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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Formula 2 - Bahrain - Free Practice - TIMES

FORMULA 2 - BAHRAIN - FREE PRACTICE - TIMES

1. Arjun Maini - 1:44.549 / Trident / India

2. Lando Norris - 1:44.600 / Carlin / Great Britain

3. Sergio Sette Camara - 1:44.653 / Carlin / Brazil

4. Alexander Albon - 1:44.769 / DAMS / Thailand

5. George Russell - 1:44.812 / ART Grand Prix / Great Britain

6. Artem Markelov - 1:44.861 / RUSSIAN TIME / Russia

7. Roberto Merhi - 1:45.005 / MP Motorsport / Spain

8. Maximilian Gunther - 1:45.010 / BWT Arden / Germany

9. Antonio Fuoco - 1:45.080 / Charouz Racing System / Italy

10. Sean Gelael - 1:45.214 / PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing / Indonesia

11. Jack Aitken - 1:45.268 / ART Grand Prix / Great Britain

12. Nicholas Latifi - 1:45.291 / DAMS / Canada

13. Nyck de Vries - 1:45.329 / PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing / Netherlands

14. Tadasuke Makino - 1:45.331 / RUSSIAN TIME / Japan

15. Luca Ghiotto - 1:45.344 / Campos Vexatec Racing / Italy

16. Santino Ferrucci - 1:45.419 / Trident / USA

17. Ralph Boschung - 1:45.564 / MP Motorsport / Switzerland

18. Nirei Fukuzumi - 1:45.849 / BWT Arden / Japan

19. Louis Deletraz - 1:45.958 / Charouz Racing System / Switzerland

20. Roy Nissany - 1:46.407 / Campos Vexatec Racing / Israel

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Bahrain GP: Circuit Preview

BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX 2018 - CIRCUIT PREVIEW

Name: Bahrain International Circuit

Location: Sakhir, Bahrain

Opened: March 17th, 2004

Length: 3.363 Miles

Capacity: 70,000

Runs: Clockwise

Turns: 15

Race Laps: 57

2017 RACE STATS:

Pole Position: Valtteri Bottas

1st Place: Sebastian Vettel

2nd Place: Lewis Hamilton

3rd Place: Valtteri Bottas

Retirements: Stoffel Vandoorne (DID NOT START - Water Pressure), Kevin Magnussen (Electrical), Max Verstappen (Brakes), Lance Stroll (Collision), Carlos Sainz (Collision), Marcus Ericsson (Gearbox) & Fernando Alonso (Power Unit)*

* - Notes Alonso retired from the race but had completed at least 90% of the race distance and qualified as finished.

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Bahrain GP: Track Schedule

BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX 2018 - TRACK SCHEDULE

April 5th / Thursday

15:00 - 16:00 - Press Conference

19:15 - 19:45 - Pit-Lane Walk (F1 Experience - F1 Experience Guests Only)

19:45 - 20:15 - Drive The Track Tour (F1 Experience - F1 Experience Guests Only)

April 6th / Friday

12:30 - 13:30 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

14:00 - 15:30 - Free Practice #1

15:45 - 17:00 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

16:00 - 17:00 - Press Conference

18:00 - 19:30 - Free Practice #2

20:40 - 21:10 - Paddock Club Truck Tour

April 7th / Saturday

11:40 - 12:40 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

12:10 - 12:30 - Team Pit-Stop Practice

15:00 - 16:00 - Free Practice #3

16:15 - 17:25 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

16:45 - 17:15 - Paddock Club Truck Tour

18:00 - 19:00 - Qualifying

19:40 - 20:10 - Paddock Club Truck Tour

April 8th / Sunday

15:00 - 16:00 - Drivers Autograph Session

15:40 - 17:25 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

16:30 - 17:00 - Paddock Club Truck Tour

16:40 - 17:10 - Drivers Track Parade

16:55 - 17:25 - Starting Grid Presentation

17:10 - 17:25 - Parachute Display (TBC)

17:56 - 17:58 - National Anthem

17:58 - 17:59 - Gulf Air Fly Past (TBC)

18:10 - 20:10 - Race

* - Subject to change

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Formula 2 - BAHRAIN - Sprint Race - Results

