The Formula 1 circus reconvened at the Bahrain International Circuit for the second round of the 2016 season.
Following on from the dramatic opening round in Australia, the series moved on to Bahrain for the 12th F1 race in the country.
Nico Rosberg entered the weekend as the championship leader, with Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel second and third after finishing on the podium at the Albert Park Circuit.
There was big news prior to the Bahrain Grand Prix. Fernando Alonso was deemed unfit to race by the FIA following his crash in Australia and was replaced by Stoffel Vandoorne.
FP1
Mercedes dominated the opening session of the weekend, with Rosberg putting in a 1m32.294s on the soft tyre to go quickest. Hamilton was second, five tenths further back.
Both drivers completed 24 laps respectively at the wheel of their W07s. Kimi Raikkonen was 1.8 seconds off the pace for Ferrari in third, with Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat next up for Red Bull.
Grip levels were low throughout the session but cooler temperatures meant running was more relevant than expected. Nico Hulkenberg was sixth, ahead of Carlos Sainz Jr, Max Verstappen, Romain Grosjean and Felipe Massa.
Vettel managed the fewest number of laps, 14, and finished 11th. Jenson Button was 14th for McLaren, with Alonso’s stand-in Vandoorne in 18th, just behind Manor’s Pascal Wehrlein. Alfonso Celis Jr replaced Sergio Perez for FP1 and finished 21st.
FP2
Rosberg remained quickest in second practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix, putting in a 1m31.001s mid-way through the session on the super-soft tyre.
He finished two tenths clear of Hamilton, with Button surprising many by finishing third for McLaren. Verstappen and Raikkonen completed the top five.
Vettel was sixth despite stopping with 15 minutes left on the clock. He pulled off track at Turn 8, initially reporting his car "lost drive". The cause was a loose left-rear tyre.
Kvyat, Valtteri Bottas, Ricciardo, Massa, Vandoorne and Esteban Gutierrez were next up. Sainz was 13th, with Grosjean 14th despite causing a late yellow flag after a front wing failure.
Jolyon Palmer was 18th in the second Renault, two spots behind team-mate Kevin Magnussen. Meanwhile Wehrlein, Marcus Ericsson, Felipe Nasr and Rio Haryanto completed the results.
FP3
Vettel set the quickest time in third and final practice at the Bahrain International Circuit, leading a Ferrari one-two in the 60-minute session.
The German put in a 1m31.683s lap in the closing stages on the super-soft tyre to end FP3 fastest, with team-mate Raikkonen just 0.040 seconds further back. Rosberg and Hamilton were third and fourth.
Bottas, Grosjean, Kvyat, Gutierrez, Massa and Ricciardo completed the top 10. Marcus Ericsson, Magnussen and Button were next up. Vandoorne was 14th despite spending a considerable amount of time in the garage with an oil leak.
Verstappen, Sainz, Hulkenberg, Perez and Wehrlein were 15th, 16th, 18th, 19th and 22nd after not completing laps on the softest tyre compound. Palmer was 20th and suffered a late puncture.
Qualifying
Rosberg looked to have the advantage at Mercedes ahead of qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix but it was Hamilton who snatched pole position, with a stunning and record-braking lap.
The triple world champion put in a 1:29.493 with a few minutes left to go, finishing 0.077 seconds clear of Rosberg. Vettel improved on his last lap to qualify third, ahead of Raikkonen.
Ricciardo, Bottas and Massa were fifth, sixth and seventh quickest in Q3, while Hulkenberg was the first to be eliminated. The new format failed to impress once again, with no cars on track in the closing stages of the final session.
Haas enjoyed a positive qualifying, with Grosjean the last to be eliminated in Q2, snatching ninth on the grid. Verstappen was 10th, ahead of his team-mate Sainz and F1 rookie Vandoorne.
The Belgian out-qualified Button, who was the second to drop out of the second session in 14th. He will share the seventh row with Gutierrez. Kvyat was the first to exit Q2 and will start 15th.
Wehrlein did a great job in Q1 to move ahead of several midfield runners, being the last to be eliminated in the session. He qualified 16th. Ericsson was 17th, with Perez 18th after failing to complete his final lap.
