Formula One: Vettel fends off Bottas to Bahrain win
Mon Apr 09, 2018 07:33:am Sports
4.3K By Obiaks Blog
Sebastian Vettel took his second win of the season on Sunday night after holding off Valtteri Bottas for victory in a tense finish to the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The race boiled down to a strategic battle between Ferrari and Mercedes, with Bottas using a fresher set of tyres in the closing stages to attack the Ferrari which had led from the start. The Finn closed in on Vettel's tail on the final lap but despite looking to the inside at Turn 1, he couldn't make a move stick and had to settle for second. It is the first time Ferrari has won the opening two races of the season since 2004 and gives Vettel a 17 point lead in the championship.
Lewis Hamilton completed a solid recover driver to finish third after starting ninth on the grid due to a gearbox penalty. After a slow start, Hamilton picked his way back through the field, overtaking three cars at once on lap 6, before a one-stop strategy moved him up to third.
He would have faced a challenge from Kimi Raikkonen late in the race but the second Ferrari retired following an incident in the pit lane. During a routine pit stop, Raikkonen's car was released too early and hit one of the team's mechanics as he accelerated away. The mechanic was taken to hospital to treat a broken leg soon after.
The two Red Bulls retired from the race after Daniel Ricciardo stopped on track on lap two and Max Verstappen was forced to park his car three laps later. Verstappen had been involved in a collision with Hamilton on lap two as they battled for position at Turn 1, resulting in a puncture on the Red Bull that forced a pit stop before his retirement.
Pierre Gasly benefited from the issues among the top three teams to finish fourth in his Toro Rosso. The result was engine supplier Honda's best finish since returning to the sport in 2015 and, following their acrimonious split with McLaren last year, will have tasted even sweeter on the home turf of McLaren's Bahraini owners.
Kevin Magnussen took a solid fifth place finish for Haas ahead of Nico Hulkenberg's Renault and the two McLarens of Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne. Marcus Ericsson secured Sauber's first points in the season with an impressive drive to ninth ahead of Force India's Esteban Ocon.
ESPN
The race boiled down to a strategic battle between Ferrari and Mercedes, with Bottas using a fresher set of tyres in the closing stages to attack the Ferrari which had led from the start. The Finn closed in on Vettel's tail on the final lap but despite looking to the inside at Turn 1, he couldn't make a move stick and had to settle for second. It is the first time Ferrari has won the opening two races of the season since 2004 and gives Vettel a 17 point lead in the championship.
Lewis Hamilton completed a solid recover driver to finish third after starting ninth on the grid due to a gearbox penalty. After a slow start, Hamilton picked his way back through the field, overtaking three cars at once on lap 6, before a one-stop strategy moved him up to third.
He would have faced a challenge from Kimi Raikkonen late in the race but the second Ferrari retired following an incident in the pit lane. During a routine pit stop, Raikkonen's car was released too early and hit one of the team's mechanics as he accelerated away. The mechanic was taken to hospital to treat a broken leg soon after.
The two Red Bulls retired from the race after Daniel Ricciardo stopped on track on lap two and Max Verstappen was forced to park his car three laps later. Verstappen had been involved in a collision with Hamilton on lap two as they battled for position at Turn 1, resulting in a puncture on the Red Bull that forced a pit stop before his retirement.
Pierre Gasly benefited from the issues among the top three teams to finish fourth in his Toro Rosso. The result was engine supplier Honda's best finish since returning to the sport in 2015 and, following their acrimonious split with McLaren last year, will have tasted even sweeter on the home turf of McLaren's Bahraini owners.
Kevin Magnussen took a solid fifth place finish for Haas ahead of Nico Hulkenberg's Renault and the two McLarens of Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne. Marcus Ericsson secured Sauber's first points in the season with an impressive drive to ninth ahead of Force India's Esteban Ocon.
ESPN
Related News
Leave a comment...