up the centre-back partnership tonight. So Roberto di Matteo’s men are out of it before the game has even kicked off? Well, not exactly. They’ve been up against it pretty much all season and who would’ve bet on them reaching a Champions League final and winning the FA Cup? Tonight could see one final act of magic from the squad and they have the players and motivation to do it.

Firstly, Didier Drogba looks as potent as ever after inspiring Chelsea to FA Cup success. He relishes the big occasion and Bayern will find it difficult to control the big man. Torres has shown glimpses of a return to form by bagging a hat-trick against QPR and the winner against Barcelona before that although he will likely only feature as a substitute tonight. In addition to them, Chelsea can rely on Juan Mata who has been one of the signings of the season. He’ll be sure to supply some of the pace and creativity that the Blues are lacking in other areas of midfield tonight. Chelsea can certainly score tonight and if they score first then there’s no reason why they can’t employ the same tactics that they did against Barcelona and defend for 70-odd minutes.

Secondly a few of the players such as Drogba, Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard and Petr Cech know that tonight could be the last Champions League final that they play in. If that’s not motivation enough to go out and perform some heroics then I don’t know what is.

Bayern Munich

Bayern will be looking to win their fifth Champions League tonight.

On paper, this Bayern side has enough about them to beat Chelsea tonight but football matches aren’t played on paper. Ironically Bayern are playing tonight’s final at their home stadium – the Allianz Arena, and so will have a slight psychological advantage tonight. That being said, Bayern do have problems of their own. Like Chelsea they have players suspended in the shape of Holger Badstuber, Luiz Gustavo and David Alaba while Daniel Van Buyten will face a late fitness test. You’ve got to admire the strength of Bayern’s attack though. I said that Bayern were, in my view, the third best all-round team in Europe (behind Barcelona and Real Madrid) but I think they’re on a level footing with them when it comes to the midfield and frontline.

Can you imagine a better wing partnership than Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben? Then in front of them there’s Mario Gomez and that’s without even mentioning Schweinsteiger, Thomas Muller and Toni Kroos. In fact, I’d say that Bayern will be harder to shut out than Barcelona because they are not set in one way of playing football like Barca are. Bayern are brutally efficient and combine the best of the English game with the best of the German, Spanish and Italian games. Another key element in the team is Phillip Lahm who can provide an attacking impetus from the back – something that Chelsea will have to stop before it starts.

There are flaws in the Bayern team though and perhaps the most obvious is Manuel Neuer. He’s been inconsistent since joining from Schalke and has dropped a fair few clangers at important stages of the season. If the pressure gets to him tonight then I expect Chelsea to have a field day pelting shots at him. The centre-back area could be a bit makeshift too if Van Buyten doesn’t make the starting XI as his likely replacement would be Anatoly Tymoschuk – a natural defensive midfielder. He could be caught out of position and silly mistakes like that  simply can’t be allowed to happen in a Champions League final (remember last season’s final, United didn’t close down Messi and he made them pay.)

Prediction

I’m still leaning towards a Bayern victory but it won’t be as clear cut as most of the bookmakers think it will be. I fancy Gomez to score but don’t rule out Drogba at the other end. If Luiz and Cahill are on the same wavelength then they should be a stronger alternative to Tymoschuk and Contento. With both teams having suffered final heartache within the last five years, it promises to be a passionate affair. With an expectant German crowd watching Bayern will be under pressure to deliver and that could lead to an open game.

For that reason, I’m going for a 3-2 Bayern win. Ambitious I know but I’m feeling lucky.

Spanish Grand Prix Preview

Pastor Maldonado took pole but not in the fashion you might expect.

Pastor Maldonado will line-up for tomorrow’s Spanish Grand Prix in pole position but the main talking point from Saturday’s qualifying session has been the steward’s decision to disqualify Lewis Hamilton from the timesheets, leaving him 24th on the grid despite setting the fastest lap time of the afternoon. Fernando Alonso seemed to enjoy the updates to the F2012 as he secured a second place grid slot. Here’s how qualifying unfolded session by session:

Qualifying 1

FP3 taught us that the field would be extremely close and the slightest mistake would cost a driver several grid places. The teams quickly abandoned running on the harder tyres to seek faster laptimes. Maldonado underlined the pace of the Williams at Catalunya by going quickest before first Romain Grosjean and then Lewis Hamilton went quickest. Hamilton’s lap was particularly stunning, going some six tenths faster than Grosjean. At the rear end of the field the usual suspects were joined by Bruno Senna in the closing few minutes of the session but while chasing down a faster time he caught the kerb going into turn 12 and lost the backend. Beached in the gravel, Senna was left to rue what might have been and made his way back to the motorhome.

