Stats: Mercedes catches BRM and Cooper

Fernando Alonso had a troublesome race with his DRS failing, but nevertheless reached the chequered flag to equal the 59-race record for no mechanical failures held by Mark Webber from the 2009 Japanese Grand Prix, to the 2012 Abu Dhabi GP.

Meanwhile on Saturday, Nico Rosberg's pole brought Mercedes equal in qualifying stats with two other legendary names.

RACE STATS

• This was the 28th race win for Sebastian Vettel, and also his 49th podium finish, equalling Jenson Button's tally and putting him equal 13th in the all-time list.

• It was the 72nd podium finish for Kimi Raikkonen, his sixth in Bahrain. It extends his record at Sakhir (Felipe Massa, Alonso and Vettel follow with three).

• Romain Grosjean completed the same podium as last year's race. It was a relief for the Frenchman, who hadn't finished in the top three since last year's Hungarian race. That was also the last occasion both Lotuses finished on the podium.

• Grosjean is the first driver this year to finish on the podium without starting in the top 10. The last time that happened was when Sebastian Vettel started 23rd and finished third in last year's Abu Dhabi GP. Last year there were a total of six occasions in which a driver starting outside the top 10 managed a podium finish.

• There were three Renault-powered cars on the podium: the last occurrence was, again, in Bahrain last year.

Paul di Resta equalled his best career result of fourth © LAT

• Paul di Resta equalled his best career result - fourth - from Singapore last year. He led for the second time in his career, a year after leading at Sakhir in 2012. Di Resta is the 11th different leader this year after just four races.

• Romain Grosjean passed di Resta in the closing stages, denying Force India a podium finish. The team secured its only top-three finish to date in Belgium in 2009, when Giancarlo Fisichella finished second. Its second-best result is fourth, obtained four times.

• The best Mercedes finished fifth, for the third time in a row in Bahrain - it achieved it in 2010 and '12 with Rosberg (there was no race in 2011, remember) and this year with Lewis Hamilton.

• This was the 200th race start both for Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber.

• Adrian Sutil reached equal-fourth, with Ukyo Katayama, for most starts without a podium finish. Both are on 94 races. Pierluigi Martini leads the way with 119.

• A double puncture put an end to Felipe Massa's streak of 13 races in the points. In the past four races he cumulatively finished lower each time - he was third in Brazil last year, fourth in Australia, fifth in Malaysia, sixth in China and 15th in Bahrain.

• After four races not one of the rookies has scored a point. Back in 2004 the first rookie to score a point was Timo Glock, who scored in round eight in Canada.

• Red Bull scored its 31st fastest race lap, the same number as Renault, putting it equal seventh on the all-time list.

QUALIFYING STATS

Cooper's last pole came via John Surtees in the 1966 Mexican GP © LAT

• This was the second career pole for Nico Rosberg after China last year. It was also his first front-row appearance since Monaco last year. It was the 11th pole for Mercedes, which puts it level with BRM and Cooper.

The German manufacturer had not recorded back-to-back poles since the Dutch and Italian Grands Prix in 1955. At the time it secured a run of three in a row.

• Vettel and Rosberg shared the front row for the first time.

• Third on the grid for the third time in a row might not seem a major achievement for Alonso, but it's nevertheless a good sign of improvement for him. To find another string of three top-three qualifying spots for the Spaniard we have to go back to the 2010 British/German/Hungarian Grands Prix.

• Felipe Massa has also demonstrated an improvement on the qualifying front for Ferrari: he has had four straight top-five grid slots. He hasn't done that since a run of six between Canada and Belgium in 2011.

So far this year, Ferrari has always had a car in the top five; last year it only achieved that in 30 per cent of the of the opportunities (12 out of 40).

• Paul di Resta posted his best career qualifying result with fifth.

• Adrian Sutil started sixth for Force India, which had never previously had two cars in the first six grid spots at the same time.

• For the first time, at his eighth attempt, Kimi Raikkonen was able to outqualify a team-mate at Sakhir.

• In Q1 the two Williams cars recorded exactly the same time (1m34.425s), but Pastor Maldonado was pushed out as he set it 11 seconds later than Valtteri Bottas. The Finn proceeded into Q2 taking his best spot so far with 15th.