Five winners and three losers from F1's Bahrain Grand Prix

The 2022 season began in thrilling and dramatic action as Ferrari made a winning start to F1’s new era. Here are our biggest winners and losers from the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix…
Charles Leclerc (MON) Ferrari F1-75.
Charles Leclerc (MON) Ferrari F1-75.
© xpbimages.com

WINNERS 

Charles Leclerc and Ferrari 

It was a perfect start to F1’s new era for Ferrari in Bahrain as Charles Leclerc led home teammate Carlos Sainz in the Italian outfit’s first victory since 2019. It also marked the first 1-2 Ferrari had achieved at a season opener since the 2010 Bahrain Gra🍸nd Prix. 

Ferrari executed a flawless strategy and both drivers delivered with fantastic drives to kick off the new season on a winning note. Leclerc demonstrated exceptional race management and judged his thrilling wheel-to-wheel dice with Max Verstappen perfectly to repa꧅ss the Red Bull driver a🏅nd retain his lead. 

Sainz may not have had the same kind of pace as Leclerc in qualifying or the race but he was there when it m♐attered to pick off an ailing Verstappen and complete a famous result for the Scuderia, ꦡwhich leaves Bahrain with the lead in both world championships. 

Charles Leclerc (FRA), Scuderia Ferrari and Carlos Sainz Jr (ESP), Scuderia Ferrari
Charles Leclerc (FRA), Scuderia Ferrari and Carlos Sainz Jr (ESP), Scuderia Ferrari
© xpbimages.com

Lewis Hamilton 

If you told Lewis Hamilton that he would end Sun🧔day evening on the podium, there is no doubting he would have jumped at the chance. 

Such a prospectꦕ seemed highly unlikely when it soon became clear early in the race that Mercedes simply did not have the pace to keep up with Ferrari and Red Bull - just as it had predicted after qualifying. 

A late Safety Car brought Hamilton back into play by wiping out his large deficit to the cars ahead, though it appeared as though Sergio Perez had done enough to keep the seven-time world champion ay bay. But a slice of fortune fell Mercedes’ way when Perez suffered a suspecte💛d engine issue at the first corner𒁏 on the final lap, gifting Hamilton third place. 

Mercedes still needไs to address its issues if it is going to be a title contender this year, but third and fourth was the best result it could have 🌃hoped for given its struggles in Bahrain. 

Lewis Hamilton (GBR), Mercedes AMG F1
Lewis Hamilton (GBR), Mercedes AMG F1
© xpbimages.com

Kevin Magnussen and Haas 

Kevin Magnussen celebrated his unexpected return to the F1 grid in style with a stunning𒉰 fifth-place finish for Haas.

The Dane finished two places higher than he started as he en🦹ded Haas’ points-scoring drought to score the American outfit’s best result since the 2018 Austrian Grand Prix. Afᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚter a tough couple of seasons and a troubled start to 2022 off-track. 

After finishing last with n🌞o points to its name in 2022, Haas now finds itself sitting third in the constructors’ standings after the first race. It remains early days, but it looks as though the team’s decision to prioritise it꧙s 2022 development has been vindicated. 

Kevin Magnussen (DEN) Haas VF-22 at the end of the race.
Kevin Magnussen (DEN) Haas VF-22 at the end of the race.
© xpbimages.com

Alfa Romeo 

Alfa Romeo left testing with reliability conce🔥rns but will be left delighted at how t🐠he season-opener unfolded in Bahrain as the Swiss-based outfit claimed a strong two-car points haul. 

A terrible opening lap saw Valtteri Bottas tumble down the order as he looke⛦d to have undone his excellent display in qualifying, but the Finn, aided by a brilliant strategy and retirements, recovered to where he startedꦗ to take P6. 

Meanwhile,♈ his rookie teammate Guanyu Zhou had an impressive F1 debut and worked his way up into the top 10 from 15th on the grid to secure the final point on offer. 

Valtteri Bottas (FIN) Alfa Romeo F1 Team C42 pit stop.
Valtteri Bottas (FIN) Alfa Romeo F1 Team C42 pit stop.
© xpbimages.com

Yuki Tsunoda

Yuki Tsunoda bounced back from missing the whole of final practice and the disappointmen▨t of his Q1 exit with a strong drive on Sunday. 

The Japanese youngster rose from 16th on the grid and battled his way up to eighth as he split the Alpine drivers to collect AlphaTauri’s only point🍰s and give the Faenza outfit a positive to take away from an otherwise frustrating Bahrain Grand Prix. 

Yuki Tsunoda (JPN) AlphaTauri AT03.
Yuki Tsunoda (JPN) AlphaTauri AT03.
© xpbimages.com

LOSERS 

Red Bull

Red Bull boss Christian Horner described his team’s double DNF in Bahrain as a “worst nightmare” scenario as the team los﷽t what appeared to be a guaranteed second and fourth place finish in the closing stages oꦏf the season-opener. 

It was a disastrous start to F1’s new era as reigning world champion Max Ver🌳stappen suffered brake problems, steering damage and then a fuel-flow issue that caused him to fall to third and then reti🅘re in Bahrain. 

If that wasn’t bad enough, Sergio Perez then spun out of third place at Turn 1 on the final l𒁏ap with a similar issue - something Red Bull said it had never e☂xperienced before. 

Red Bull’s performance will provide it with some solace, though it will need to solve the reliability worry quickly with a short tu🦋rnaround before the nex꧃t race in Saudi Arabia. 

Sergio Perez (MEX) Red Bull Racing RB18 retired from the race.
Sergio Perez (MEX) Red Bull Racing RB18 retired from the race.
© xpbimages.com

McLaren 

McLaren had a shocker of a weekend in Bahrain. Neither Lando Norris or Daniel Ricciardo were able to get into Q3 and their fortunes did not impro🥂ve on race day, finishing a lowly 14th and 15th behind Alex Albon’s Williams. 

At one stage, McLaren’s drivers were running as low as 18th and 20th. The MCL36 appeared to have no p🅠ace throughout and a terrible race ended up being little more than a data-gathering exercise.

Ricciardo and Nor💛ris’ final finishing positions were only boosted by the late retirements for Verstappen, Perez and Pierre Gasly. 

Daniel Ricciardo (AUS) McLaren MCL36 leads team mate Lando Norris (GBR) McLaren MCL36.
Daniel Ricciardo (AUS) McLaren MCL36 leads team mate Lando Norris (GBR) McLaren MCL36.
© xpbimages.com

Aston Martin 

It was a miserable race all toౠld for Mercedes’ customer teams, as Mercedes-powered cars filled the bottom four positions of the classification in Bahrain. 

Last place went to Nico Hulk♍enberg, who did a good job in Sebastian Vettel’s absence considering he has not raced in F1 for the best part of two years, while his teammate Lance Stroll headed the pack in a distant 12th. 💃;

Aston Martin’s AMR22 was well off the pace in both qualifying and the race, which turnedꦗ out to be tedious affair with Stroll aღnd Hulkenberg both required to lift and coast at various stages of the 57-lap event. A day to forget for Team Silverstone. 

Nico Hulkenberg (GER) Aston Martin F1 Team Reserve Driver AMR22.
Nico Hulkenberg (GER) Aston Martin F1 Team Reserve Driver AMR22.
© xpbimages.com

Read More