Bahrain GP: Race - RE-CAP & RESULTS

BAHRAIN GP - RACE - RE-CAP & RESULTS

    Sebastian Vettel won the second race of the 2018 season after an intense fight in the final laps.

    Right off the bat, there was chaos before the race could even start. Sergio Perez passed Brendon Hartley during the formation lap and Hartley failed to regain his position before the safety car line. They were both given 30-Second-Time-Penalties added to their final time following the race. Hartley was given an additional 2 penalty points.

    If that wasn't enough, the two came together in a small collision in the opening lap. Hartley didn't leave enough room and bumped into Perez as they rounded one of the tight corners. Hartley was penalized for this after being found as the one responsible. He endured a 10-Second-Time-Penalty which he served in the pits.

    Magnussen and Hulkenberg also touched wheels but the FIA decided no penalties were needed as it was merely a minor racing incident.

    The same couldn't be said for Max Verstappen, who crashed into Lewis Hamilton after a risky overtaking maneuver. The Dutch driver suffered a puncture and limped his Red Bull to the pits, but soon after retired due to a transmission issue.

    Daniel Ricciardo retired around the same time with electrical problems, making it a double DNF for the Austrian team.

    The only other retirement of the race was Kimi Raikkonen, who suffered the same race-ending-wheel-drama that both Haas drivers experienced in Australia. It was an unsafe release after one of the wheels was not fastened properly and he was forced to stop the car. To make matters worse, Raikkonen accidentally hit one of the pit-crew men as he was skidding away.

    The man suffered a double-fracture to one of his legs and underwent surgery. He is now recovering.

    Pierre Gasly finished the race in 4th, getting his best-ever F1 race result and bringing 12 points to Toro Rosso. Magnussen finished just behind in 5th for Haas, proving it to be a good day for the mid-field teams. 

    Charles Leclerc finished one space ahead of his previous finish in Australia. He was just 2 places away from getting his first championship point.

    However, Sauber didn't come away from the race without any points. Marcus Ericsson managed to stay ahead of Esteban Ocon and Carlos Sainz in order to finish 9th and grab 2 points. Sauber finished last in the constructors championship in 2017 with just 5 points. But 2 races in and 2 points achieved already, the Swiss team is looking to have a much better year.

    In the closing laps, Valtteri Bottas challenged Sebastian Vettel, who managed to have a pretty smooth race until the very end. Bottas got ever-so-close to the Ferrari a handful of times, eagerly trying to pass him for the lead. However, Vettel managed to hold him off, despite his tires being completely destroyed by the final lap.

    Vettel continues to stand tall and lead the Championship ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who isn't too far behind. Hamilton finished the race in third, having struggled to catch up after enduring a grid penalty for an unscheduled gearbox change.

    McLaren has reason to celebrate as they completed the race with another double points finish from Alonso and Vandoorne. The Spaniard finished in 7th, just ahead of Vandoorne, who grabbed 4 points by finishing in 8th. McLaren continue to keep a steady and strong pace with their new Renault engine partnership.

    Hulkenberg and Ocon also scored points while their team-mates missed out. Hartley, Grosjean and both Williams drivers failed to score points as well.

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RESULTS:

1. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / + 25 Points

2. Valtteri Bottas / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland / + 18 Points

3. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 15 Points

4. Pierre Gasly / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France / + 12 Points

5. Kevin Magnussen / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark / + 10 Points

6. Nico Hulkenberg / Renault-Renault / Germany / + 8 Points

7. Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Renault / Spain / + 6 Points

8. Stoffel Vandoorne / McLaren-Renault / Belgium / + 4 Points

9. Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden / + 2 Points

10. Esteban Ocon / Force India-Mercedes / France / + 1 Point

11. Carlos Sainz / Renault-Renault / Spain

12. Charles Leclerc / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco

13. Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France

14. Lance Stroll / Williams-Mercedes / Canada

15. Sergey Sirotkin / Williams-Mercedes / Russia

16. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico*

17. Brendon Hartley / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand**

RETIRED - Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / Wheel

RETIRED - Max Verstappen / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Transmission

RETIRED - Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Electronics

* - (Perez) 30-Second-Time-Penalty added to final race time for overtaking Brendon Hartley during the formation lap

** - (Hartley) 30-Second-Time-Penalty for failing to overtake Perez before the safety car line during the formation lap. 2 Penalty Points also added to license. 

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk

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