Magnussen will start from the pits after missing a weight check in FP2 but placed 19th in Q1. Palmer was 20th quickest, ahead of Rio Haryanto and Felipe Nasr, who was the first to drop out of the session.
The Race
As the sun set in Bahrain, Hamilton lined up on pole position for the second round of the 2016 season, with Rosberg just behind. Vettel exited the race on the formation lap after a dramatic engine failure.
The revs rose, the lights went out and the Bahrain Grand Prix got underway. Off the line, Rosberg had a strong start to storm into the lead, while Hamilton and Bottas collided at Turn 1. The Mercedes dropped down the order after a half-spin.
Massa moved up to second, with Bottas third and Ricciardo fourth. Raikkonen fell to fifth and Hulkenberg pitted at the end of the opening tour. Palmer didn't even make the start due to an issue. Perez made contact with Sainz, the former suffering front wing damage and the latter picking up a puncture.
Hamilton dropped to ninth initially but soon made up ground, moving up to sixth by the third lap of the race. Perez and Sainz pitted for repairs, dropping down the field in the process. Ricciardo found himself under pressure from Raikkonen in the early stages, as the Red Bull driver kept a close eye on Massa and Bottas.
Button and Vandoorne made up a few places in the early laps, running in 10th and 11th. Ricciardo locked up at Turn 1 and ran wide, which helped Raikkonen find his way through a few corners later. He dived into the pits at the end of lap six.
Raikkonen continued to claw back ground, using DRS to pass Bottas at the first corner on lap seven. Button became the race's third retirement with a mechanical issue and stopped his car at Turn 10. Massa was another driver to stop early, changing tyres on the eighth tour.
The action continued at the front as Hamilton passed Bottas for third, without contact this time. However the Williams was then given a drive-through for the lap one incident, which had a considerable impact on his race. Out front Rosberg had a clear lead of 14 seconds by lap 11.
Gutierrez retired with a mechanical issue just prior to his team-mate Grosjean pitting on lap 12. Vandoorne was on the move and made some feisty passes on Hulkenberg and Perez. Raikkonen was the next front-runner to pit on lap 13, with Rosberg and Hamilton stopping for new Pirelli rubber on the next tour.
The frantic on-track battles continued with Ricciardo passing team-mate Kvyat. Hamilton moved ahead of Massa, before also displacing Kvyat for fourth. He then eased his way past Ricciardo into Turn 1. Massa slipped further down the order when he was passed by Grosjean on lap 17 and Verstappen on lap 20.
Ricciardo was forced to defend heavily from Grosjean but the Frenchman moved into fourth on lap 24 at Turn 4, before the Red Bull pitted. Vandoorne stopped for fresh tyres a little while later in the sole McLaren left. At the front of the field Rosberg's advantage was stretched to over 15 seconds by lap 27.
Hamilton pitted from third place on lap 29, retaining his position as he moved across to the super-soft tyre. Ferrari reacted and stopped Raikkonen next time round. Rosberg pitted on lap 31 but unlike his nearest rivals, he went onto the soft compound.
Sainz became the Bahrain Grand Prix's fifth retirement when he pulled into his pit garage with a reliability issue. Grosjean continued to impress in the Haas and passed Kvyat for fifth. The new tyre regulations saw three different compounds being used within the top six just after the half-way mark.
Rosberg and Raikkonen pitted for the final time a little while later, which briefly put Hamilton into the lead before the British racer stopped himself. Near the back of the field Magnussen moved ahead of Nasr for 12th after a move at Turn 1.
Grosjean moved ahead of Massa for sixth with 10 laps to go, with a little help from DRS. Meanwhile Bottas and Kvyat got very close in the battle for P8, with the Red Bull emerging ahead. Verstappen rapidly closed in on the sole Haas but ran out of time.
Rosberg remained unchallenged out front and claimed a clear second victory of the season. Raikkonen came home second, with Hamilton a distant third. Ricciardo was fourth and Grosjean finished a strong fifth, ahead of Verstappen, Kvyat, Massa and Bottas.
Vandoorne scored a point on his F1 debut, with Magnussen, Ericsson, Wehrlein and Nasr next up. It was a disappointing run for Force India with Hulkenberg and Perez 15th and 16th. Haryanto was the final classified finisher.
