Pick the Podium: F-1 - Bahrain Grand Prix, Bahrain

[Retroram52]

Kimi Raikkonen leads teammate Sebastian Vettel in the first practice and Lewis Hamilton is not in the top eight fastest drivers. I suppose he is bored with winning or something. Ferrari continues to chip away at Mercedes dominance. We shall see how things go this week-end.

 

[Retroram52]

After the second practice, Mercedes re-emerges with their dominance with Rosberg taking P1, Hamilton, P2 and Raikkonnen P3. Vettel came home 4th.

 

[Retroram52]

Perhaps Hamilton was sandbagging for a reason. Saturday afternoon’s final practice session saw just 0.069s separating Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel. Backing them up in third and fourth were respective team mates Nico Rosberg and Kimi Raikkonen. This could be a close race.

 

[forty_three]

Once again, Lewis slaps the field in the face, just not as hard as last week.

I will go
HAM
VET
RAI

Nico's body language and excuses tell me he won't make the end and will be out of the top 3 by turn 2.

 

[Hank Kingsley]

Ham
Vet
Bot

 

[Retroram52]

I am thinking that Vettel could steal one here but I am going with the safe bet. I'll take Hamilton, Vettel, and Rosberg for 1000, Alex.

 

[IndyAndy]

I'll go with:

Hamilton
Rosberg
Vettel

 

[Hank Kingsley]

I'm smelling a KR-NR come together at corner 1.

Suddenly they are back markers.

But Lewis was massive in Q3.

 

[Retroram52]

Raikkonen is a comin'.

 

[Retroram52]

Rosberg cracked under pressure and Raikkonen blows by for second.

 

[Retroram52]

I know now why Rosberg is owned by Hamilton. He simply gets rattled to make a mistake when pressed and Hamilton has done nothing but pressure Rosberg.

 

[Retroram52]

Hamilton takes it with Raikkonen second and Rosberg third. What a race!

 

[IndyAndy]

Oh, Nico!!

I was looking sooo good there for a while....

Great race by the Kimster. Nice strategy call be Ferarri.

Good effort by Bottas, keeping Vettel behind him.

... And a tip of the hat to McLaren, for getting the car home to the checkered flag in 11th.

Here's how we did:

Retroram52: 7 points - picked 1st & 3rd place correctly.
forty_three: 6 points - picked the winner; got Raikkonen out of position
IndyAndy: 6 points - picked the winner; got Rosberg out of position
Hank Kingsley: 5 points - picked the winner

Season Totals so far:

Retroram52: 34 points
IndyAndy: 30 points
forty_three: 26 points
Hank Kingsley: 25 points

Next Up: Barcelona, on May 10th

 

[Retroram52]

Yea, it was looking real good for you Indy until Raikkonen took on those soft tires and took off. What a race indeed. On we go in a couple of weeks.

 

[forty_three]

I don't know if I've ever seen Vettel brain fart like when he chipped up the nose. If he hadn't, I might have nailed all three spots.

Rosberg is coming unglued. In all the interviews this weekend, the way he snapped at his engineer on the radio. He's cracking. I am unsure how much of his turn one goof was him and how much was brakes. Seemed to me he was looking behind him and missed his braking point, and then there was nothing there for him when he stood on the pedal.

Congrats to Renault for giving Ricciardo and engine that would very nearly finish Ricciardo crossed the line, the Engine didn't...

 

[Retroram52]

I agree forty_three. Rosberg is a little girl. Raikkonen came up on him and he folded like the little girl he is and Mercedes covered for him by blaming the brakes because Hamilton had the same problem and he turned his drive into a win.

 

[Hank Kingsley]

Lewis owned that race. And they did have a brake issue. I still don't think Rosberg was going to defend P2 though.

Vettel had a smelly race for a change. He seemed way off form.

I almost got my 1st corner wish of Roseberg and Kimi taking each other out, and after they all made it through I was pooched...

 

[Retroram52]

Almost Hank!

 

[Hank Kingsley]

Story of my life..