FORMULA 2 - SPRINT RACE - RESULTS - BAHRAIN

1. Charles Leclerc / PREMA Racing / Monaco / + 15 Points + 2 Points (FL)

2. Luca Ghiotto / RUSSIAN TIME / Italy / + 12 Points

3. Oliver Rowland / DAMS / Great Britain / + 10 Points

4. Nicholas Latifi / DAMS / Canada / + 8 Points

5. Jordan King / MP Motorsport / Great Britain / + 6 Points

6. Nyck de Vries / Rapax / Netherlands / + 4 Points

7. Alexander Albon / ART Grand Prix / Thailand / + 2 Points

8. Artem Markelov / RUSSIAN TIME / Russia / + 1 Point

9. Johnny Cecotto / Rapax / Venezuela 

10. Antonio Fuoco / PREMA Racing / Italy

11. Sergio Canamasas / Trident / Spain

12. Louis Deletraz / Racing Engineering / Switzerland

13. Gustav Malja / Racing Engineering / Sweden

14. Nobuharu Matsushita / ART Grand Prix / Japan

15. Stefano Coletti / Campos Racing / Monaco

16. Nabil Jeffri / Trident / Malaysia

17. Sean Gelael / Pertamina Arden / Indonesia

18. Sergio Sette Camara / MP Motorsport / Brazil

RETIRED - Ralph Boschung / Campos Racing / Switzerland / Suspension Failure

RETIRED - Norman Nato / Pertamina Arden / France / Spun Off

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In-Season Test #1 - Day #2 - Re-Cap & Times

IN-SEASON TEST #1 - DAY #2 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas topped the second day of testing in Bahrain.

    The Finn put in 143 laps in an effort to better understand the tyres, something the team could have done with before last weekend’s race. Mercedes were also testing new aero pieces to combat Ferrari’s boost in performance. Bottas did briefly stop on track early in the afternoon with a mechanical problem, but managed to get the Mercedes going again.

    Sebastian Vettel was behind the wheel for Ferrari, but the German didn’t get half as many laps as Bottas. The team found a hydraulic leak whilst changing the setting’s, forcing Vettel to remain in the pits for the majority of the morning session. A data problem in the afternoon did briefly disturb 
Ferrari’s running, but Vettel eventually managed 64 laps and the second best time.

    One team that didn’t face any problems today was McLaren. After a disastrous weekend in Bahrain and more problems yesterday, it was smooth running for Stoffel Vandoorne. The Belgian completed 81 laps – more laps than a race distance – and set the fourth fastest time overall, just two tenths of a second slower than Sainz in third.

    Haas spent their day evaluating new brakes. The problem has plagued the team since the later part of last season, and they’re keen to keep up the pace they’ve shown. Kevin Magnussen set the fifth fastest time, ahead of Daniil Kvyat, who ran the Toro Rosso in the morning session.

    Williams, Renault, and Red Bull all ran test drivers. Williams’ Gary Paffett, who returned to the track for the first time since 2013, set the eighth fastest time ahead of Renault’s Sergey Sirotkin and Red Bull’s Pierre Gasly.

    Pascal Wehrlein made up for lost time by getting into his Sauber and completing over 90 laps throughout the day, setting the 11th fastest time ahead of Force India’s Sergio Perez.

TIMES:

1. Valtteri Bottas - 1:31.280 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland / 143 Laps

2. Sebastian Vettel - 1:31.574 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Italy / 64 Laps

3. Carlos Sainz (PM) – 1:31.884 / Toro Rosso-Renault / Spain / 68 Laps

4. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:32.108 / McLaren-Honda / Belgium / 81 Laps

5. Kevin Magnussen - 1:32.120 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark / 88 Laps

6. Esteban Ocon (AM) - 1:32.142 / Force India-Mercedes / France / 60 Laps

7. Daniil Kvyat (AM) – 1:32.213 / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia / 61 Laps

8. Gary Paffett - 1:32.253 / Williams-Mercedes / Great Britain / 126 Laps 

9. Sergey Sirotkin - 1:32.287 / Renault-Renault / Russia  / 90 Laps

10. Pierre Gasly - 1:32.568 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / France / 65 Laps

11. Pascal Wehrlein - 1:34.462 / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany / 91 Laps

12. Sergio Perez (PM) – 1:35.015 / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico / 70 Laps

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In-Season Test #1 - Day #1 - Re-Cap & Times

IN-SEASON TEST #1 - DAY #1 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    The first in-season test got underway at the Bahrain International Circuit and unfortunately, there were more problems for McLaren-Honda. Oliver Turvey, who the team chose to put in the car for the first day, only got 17 laps in during the session due to multiple mechanical issues. The team had to change the power unit after there was a water leak in the ERS component. Turvey was still able to set a time towards the end of the day; a 1:35.011

    The Mercedes also encountered a problem, although minor, when Lewis Hamilton stopped on track, causing the first red flag of the session. Despite this, Hamilton still ended the day on top with a 1:31.358.  The second red flag was due to Gelael stopping on track in the Toro Rosso. The Formula 2 driver set the 8th quickest time of the day with a 1:33.885.