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| © Red Bull Content Pool |
Nico Rosberg entered the weekend as the championship leader, with Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel second and third after finishing on the podium at the Albert Park Circuit.
There was big news prior to the Bahrain Grand Prix. Fernando Alonso was deemed unfit to race by the FIA following his crash in Australia and was replaced by Stoffel Vandoorne.
FP1
Mercedes dominated the opening session of the weekend, with Rosberg putting in a 1m32.294s on the soft tyre to go quickest. Hamilton was second, five tenths further back.
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| © Mercedes AMG Petronas |
Both drivers completed 24 laps respectively at the wheel of their W07s. Kimi Raikkonen was 1.8 seconds off the pace for Ferrari in third, with Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat next up for Red Bull.
Grip levels were low throughout the session but cooler temperatures meant running was more relevant than expected. Nico Hulkenberg was sixth, ahead of Carlos Sainz Jr, Max Verstappen, Romain Grosjean and Felipe Massa.
Vettel managed the fewest number of laps, 14, and finished 11th. Jenson Button was 14th for McLaren, with Alonso’s stand-in Vandoorne in 18th, just behind Manor’s Pascal Wehrlein. Alfonso Celis Jr replaced Sergio Perez for FP1 and finished 21st.
FP2
Rosberg remained quickest in second practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix, putting in a 1m31.001s mid-way through the session on the super-soft tyre.
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| © Mercedes AMG Petronas |
He finished two tenths clear of Hamilton, with Button surprising many by finishing third for McLaren. Verstappen and Raikkonen completed the top five.
Vettel was sixth despite stopping with 15 minutes left on the clock. He pulled off track at Turn 8, initially reporting his car "lost drive". The cause was a loose left-rear tyre.
Kvyat, Valtteri Bottas, Ricciardo, Massa, Vandoorne and Esteban Gutierrez were next up. Sainz was 13th, with Grosjean 14th despite causing a late yellow flag after a front wing failure.
Jolyon Palmer was 18th in the second Renault, two spots behind team-mate Kevin Magnussen. Meanwhile Wehrlein, Marcus Ericsson, Felipe Nasr and Rio Haryanto completed the results.
FP3
Vettel set the quickest time in third and final practice at the Bahrain International Circuit, leading a Ferrari one-two in the 60-minute session.
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| © Scuderia Ferrari |
The German put in a 1m31.683s lap in the closing stages on the super-soft tyre to end FP3 fastest, with team-mate Raikkonen just 0.040 seconds further back. Rosberg and Hamilton were third and fourth.
Bottas, Grosjean, Kvyat, Gutierrez, Massa and Ricciardo completed the top 10. Marcus Ericsson, Magnussen and Button were next up. Vandoorne was 14th despite spending a considerable amount of time in the garage with an oil leak.
Verstappen, Sainz, Hulkenberg, Perez and Wehrlein were 15th, 16th, 18th, 19th and 22nd after not completing laps on the softest tyre compound. Palmer was 20th and suffered a late puncture.
Qualifying
Rosberg looked to have the advantage at Mercedes ahead of qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix but it was Hamilton who snatched pole position, with a stunning and record-braking lap.
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| © Mercedes AMG Petronas |
The triple world champion put in a 1:29.493 with a few minutes left to go, finishing 0.077 seconds clear of Rosberg. Vettel improved on his last lap to qualify third, ahead of Raikkonen.
Ricciardo, Bottas and Massa were fifth, sixth and seventh quickest in Q3, while Hulkenberg was the first to be eliminated. The new format failed to impress once again, with no cars on track in the closing stages of the final session.
Haas enjoyed a positive qualifying, with Grosjean the last to be eliminated in Q2, snatching ninth on the grid. Verstappen was 10th, ahead of his team-mate Sainz and F1 rookie Vandoorne.
The Belgian out-qualified Button, who was the second to drop out of the second session in 14th. He will share the seventh row with Gutierrez. Kvyat was the first to exit Q2 and will start 15th.
Wehrlein did a great job in Q1 to move ahead of several midfield runners, being the last to be eliminated in the session. He qualified 16th. Ericsson was 17th, with Perez 18th after failing to complete his final lap.
Magnussen will start from the pits after missing a weight check in FP2 but placed 19th in Q1. Palmer was 20th quickest, ahead of Rio Haryanto and Felipe Nasr, who was the first to drop out of the session.