Eliminated:

• 18th Bruno Senna (Williams F1) 1:24.981
• 19th Vitaly Petrov (Caterham F1) 1:25.277
• 20th Heikki Kovalainen (Caterham F1) 1:25.507
• 21st Charles Pic (Marussia F1) 1:26.582
• 22nd Timo Glock (Marussia F1) 1:27.032
• 23rd Pedro de la Rosa (HRT F1) 1:27.555
• 24th Narain Karthikeyan (HRT F1) 1:31.122

Qualifying 2

A big-name elimination was always looking likely in Q2 and instead of just one surprising knock-out, we were given three. Pastor Maldonado showed Lewis Hamilton that he’d be right up there with him in Q3 by posting a 1:22.105 to go fastest in the session. With two minutes to go, Mark Webber looked comfortably inside the top 10 alongside Jenson Button while Felipe Massa again struggled for pace in the sister Ferrari. He briefly made an appearance in the top 10 before being usurped by his competitors to end up 17th in the session. Webber and Button decided not to go out on track and improve their time and it proved to be a costly mistake. A flurry of times from the midfield contenders knocked Button and Webber out of the top 10 with 6th place to 12th separated by one tenth of a second. Kamui Kobayashi, who scraped into the top 10 shootout, parked his car on the side of the track meaning that he would take no further part in the afternoon’s events.

Eliminated:

• 11th Jenson Button (Vodafone McLaren Mercedes) 1:22.944
• 12th Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing) 1:22.977
• 13th Paul di Resta (Sahara Force India) 1:23.125
• 14th Nico Hulkenberg (Sahara Force India) 1:23.177
• 15th Jean-Eric Vergne (Scuderia Toro Rosso) 1:23.265
• 16th Daniel Ricciardo (Scuderia Toro Rosso) 1:23.442
• 17th Felipe Massa (Scuderia Ferrari) 1:23.444

Qualifying 3

It always seemed that this was going to be a straight fight between Hamilton and Maldonado here and that is how it turned out. Vettel and Schumacher both elected not to set a timed lap in this session while Sergio Perez underlined the pace of the Sauber’s by qualifying 6th. The Lotus’ were as solid as ever taking P4 and P5 and Fernando Alonso again highlighted why, in my opinion, he is the best driver on the grid by taking P3. It looked like it might have been pole when he led the standings with a minute to go but up popped Maldonado to deprive the Spanish fans of a celebration. The Venezuelan put in a blinder and must surely have impressed Frank Williams on his 7oth birthday. The star of the show was Hamilton who produced a simply stunning lap to beat Maldonado by half a second – a Senna-esque performance from the Brit. But then disaster, on his way back to the pits he stopped the car after almost running out of fuel. With no way to get back to the pits it seemed as though Hamilton would face a penalty and the stewards didn’t disappoint. Under Article 6.6.2 of the regulations, “Except in cases of force majeure (accepted as such by the stewards of the meeting), if a sample of fuel is required after a practice session the car concerned must have first been driven back to the pits under its own power.” McLaren chief Martin Whitmarsh tried in vain to convince the stewards that the margin of Hamilton’s pole was so great that any punishment would not befit the crime but the stewards  excluded Hamilton from qualifying, relegating him to the back of the grid and leaving him needing to produce another Senna-esque performance in order to claw anything out of this weekend. Maldonado on the other hand will be absolutely delighted to line up on pole position for the first time in his F1 career.

Top 10:

1. Lewis Hamilton (Vodafone McLaren Mercedes) 1:21.707 – Excluded from qualifying and will start 24th
2. Pastor Maldonado (Williams F1) 1:22.285
3. Fernando Alonso (Scuderia Ferrari) 1:22.302
4. Romain Grosjean (Lotus F1) 1:22.424
5. Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus F1) 1:22.487
6. Sergio Perez (Sauber F1) 1:22.533
7. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes AMG Petronas) 1:23.005
8. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing) – No time
9. Michael Schumacher (Mercedes AMG Petronas) – No time
10. Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber F1) – No time

With Hamilton down in 24th but with the obvious pace to win this by a mile and with Webber and Button both saving a set of tyres down in 11th and 12th there is the potential for a thrilling race in Spain today. The top 10 are very closely matched and Maldonado vs Alonso will be fascinating to watch. Raikkonen should challenge them if he gets a good start while Bruno Senna has a good car underneath him and will want to show Frank Williams that yesterday was just a blip.