    Ferrari chose rookie Antonio Giovinazzi to do the young driver testing, while Sebastian Vettel drove another Ferrari to test out Pirelli's unmarked 2018 tyres. Sebastian Vettel also ran a few hours longer than everyone else because of technical issues.

    Sauber's Marcus Ericsson completed the most laps of the day with a total of 106. His quickest time was a 1:34.550, putting him in 11th.

    Williams opted to put but Lance Stroll and Felipe Massa in the car for day 1, with Canadian rookie, Stroll running in the AM session and Felipe Massa taking over in the afternoon. Massa finished in 5th with a 1:33.509 and Stroll 7th with a 1:33.729. Together they completed 91 laps in the Mercedes-powered car.

TIMES:

1. Lewis Hamilton - 1:31.358 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / 97 Laps

2. Antonio Giovinazzi - 1:31.984 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Italy / 93 Laps

3. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:32.349 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia / 45 Laps

4. Romain Grosjean - 1:32.452 / Haas-Ferrari / France / 87 Laps

5. Felipe Massa (PM) - 1:32.509 / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil / 56 Laps 

6. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:33.624 / Renault-Renault / Germany / 74 Laps

7. Lance Stroll (AM) - 1:33.729 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada / 35 Laps

8. Sean Gelael - 1:33.885 / Toro Rosso-Renault / Indonesia / 78 Laps

9. Sebastian Vettel - 1:33.894 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / 89 Laps (TT)

10. Alfonso Celis Jr. - 1:33.939 / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico / 71 Laps

11. Marcus Ericsson - 1:34.550 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden / 106 Laps

12. Oliver Turvey - 1:35.011 / McLaren-Honda / Great Britain / 17 Laps

(TT) - Sebastian Vettel drove to conduct a test for Pirelli's unmarked 2018 tyres and was not part of the regular F1 Test.

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In-Season Test #1 - Day #1 - Line-Up

IN-SEASON TEST #1 - DAY #1 - LINE-UP

Mercedes-Mercedes: Lewis Hamilton

Ferrari-Ferrari: Antonio Giovinazzi / Sebastian Vettel (T)

Red Bull-TAG-Heuer: Daniel Ricciardo

Williams-Mercedes: Lance Stroll (AM) / Felipe Massa (PM)*

Renault-Renault: Nico Hulkenberg

McLaren-Honda: Oliver Turvey

Toro Rosso-Renault: Sean Gelael

Force India-Mercedes: Alfonso Celis Jr.

Sauber-Ferrari: Marcus Ericsson

Haas-Ferrari: Romain Grosjean

* - Notes drivers are sharing testing duties
(T) - Vettel running for Pirelli test only

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Bahrain GP: Race - Re-Cap & Results

BAHRAIN GP - RACE - RE-CAP & RESULTS

    As teams prepared to go racing for the third round of the 2017 season, there was more trouble for McLaren-Honda before the lights could even go out. It was confirmed that Stoffel Vandoorne would not start the race due to a power unit issue. To make things worse, there were power unit issues for Alonso too. However, the Spaniard was able to start the race.

    Valtteri Bottas, starting from his first ever pole position, pulled away from the rest of the grid as the race started. Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton quickly charged after him. It was a tight battle of Ferrari and Mercedes power and it was advantage Mercedes.

    Kevin Magnussen was the first retirement of the race, pulling over to the side of the track as he lost power due to an electrical failure. His team-mate, Grosjean, finished the race in 8th, bringing 4 points to the Ferrari-powered American team. 

    It had looked to be a promising race for the Red Bull duo, but for Verstappen, his race was cut short due to a sudden brake failure. He was quick to come over the radio, singing the tune of "Brakes failed!" - He then climbed out of the car, visibly upset of the outcome. Daniel Ricciardo had better luck. While it wasn't a 'Shoey' finish, he still managed to bring the other RB13 home in 5th.

    More retirements happened just one lap later when Toro Rosso driver, Carlos Sainz, headed out of pit-lane. As he approached the end of pit-exit, he turned his car into Lance Stroll's williams. While it wasn't intentional or malicious, it still ended the race for both of them. The accident was investigated afterwards and Sainz was handed a 3-Place-Grid-Penalty for the upcoming Russian GP and 2 penalty points were also applied to his license.

    Lewis Hamilton was given a 5-Second-Time-Penalty for driving unnecessarily slow in the pit-lane. This was during a Mercedes double-pit-stop while the Safety car was out, following the Stroll/Sainz collision. Daniel Ricciardo was behind Hamilton and confirmed on the radio that Hamilton was driving too slow.

