Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel started solidly on the pole position for the 2018 Bahrain Grand Prix but barely eeked out the victory as he nursed his well-worn tires home to a half-second victory over Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas. Bottas’ Mercedes teammate, Lewis Hamilton, started in ninth and finished in the third and final podium spot while Honda Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly finished in a remarkable fourth place.
Vettel began the race from the pole and was easily in the lead for the first 18 laps before coming into pit to change tires to soft compounds for what would be his one and only stop. Bottas pitted shortly after – but put on supposedly longer lasting medium tires – and Hamilton pitted a few laps later, also putting on medium tires.
Hamilton started in ninth – after incurring a five-spot grid penalty for earlier gearbox issues – and quickly moved up into fourth position by the eighth lap. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo were both eliminated in the first four laps with mechanical issues.
Vettel’s Ferrari teammate, Kimi Raikkonen – what started second alongside Vettel in the first row – pitted on Lap 36 but a tire installment issue on a rear tire ended his day and injured a Ferrari mechanic. After Raikkonen was eliminated, Bottas gradually caught up to Vettel in the closing three laps but was unable to pass the valiant Vettel.
Vettel now holds a commanding lead in the overall Formula One driver’s standings, with 50 points to 33 for Hamilton with the 2018 Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai next up on April 15, 2018.
2018 Bahrain Grand Prix Top 10
1 Sebastian Vettel – Ferrari·#5
2 Valtteri Bottas – Mercedes·#77
3 Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes·#44
4 Pierre Gasly – Toro Rosso·#10
5 Kevin Magnussen – Haas·#20
6 Nico Hülkenberg – Renault·#27
7 Fernando Alonso – McLaren #14
8 Stoffel Vandoorne – McLaren ·#2
9 Marcus Ericsson – Alfa Romeo Sauber·#9
10 Esteban Ocon – Force India·#31