My prediction this weekend is this:

1. Fernando Alonso (Scuderia Ferrari)
2. Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus F1)
3. Pastor Maldonado (Williams F1)

All Lewis Hamilton’s hardwork was undone as a fuel issue cost him pole position and left him down in 24th on the grid.

Who would’ve predicted that podium a couple of weeks ago? The Ferrari has much better race pace than qualifying speed and Alonso is the best driver out there so I expect him to pass Maldonado at some point. Obviously if Vettel manages himself well enough then he could challenge but he’s not in the fastest car this weekend. All this counts for nothing though because Hamilton should be on pole and it is an absolute travesty that he isn’t. His pole lap was one of the best I’ve seen and a mistake by a mechanic in the pitlane should not mean that he gets dropped to 24th despite being five tenths quicker than everybody else. These are the same stewards who let perennial mobile chicanes HRT race when they are outside the 107% rule by taking into account their practice times so why not take into account Hamilton’s fuel from practice? Common sense should have prevailed and after the debacle that Rosberg caused in Bahrain, the stewards are again coming across as out of touch.

Enjoy the race – I will be watching it in a pub with one eye on the football but there’ll be the usual post-race review here afterwards!

 

Vettel Back On Top in 2012

Sebastian Vettel claims his first race win of 2012 in Bahrain.

Sebastian Vettel romped home to take the chequered flag in Bahrain and lead the Drivers Championship after four rounds. He held off a spirited charge from Kimi Raikkonen with Raikkonen’s Lotus team-mate Romain Grosjean rounding out the podium places. It was a bad day for McLaren though with two bad pitstops ruining Lewis Hamilton’s afternoon and Jenson Button was forced to retire with a cracked exhaust just two laps from the end.

As the lights went out, Vettel powered away from Hamilton and into a 2 second lead at the end of the first lap. Behind him, Nico Rosberg was crowded out into turn one as Grosjean, Raikkonen and the two Ferraris all made good starts. Australian Daniel Ricciardo ruined all his good work in qualifying with a poor start and contact on the first lap that left him with a damaged front wing while Heikki Kovalainen had to pit for a puncture. The race pace of the Lotus cars was immediately apparent as Grosjean relieved Webber of fourth and Raikkonen passed Massa. Grosjean was at it again just two laps later as he passed Hamilton using DRS. Raikkonen wasn’t to be outdone by his team-mate though as he powered past Jenson Button for P6 before catching and passing Alonso just a lap later.

McLaren had another pitstop disaster as Hamilton’s left rear caused the team problems all afternoon. At his first stop, it cost him two places to Alonso and Webber leaving Hamilton to rejoin right behind Rosberg. Rosberg faced a steward’s investigation after moving over to the very far edge of the track to try and crowd Hamilton out. Lewis was a man on a mission though and kept his foot down to take the position.

Raikkonen got past Webber with a little help from DRS and began setting the pace in third. Grosjean just wasn’t making the difference up to Vettel and had to be more concerned with the fast closing Raikkonen. Lotus refused to enact team orders despite Raikkonen clearly being the man who could deprive Vettel of a first win in 2012.

On lap 24 though, Raikkonen finally made his move and began sprinting away from the sister Lotus while Hamilton suffered his second left rear tyre issue during a pitstop. Rosberg earned himself a further investigation by the stewards after giving Alonso a carbon copy of the move he pulled on Hamilton; luckily for the Mercedes driver he was able to keep Fernando at bay.

Up at the front, Raikkonen pumped in fastest lap after fastest lap to close right up to Vettel but couldn’t make his best chance at an overtaking manoeuvre stick. Unfortunately for Raikkonen he would not get any closer and Vettel gradually eased away to his first victory at the Sakhir International Circuit. Raikkonen led Grosjean home in second to give Lotus their first podium since their comeback to the sport.

McLaren’s miserable afternoon concluded with Jenson Button’s retirement on lap 56 with a cracked exhaust while all Lewis Hamilton could muster was an eighth place finish. In front of him, a fantastic performance and a good two stop strategy call saw Paul di Resta finish in sixth just ahead of Fernando Alonso who continues to impress in an difficult Ferrari car.