    It was a good/bad day for the Sauber-Ferrari team as well, with 1 retirement and 1 finish in the race. It was Ericsson that went out due to a gearbox issue, while Wehrlein, who sat out both the Australian GP and Chinese GP, finished in 11th, just one place away from a points finish for the Swiss team. 

    That last points position was taken by Esteban Ocon, the young rookie for Force India, who has finished in the points in all the races so far this season. His older team-mate, Sergio Perez, finished in 7th and brought home 6 points, bringing Sahara Force India up to 4th in the constructors standings.

    Fernando Alonso was the last retirement of the race as his power unit finally failed with just a few laps left in the race. He qualified as finished as he had completed over 90% of the race distance, but it still isn't the way anyone wants their race to end. 

    In the end, Sebastian Vettel come out on top and took the win. Both Vettel and Ferrari currently lead the drivers & constructors standings. Lewis Hamilton brought home 2nd while Bottas crossed the line in 3rd. While it wasn't a win for Bottas this time, there's no denying the Finn will bring home 1st for Mercedes in the future.

    Now the teams and some of the main drivers will stick around for the first 2-day in-season test, and in 2 weeks time, F1 heads to Sochi for the Russian Grand Prix.

RESULTS: 

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

2. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 18 Points

3. Valtteri Bottas / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland / + 15 points

4. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / + 12 Points

5. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia / + 10 Points

6. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil / + 8 Points

7. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico / + 6 Points

8. Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France / + 4 Points

9. Nico Hulkenberg / Renault-Renault / Germany / + 2 Points

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

11. Pascal Wehrlein / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany

12. Daniil Kvyat / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia

13. Jolyon Palmer / Renault-Renault / Great Britain

14. Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain / DNF - Power Unit*

RETIRED - Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden / Gearbox

RETIRED - Carlos Sainz / Toro Rosso-Renault / Spain / Collision

RETIRED - Lance Stroll / Williams-Mercedes / Canada / Collision

RETIRED - Max Verstappen / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands / Brake Failure

RETIRED - Kevin Magnussen / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark / Electrical Failure

DNS - Stoffel Vandoorne / McLaren-Honda / Belgium / Power Unit

* - Notes Alonso qualified as finished

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Bahrain GP: Qualifying - Re-Cap & Results

BAHRAIN GP - QUALIFYING - RE-CAP & RESULTS

    Valtteri Bottas has claimed his first ever F1 career Pole Position and his Mercedes team-mate, Lewis Hamilton will start on the front row with him. Sebastian Vettel finished third, completing the top three of Qualifying.

    Carlos Sainz had a less-than-perfect end to the day when his Toro Rosso stopped on track at the end of Q1. His stoppage prompted many flags and some drivers missed out on their last flying lap, including Force India's, Sergio Perez. Perez will start from 18th.

    In Q2, Fernando Alonso suffered from a power unit problem, which kept him from finishing the session. The Spaniard will start 15th, while his Belgian team-mate, Vandoorne, will start behind him in 17th.

HOW IT WORKS:

Q1 = 18 minutes. All cars allowed to go out. At the end of the session, the five slowest are eliminated.

Q2 = 15 minutes. The remaining cars go out. At the end of the session, the five slowest are eliminated.

Q3 = 12 minutes. Final 10 cars go out. The final order at the end of the session is how the grid will line up. Fastest car starts from Pole Position.

GRID LINE-UP

1. Valtteri Bottas / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland

2. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain

3. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany

4. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER / Australia

5. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland

6. Max Verstappen / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands

7. Nico Hulkenberg / Renault-Renault / Germany

8. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil

9. Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France

10. Jolyon Palmer / Renault-Renault / Great Britain

11. Daniil Kvyat / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia

12. Lance Stroll / Williams-Mercedes / Canada

13. Pascal Wehrlein / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany

14. Esteban Ocon / Force India-Mercedes / France

15. Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain

16. Carlos Sainz / Toro Rosso-Renault / Spain

17. Stoffel Vandoorne / McLaren-Honda / Belgium

18. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico

19. Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden

20. Kevin Magnussen / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark

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Bahrain GP: Free Practice #3 - Re-Cap & Times

BAHRAIN GP - FREE PRACTICE #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    The last practice session of the weekend was dominated by neither a Ferrari or Mercedes driver, but instead Max Verstappen in the Red Bull. Verstappen set the quickest time; a 1:32.194. Lewis Hamilton was close behind with a 1:32.304. Sebastian Vettel, Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen completed the top 5.