The Race
As the sun set in Bahrain, Hamilton lined up on pole position for the second round of the 2016 season, with Rosberg just behind. Vettel exited the race on the formation lap after a dramatic engine failure.
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| © Mercedes AMG Petronas |
The revs rose, the lights went out and the Bahrain Grand Prix got underway. Off the line, Rosberg had a strong start to storm into the lead, while Hamilton and Bottas collided at Turn 1. The Mercedes dropped down the order after a half-spin.
Massa moved up to second, with Bottas third and Ricciardo fourth. Raikkonen fell to fifth and Hulkenberg pitted at the end of the opening tour. Palmer didn't even make the start due to an issue. Perez made contact with Sainz, the former suffering front wing damage and the latter picking up a puncture.
Hamilton dropped to ninth initially but soon made up ground, moving up to sixth by the third lap of the race. Perez and Sainz pitted for repairs, dropping down the field in the process. Ricciardo found himself under pressure from Raikkonen in the early stages, as the Red Bull driver kept a close eye on Massa and Bottas.
Button and Vandoorne made up a few places in the early laps, running in 10th and 11th. Ricciardo locked up at Turn 1 and ran wide, which helped Raikkonen find his way through a few corners later. He dived into the pits at the end of lap six.
Raikkonen continued to claw back ground, using DRS to pass Bottas at the first corner on lap seven. Button became the race's third retirement with a mechanical issue and stopped his car at Turn 10. Massa was another driver to stop early, changing tyres on the eighth tour.
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| © Mercedes AMG Petronas |
The action continued at the front as Hamilton passed Bottas for third, without contact this time. However the Williams was then given a drive-through for the lap one incident, which had a considerable impact on his race. Out front Rosberg had a clear lead of 14 seconds by lap 11.
Gutierrez retired with a mechanical issue just prior to his team-mate Grosjean pitting on lap 12. Vandoorne was on the move and made some feisty passes on Hulkenberg and Perez. Raikkonen was the next front-runner to pit on lap 13, with Rosberg and Hamilton stopping for new Pirelli rubber on the next tour.
The frantic on-track battles continued with Ricciardo passing team-mate Kvyat. Hamilton moved ahead of Massa, before also displacing Kvyat for fourth. He then eased his way past Ricciardo into Turn 1. Massa slipped further down the order when he was passed by Grosjean on lap 17 and Verstappen on lap 20.
Ricciardo was forced to defend heavily from Grosjean but the Frenchman moved into fourth on lap 24 at Turn 4, before the Red Bull pitted. Vandoorne stopped for fresh tyres a little while later in the sole McLaren left. At the front of the field Rosberg's advantage was stretched to over 15 seconds by lap 27.
Hamilton pitted from third place on lap 29, retaining his position as he moved across to the super-soft tyre. Ferrari reacted and stopped Raikkonen next time round. Rosberg pitted on lap 31 but unlike his nearest rivals, he went onto the soft compound.
Sainz became the Bahrain Grand Prix's fifth retirement when he pulled into his pit garage with a reliability issue. Grosjean continued to impress in the Haas and passed Kvyat for fifth. The new tyre regulations saw three different compounds being used within the top six just after the half-way mark.
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| © Mercedes AMG Petronas |
Rosberg and Raikkonen pitted for the final time a little while later, which briefly put Hamilton into the lead before the British racer stopped himself. Near the back of the field Magnussen moved ahead of Nasr for 12th after a move at Turn 1.
Grosjean moved ahead of Massa for sixth with 10 laps to go, with a little help from DRS. Meanwhile Bottas and Kvyat got very close in the battle for P8, with the Red Bull emerging ahead. Verstappen rapidly closed in on the sole Haas but ran out of time.
Rosberg remained unchallenged out front and claimed a clear second victory of the season. Raikkonen came home second, with Hamilton a distant third. Ricciardo was fourth and Grosjean finished a strong fifth, ahead of Verstappen, Kvyat, Massa and Bottas.
Vandoorne scored a point on his F1 debut, with Magnussen, Ericsson, Wehrlein and Nasr next up. It was a disappointing run for Force India with Hulkenberg and Perez 15th and 16th. Haryanto was the final classified finisher.
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