Motor racing-Team by team analysis of the Bahrain Grand Prix
MERCEDES (Lewis Hamilton 1, Valtteri Bottas 2) Hamilton's 74th career win, first of the season and third in Bahrain. It was also one of his luckier victories, handed the lead when Ferrari's Charles Leclerc had engine problems. Mercedes have won the first two races one-two. Bottas scored his 1,000th point and leads Hamilton in the championship by a point.
- FERRARI (Charles Leclerc 3, Sebastian Vettel 5)
Leclerc took his first F1 pole position, at 21 the youngest Ferrari driver to do so, and first podium. It should have been a first victory also but engine problems while leading in the closing laps denied him that. Leclerc gained an extra point for the fastest lap. Vettel led away at the start, lost out to Hamilton at the first pitstop and afterwards on track. He then spun and climbed back from ninth to fifth. -
RED BULL (Max Verstappen 4, Pierre Gasly 8) Verstappen remains third in the championship while Gasly scored his first points for Red Bull after graduating from Toro Rosso. Verstappen said he was struggling for grip in windy conditions. He might still have got a podium place but for the safety car at the end.
- ALFA ROMEO (Kimi Raikkonen 7, Antonio Giovinazzi 11)
Raikkonen has now scored in both races this season and is sixth in the championship. Giovinazzi has yet to open his account but came close this time. -
MCLAREN (Lando Norris 6, Carlos Sainz 19) Norris scored his first F1 points, despite running wide across the gravel at the start, after qualifying in the top 10 for the second race in a row. Sainz tried to pass Verstappen but made contact and ended up with a puncture. He retired before the end but was classified.
- HAAS (Kevin Magnussen 13, Romain Grosjean retired)
No points for Haas after a promising qualifying, with Magnussen starting sixth and Grosjean 11th after a three-place penalty. Grosjean retired with a damaged floor after 16 laps. He had made contact with Stroll's Racing Point at the start, puncturing a rear tyre. -
RENAULT (Nico Hulkenberg 17, Daniel Ricciardo 18) Both Renault drivers retired with a loss of power three laps from the end while in scoring positions -- Hulkenberg sixth and Ricciardo 10th. They had suffered electronics problems in qualifying. Both also made contact in the race when fighting for position. The stranded Renaults brought out the safety car which was deployed to the end.
- TORO ROSSO (Alexander Albon 9, Daniel Kvyat 12)
Albon became the first Thai since Prince Bira in 1954 to score points in Formula One, helped considerably by the retirement of the two Renaults. Kvyat collided with Giovinazzi and was handed a five-second penalty for pitlane speeding. -
RACING POINT (Sergio Perez 10, Lance Stroll 14) Perez scored his first point of the season, with Racing Point level with Toro Rosso on three. Stroll had to pit for a new front wing at the end of lap one after the collision with Grosjean. Perez had to pit after eight laps because trapped debris was causing the brakes to overheat.
- WILLIAMS (George Russell 15, Robert Kubica 16)
Williams qualified on the back row and were effectively in a race of their own, well off the pace of others. Both ran a two stop strategy. (Reporting by Alan Baldwin; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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