© Jiri Krenek for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
By Carol M. Creasey
Formula One arrived in Bahrain for the first race of the season, although it was clear that the FIA has still not managed to move on from the troubles of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The person who has said the least about it is Sir Lewis Hamilton, but pundits and the Press are still reporting about the contentious circumstances of Verstappen’s win, and how it has left a sour taste in the mouth for many Formula One fans.
During testing it was clear to see that Mercedes have issues with their car at the moment. Its balance and porpoising make it really difficult to drive, but here is a team that loves a challenge. Lewis has warned fans that it might take several races before they can understand how to get the best out of the car, but many dismissed it as sandbagging. It wasn’t.
Friday’s free practice was difficult, Lewis was seventh in FP1 and ninth in FP2, where it appears he was also suffering from a problem with the DRS. George Russell put in the fourth fastest time in both sessions, apparently running a different set-up to Lewis. FP3 was more of the same with Lewis in P5 and George in P4.
Qualifying day was tough for them. Lewis managed to make it to fifth place and George was ninth. However, they both vowed to give it their all in the race. Charles Leclerc got a fine pole, with Max Verstappen second, Carlos Sainz third, and Sergio Perez fourth.
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When the race started, Lewis did a great start, overtaking Perez and getting up to fourth. But later in the race, with Mercedes’ lack of pace, Perez was able to overtake him and claim the place back. Verstappen had several attempts to overtake Leclerc and claim the lead, but Charles prevailed. It was nice to see fair and clean racing between the two.
A few laps before the end, the race was turned on its head. Verstappen appeared to have a steering issue, and then without warning, he pulled off and went into the pits to retire his car. This brought Lewis up to fourth, and he started to put pressure on Perez to try and overtake him. But on the last lap, Perez also had technical issues, he spun and had to retire his car. Lewis was delighted to make up the third place on the podium, and George had battled his way up from ninth to fourth, so it was a great result in the end.
Mercedes know they have work to do to make their car faster, but having seen what happened yesterday it seems it’s better to have a slower car and finish the race than a super quick one with reliability problems. Red Bull now have a few days to work out what the problem is before the next race. Mercedes will also have their heads down trying to make the car better for their drivers. After winning eighth consecutive Constructors’ Championships they remain the best team on the grid, and anyone who writes them off right now, does so at their own peril.
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