This race was not the worst but not the best either. This was a race were I got a lot of questions on my mind. For example is Ferrari and Mercedes going to focus on just one driver this year and let the other driver just help the team?
Think about China were Kimi Räikkönen had to ask for himself if he could pit? People were wondering if Ferrari forgot Kimi. This time in Bahrain the same thing happened! Kimi had to scream and shout on the radio to get the team to realize that he should pit. Why is it like this? I mean everything is perfect for his teammate Sebastian Vettel so why is Kimi in so much trouble. Is Kimi the number two driver already? and please guys.... don't think I am overreacting. They did it to Felipe Massa, Rubens Barrichello, Eddie Irvine, Mika Salo and many more before that.
Many have said that the Iceman don't have what it takes anymore but did anybody see how much he overtook in the race even though he had problems with steering and the tyres? The problem is that he hasn't been the number one guy since Lotus and that's why he doesn't get the car to work properly.
Andrea Stella (not working with Ferrari anymore) was Kimi's engineer when he won the championship. He said that Kimi didn't need any advice and just did his job better than any engineer could have explained. Stella said that not even Michael Schumacher could steer like Kimi without any advice. Kimi is a great driver and I have a hard time believing that his time is out. Give him a weekend without problems and he will win again! I guarantee it.
If Ferrari focuses only on one driver then Mercedes must probably do the same. It's harder to beat a one driver team if your own drivers always fight for the points between each other.
Valtteri Bottas took pole and his teammate Lewis Hamilton focused to overtake him right from the start but got overtaken by Vettel. Hamilton should have focused on the guy with more points than Bottas instead.
For some reason Bottas got problems right from the start. Mercedes told him on the radio that his tyres are overheating. Of course Bottas had to be careful and couldn't drive flat out. He managed to keep his lead and later the team told him that he also has a problem with his tyre pressures. Later on in the race he had to let Hamilton pass him.
The moment when Bottas let Hamilton pass, did you guys see that Hamilton almost crashed into Bottas? He was surprised when Bottas slowed down in the fast corner but barely dodged his teammate. I would also like to know if it was Bottas' own decision or the teams to let Hamilton pass.
What did you guys think of Hamilton slowing down in the pits in front of Daniel Ricciardo? Pretty sneaky if you ask me but he got a penalty so that was the end of it. Did you guys think he deserved it? I thought he did.
Ferrari had a better strategy (at least for Vettel) and that's why they won the race. Mercedes should concentrate on that more from now on. No surprise there...
Ferrari had a better strategy (at least for Vettel) and that's why they won the race. Mercedes should concentrate on that more from now on. No surprise there...
I am also happy that we saw again a lot of overtakings. No worries guys! We will still see them even though many was complaining after Melbourne.
That's all for this race and now my predictions+results.
 |
| The Mercedes drivers are getting nervous. Ferrari is looking stronger at the moment. |
Pole position: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - WRONG. His teammate Bottas took his first pole.
The race:
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - WRONG. He was 2nd and Vettel won the race.
- Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes - WRONG. He was 3rd.
- Kimi Räikkönen, Ferrari - WRONG. He was 4th.
Fastest lap: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - CORRECT
Surprise: Romain Grosjean will have a great race - CORRECT. He was 8th which is a good score for Haas.
POINTS: 1st - 3
2nd - 5
3rd - 10
+ possible bonus points
HOW IT WORKS: the aim of the game is simply predict who comes where in the race (top3). A total of 18 points can be won on a race day. For example if you get winner and and 3rd place right but 2nd wrong you get 13 points.
HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR PREDICTIONS: send an email to f14lifeblog@gmail.com or message the Facebook page to submit your predictions. You have until lights out to make them. If you submit them when the race has started they won't count. So be quick!
THE PRIZE: the winner of the league will win themselves a admin place on the F1 4 LIFE page along side AE, JT, MW, MH, JI & PM. If you don't want to be an admin you are welcome to participate anyway.
