The Formula One season started in Bahrain with familiar signs, when Max Verstappen celebrated a victory in a rather uneventful race and Sergio Perez secured a double win for Red Bull. Verstappen, who won the three previous World Championship titles, has been amazingly dominant lately, as the Dutchman has won no less than 32 of the previous 34 races.
Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas took off sharply from the 16th square, but the Finn fell in the opening corner Nico Hülkenberg’s and By Lance Stroll due to a crash to 18th place and problems at the pit stop ruined the rest of the dreams of a promotion. Bottas ended up 19th.
What solved it?
There has been enough noise around Red Bull when the team manager Christian Horner is suspected of inappropriate behavior. However, Horner continues in his role, as no evidence was found. Despite the distractions, the team showed that they are still number one over the weekend.
Urheilu’s F1 expert Jukka Mildh can see that Red Bull is more ready for the new season than others.
– The race was already decided at the start, and there was no resistance from the rest. The Ferraris were high in the early stages and Carlos Sainz finally third also on the podium, but Sainz and Charles Leclerc mutual bickering also contributed to Verstappen not being able to resist.
– Red Bull is many steps ahead with its car concept, the team is well organized and ready for the season. Verstappen enters the season as champion, and he is still in top form.
What speaks?
Ferrari dropped a news bomb before the season when Lewis Hamilton was said to be moving to the team next year. The decision means that Sainz no longer has a stool in the reds of Maranello. Sainz passed Leclerc twice in the early stages of the race, and according to Mildh, the Spaniard’s driving showed hunger.
– There was a feeling that there will be a fierce personal struggle within Ferrari. Sainz has decided that from the very first race he wants to show that hiring Hamilton was a mistake and that he deserves a winning car going forward.
– Leclerc had more technical problems in the race, such as difficulties with the front brakes, but it looked more like it was a tough race and there were probably no decisions made with the team. It seemed that Sainz took the reins into his own hands and he had a great race.
What about Bottas?
Despite his 19th place, Valtteri Bottas was in a positive mood after the race, as Sauber’s race pace was clearly better than qualifying and his teammate Guanyu Zhou it was eleven. Mildh takes his hat off to the Finn’s brave start, even though bad luck took the chances of fighting for the points.
– He took a big risk when accelerating, the car left the line well and he drove close to the pit wall, passing several drivers. He got into a puddle and dropped because of it, but the start was a good indication that he is going to fight.
During the pit stop, Sauber’s mechanics had problems with the left front wheel nut, and the stop lasted no less than 52 seconds.
– These are problems that should have been solved already in the tests, but smaller teams have smaller resources. These are the kind of little things that come up in the first games.
– However, Teammate’s performance was good and it bodes well. As far as I understand, Sauber is also taking development steps, but it is slower than at the top.
Top?
Red Bull’s dominance was crushing last season, and the same pace seems to continue based on the first race. According to Mildh, opponents have enough to think about.
– In any sport, it’s great to watch when someone dominates so sovereignly. In terms of the overall picture, it is important that Perez was also able to drive such a good race. It shows that at least at this stage he is still in good mental condition, says Mildh.
– He has had a lot of pressure when he has not kept up with Verstappen. I believe that the team will also support him, and of course the team will aim for a double win in every race.
A flop?
Towards the end of the race, Racing Bulls (formerly AlphaTauri) decided to change by team order Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda places with each other in favor of the Australian. The two were ranked 13–14, and the Japanese gave bitter comments on the team radio about the decision.
– Sportingly, that decision was a flop. I don’t understand why they did that, but maybe there is some politics behind it.
– There were problems with the Mercedes power sources other than just the Mercedes team itself, and the engines could not use their full power. Also, Lewis Hamilton’s bench broke and they still have some preparation to go. They are expected to be the number one challenger to Red Bull, but it is clearly now Ferrari.
What surprised you?
In the first race of the season, every car made it to the finish line, which surprised Mildh.
– There is so much difference in the preparation between the teams, and the drivers have a feeling to look for, that it is a surprise at this stage. It shows that at least some things have been done right. Of course, we drove on the track where tests had been run.
What next?
The record-long 24-race season continues right next weekend in Saudi Arabia. According to Mildh, no major changes are expected.
– A week is quite a short time, but of course there will be a few new parts for everyone and we will have time to simulate them. The track in Saudi Arabia is really fast, and there are no fast corners in Bahrain. In Saudi Arabia, you can see how the cars work aerodynamically and how much the drivers can rely on it. You should pay attention to that.