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10 pictures that tell the story of the Bahrain GP
Bad fortune for a rising star gives the gift of a win for the current world champion, surprise point scorers and a double whammy for Renault. These images sum up an action-packed race in Sakhir.
A picture tells a thousand words, and after a thrilling race in Bahrain, we were left speechless. Shocking spins, disastrous double-team retirements, and a heartbreaking loss for newbie Charles Leclerc are just some of the headlines from the race.
These are the photos that tell the story of the 2019 Bahrain Grand Prix.
Charles Leclerc emerges as the star of Sakhir
Leclerc handled his disappointment with maturity and composure
© Ferrari Media
Charles Leclerc took pole, took control of the race, and only came home in third place in Bahrain because his Ferrari developed a crippling cylinder issue, which stopped him from taking his first GP win. The Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas swept by in the closing stages to get a 1-2 finish for Mercedes.
As gutting as it was to lose a victory through no fault of his own, the Monegasque looked at the glass as being half-full, after a late-race safety car saw him retain the final step on the podium. "We have been lucky in a very unlucky situation; I'm happy to have the safety car at the end otherwise we would have finished even more rearward," he said. Wins, plural, are surely coming for the 21-year-old.
Not all 1-2 finishes are created equal
Another race, another suite of trophies for Mercedes
© Daimler AG
Mercedes dominated in Melbourne to start the 2019 season, but were comprehensively outpaced all weekend in Bahrain by Ferrari. Yet they took the top two spots on the podium again thanks to Leclerc's late woes. "It is clear that we were very fortunate today and that it was our reliability, not our pace that won us the race," said team principal Toto Wolff.
Hamilton exudes class
Hamilton was effusive in his praise of the crestfallen Leclerc
© Daimler AG
Hamilton admitted to feeling "weird" when he caught and passed an ailing Leclerc, having been no match for the Ferrari youngster when both cars were working normally. He raised his hand when he sailed past nine laps from home, almost in apology, and was quick to find Leclerc to offer his commiserations soon after he reached parc ferme. "You want to pass someone because you're quicker than them and it's been a fight," he said. "You can't believe your luck in that scenario, but what can you do?"
He also reassured Leclerc post-race: "You drove great this weekend, man. You really drove fantastic. You've got a long old future ahead of you. I know it sucks in this moment but you've got a long, long way to go."
A win thrown away by Vettel?
Vettel is on his back foot after the first two races
© Ferrari Media
Given Lerclerc's misfortune to come later in the race, laps 37 and 38 proved crucial for both Hamilton and Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, who were squabbling over second, far behind Leclerc.
Vettel held off his chief championship rival from last year in the first instance, but after Hamilton muscled by at Turn 4 a lap later, Vettel spun, and then saw his front wing slide under his car on the run to Turn 11 as he attempted to get going again, spraying the circuit with debris. He finished fifth, and off the podium in the opening two races of a season for the first time since 2010.
Has Bottas' beard lost it's powers?
Bottas retained the series lead after finishing second
© Daimler AG
Bottas looked like a new man when he thrashed Hamilton and set the fastest lap in Melbourne with his new beard, but was well adrift of his teammate for most of Sunday night's race, and inherited second when Leclerc crawled to the end. That bonus point for setting the fastest lap at Albert Park came in handy when the sand settled at Sakhir, as Bottas is now leading Hamilton 44-43 points atop the drivers' standings.
End of podium runs for Verstappen
Verstappen felt they didn't deserve a podium
© Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
Max Verstappen's run of six straight podiums came to an end in Bahrain, with the safety car finish denying him a crack at Leclerc as the laps wound down. After showing so much pace in Australia, Sakhir was a tougher race for Red Bull Racing, team principle Christian Horner admitted they "just didn’t have the pace to go with Mercedes or Ferrari" after 57 punishing laps.
Magnuessen's misfortunate is Norris' gain
Norris drove with composure to snatch a late sixth place
© McLaren
The best of the rest behind the 'big three' teams in Bahrain looked set to be Haas, but after Kevin Magnussen qualified sixth, a one-stop (and later aborted) strategy consigned the Dane to a pointless night under the desert lights, finishing in P13. Lando Norris was happy to step into the breach, and the McLaren rookie secured a strong sixth place, which he described as "a really good job".
A disappointing day out for Gasly
Gasly secured four points from race two
© Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
Pierre Gasly is another driver that was off the pace of his teammate in Bahrain. The new RBR driver scored his first points of the year in Bahrain, after a quiet 11th on his debut for the team in Melbourne. But after taking fourth place last year in Bahrain for sister team Toro Rosso, Gasly was largely underwhelmed. "I need to see what I can improve to get the maximum out of the car and work with the engineers to see what we can do to make me feel more confident, because at the moment I feel I cannot really push," he said.
Rookie Albon scores his first F1 points
Alexander Albon leads teammate Daniil Kvyat in Bahrain
© Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
Getting your first points in F1 is a big achievement for any rookie, and the sooner in the season, the better. Alexander Albon managed to get two points for Toro Rosso after the Brit, who races under the Thai flag, finished ninth to score his first F1 points.
The Renault's are a no-go
Things turned dark for Hulkenberg and Ricciardo on the home stretch
© Renault Sport
Albon, and Sergio Perez (Racing Point, 10th) owed their points to the near-simultaneous retirement of both Renaults with three laps left, which brought out the safety car that saved Leclerc's maiden podium. Nico Hulkenberg had fought his way from 17th on the grid to sixth before his engine gave up at Turn 1 on lap 54, while two corners later, Daniel Ricciardo's one-stop run to the back-end of the points ground to a halt with an electrical failure soon after he passed Hulkenberg's smoking sister machine.