Provisional Classification:

1. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing) 1hr35:10.990
2. Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus F1) +3.333
3. Romain Grosjean (Lotus F1) + 10.194
4. Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing) + 38.788
5. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes AMG Petronas) + 55.460
6. Paul di Resta (Sahara Force India) + 57.543
7. Fernando Alonso (Scuderia Ferrari) + 57.803
8. Lewis Hamilton (Vodafone McLaren Mercedes) + 58.984
9. Felipe Massa (Scuderia Ferrari) + 1:04.999
10. Michael Schumacher (Mercedes AMG Petronas) + 1:11.490
11. Sergio Perez (Sauber F1) + 1:12.702
12. Nico Hulkenberg (Williams F1) +1:16.539
13. Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber F1) +1:30.334
14. Jean-Eric Vergne (Scuderia Toro Rosso) + 1:33.723
15. Daniel Ricciardo (Scuderia Toro Rosso) + 1 Lap
16. Vitaly Petrov (Caterham F1) + 1 Lap
17. Heikki Kovalainen (Caterham F1) + 1 Lap
18. Timo Glock (Marussia F1) + 2 Laps
19. Pedro de la Rosa (HRT F1) + 2 Laps
20. Narain Karthikeyan (HRT F1) + 2 Laps

Not Classified:

• Jenson Button (Vodafone McLaren Mercedes) – Cracked exhaust, Lap 56
• Bruno Senna (Williams F1) – Damage, Lap 55
• Pastor Maldonado (Williams F1) – Puncture, Lap 26
• Charles Pic (Marussia F1) – Engine, Lap 2

Drivers’ Championship Standings:

1. Sebastian Vettel – 53 Points
2. Lewis Hamilton – 49 Points
3. Mark Webber – 48 Points
4. Jenson Button – 43 Points
5. Fernando Alonso – 43 Points
6. Nico Rosberg – 35 Points
7. Kimi Raikkonen – 34 Points
8. Romain Grosjean – 23 Points
9. Sergio Perez – 22 Points
10. Paul di Resta – 15 Points
11. Bruno Senna – 14 Points
12. Kamui Kobayashi – 9 Points
13. Jean-Eric Vergne – 4 Points
14. Pastor Maldonado – 4 Points
15. Daniel Ricciardo – 2 Points
16. Nico Hulkenberg – 2 Points
17. Felipe Massa – 2 Points
18. Michael Schumacher – 2 Points

Constructors’ Championship Standings:

1. Red Bull Racing – 101 Points
2. Vodafone McLaren Mercedes – 92 Points
3. Lotus F1 – 57 Points
4. Scuderia Ferrari – 45 Points
5. Mercedes AMG Petronas – 37 Points
6. Sauber F1 – 31 Points
7. Williams F1 – 18 Points
8. Sahara Force India – 17 Points

Analysis and Comment

Two poor pitstops cost Hamilton and McLaren dearly in Bahrain.

McLaren will feel that this is a race that they could and perhaps should have won. They’ll certainly have hoped to take more than 4 points from the weekend and it will be a massive worry for the Woking outfit that they have seemingly been overtaken in F1’s pecking order that they headed so comfortably after Australia. Going into this season they placed such an emphasis on being ahead of the competition from the get go seeing as being behind had cost them last year’s title. The problem with that strategy seems to be that it has drawn the focus away from their usually excellent in-season development programme and that has allowed teams like Red Bull and Lotus to catch up. In a season where the strengths of the individual cars appears to be more important than ever, McLaren will have to sort their act out if they want to stay at the front of the field. From these first four races, there is noway that Sebastian Vettel should have been allowed to lead the World Championship and McLaren will have to hope that their updates for Barcelona are one step better than their nearest rivals.

Sebastian Vettel has overcome some early teething troubles with his RB8 to head the World Championship after 4 rounds.

So will Vettel go on and dominate the season now like he did last year? My answer is no. The field is simply too close this season for any driver or team to dominate. Bahrain is a track that suits the RB8. It’s a very stop/start circuit and the Red Bulls will probably go well at similar tracks in the remainder of the season such as Abu Dhabi. This season is proving absolutely fascinating and it’s likely that we’ll see another team come out on top in Spain as the new range of updates come into effect.

I look forward to seeing you all in Spain where the field promises to be closer than ever!