    Romain Grosjean was not having a good time out in the Ferrari-powered Haas. He repeatedly came over the radio, complaining of understeer and oversteer. He ended up losing control of the car and crashing into the wall before turn 5. The session was Red Flagged but Grosjean was still able to get back on track and drive to the pit-lane, his front wing completely gone.

    The rest of the session was mostly quiet with no further incidents. Some other drivers who continued to show good pace were Nico Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz, who finished 8th and 9th respectively. Hulkenberg, who is currently in his first year with the Renault Sport team, set a 1:32.933. Sainz, who continues driving for Toro Rosso, put down a 1:33.604.

TIMES:

1. Max Verstappen - 1:32.194 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands

2. Lewis Hamilton - 1:32.304 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain

3. Sebastian Vettel - 1:32.750 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany

4. Valtteri Bottas - 1:32.754 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland

5. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:32.785 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland

6. Felipe Massa - 1:32.801 / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil

7. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:32.809 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia

8. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:32.933 / Renault-Renault / Germany

9. Carlos Sainz - 1:33.604 / Toro Rosso-Renault / Spain

10. Daniil Kvyat - 1:33.744 / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia

11. Sergio Perez - 1:33.916 / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico

12. Fernando Alonso - 1:33.922 / McLaren-Honda / Spain

13. Pascal Wehrlein - 1:33.947 / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany

14. Lance Stroll - 1:33.965 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada

15. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:34.027 / McLaren-Honda / Belgium

16. Esteban Ocon - 1:34.064 / Force India-Mercedes / France

17. Kevin Magnussen - 1:34.198 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark

18. Romain Grosjean - 1:34.205 / Haas-Ferrari / France

19. Marcus Ericsson - 1:34.268 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden

20. Jolyon Palmer - 1:34.417 / Renault-Renault / Great Britain

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Bahrain GP: Free Practice #2 - Re-Cap & Times

BAHRAIN GP - FREE PRACTICE #2 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    It was another action-packed session as the teams headed back on track for Free Practice 2 of the Bahrain GP weekend. Once again, it was Sebastian Vettel who finished at the top of the time sheets. This time with a 1:31.310. Vettel had some minor issues with his car, as it lost power during the session. But it didn't stop him from continuing to show his and Ferrari's pace. Raikkonen, who suffered from mechanical woes in FP1 and finished last, managed to have a better session this time around and set the 4th quickest time; a 1:31.478.

    Carlos Sainz also had some trouble as his Toro Rosso erupted in smoke. It was originally thought that the fire extinguisher had gone off in the car. However, it turned out to be an exhaust failure and the young Spaniard finished in 18th with a 1:34.072. Meanwhile, team-mate, Kvyat, finished higher up in 10th during a trouble-free session. His quickest time was a 1:31.707.

    Valtteri Bottas set the 2nd fastest time of the day, but ran into trouble as his T-Wing once again flew off of the back of his Mercedes. Max Verstappen ended up running over it and it caused damage to the floor of his RB13. However, after the floor was repaired, Verstappen was able to head back out and ended up finishing the session in 8th.     

    Vandoorne, who had to pull off to the side of the track in FP1, missed most of the second session as well, despite McLaren changing the engine of his car. He managed a few laps before it was concluded that the day was over for him. He finished in 20th with a decent time of 1:34.230. A time not too far off of the pace of the others.

    While Vettel and Bottas were 1st and 2nd, Daniel Ricciardo, Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton completed the top 5.

TIMES:

1. Sebastian Vettel - 1:31.310 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany

2. Valtteri Bottas - 1:31.351 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland

3. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:31.376 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia

4. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:31.478 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland

5. Lewis Hamilton - 1:31.594 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain

6. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:31.883 / Renault-Renault / Germany

7. Felipe Massa - 1:32.079 / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil

8. Max Verstappen - 1:32.245 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands

9. Romain Grosjean - 1:32.505 / Haas-Ferrari / France

10. Daniil Kvyat - 1:32.707 / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia

11. Kevin Magnussen - 1:32.854 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark 

12. Esteban Ocon - 1:32.875 / Force India-Mercedes / France

13. Jolyon Palmer - 1:32.876 / Renault-Renault / Great Britain

14. Fernando Alonso - 1:32.897 / McLaren-Honda / Spain

15. Sergio Perez - 1:33.319 / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico

16. Lance Stroll - 1:33.361 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada

17. Marcus Ericsson - 1:33.944 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden

18. Carlos Sainz - 1:34.072 / Toro Rosso-Renault / Spain

19. Pascal Wehrlein - 1:34.117 / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany

20. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:34.230 / McLaren-Honda / Belgium

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk

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