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Formula 1 Bahrain GP

F1 Bahrain GP Live Commentary and Updates - Race

Minute-by-minute updates for Formula 1's Bahrain Grand Prix

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB18, Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo C42

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc secured the first pole position of the year by beating reigning F1 world champion Max Verstappen in qualifying by 0.123 seconds, with Leclerc’s team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr taking third to complete a strong Saturday for the Italian team.

With Sergio Perez qualifying in fourth place for Red Bull, Lewis Hamilton led the charge for Mercedes in fifth but was over half a second off the pace of the frontrunners, as the defending F1 world constructors’ champions continue to struggle to solve the porpoising issue.

Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas and Haas returnee Kevin Magnussen also starred in qualifying, with sixth and seventh respectively, to see the two teams shake-up the midfield order.

Sebastian Vettel is out of action after testing positive for COVID-19, with Aston Martin reserve driver Nico Hulkenberg, who qualified in 17th place, taking on the super-sub role which he undertook for the team on three occasions in 2020.

Daniel Ricciardo is back for McLaren after recovering from his own positive COVID-19 test which forced him to miss the Bahrain pre-season test, with the Australian set to start the race from 18th on the grid.

The 57-lap race gets underway at 3pm GMT (6pm local time).

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Pit stop
Leclerc responds to Verstappen, picking up an even faster stop than Sainz, and returns to the track right on the same patch of track as Verstappen!
Pit stop
Verstappen comes in from second, as does Sainz. Soft tyres for both - and a 2.3s stop for Sainz, which is rather swift.
Pit stop
A lap later Albon does the same as Schumacher but loses time and drops behind the Haas driver exiting the pits into Turn 1.
Pit stop
Schumacher the next to pit, putting on the mediums, and comes out last place.
For someone with no traction, Verstappen's still lapping within 0.2-0.3s of Leclerc at the moment - but Perez is now starting to catch Sainz a little bit.
Hamilton, who has got some heat into his tyres now, gets by Zhou with the aid of DRS at Turn 1 to regain 11th place.
That's a bit of a deep moment into Turn 1 for Hamilton as he's got cold tyres - which proves to be a big scalp for Zhou Guanyu, who nips past the Mercedes.
Pit stop
Alonso joins Hamilton in the early stoppers club at the end of lap 11. The Alpine ditches his softs for fresh mediums.
Pit stop
"I have zero traction," says Verstappen, who's losing faith in his tyres. Meanwhile, Hamilton is first to pit, and sticks on the hard tyre.
Leclerc's extended his lead to 3s over Verstappen, with Sainz a further 5s back. Hamilton's not letting Perez go just yet, but the Mexican is beginning to push the Merc out of DRS range.
Stroll makes up two places in two laps, as he gets ahead of Schumacher for 15th place. Further up the road, Zhou does the same to Albon to take 13th place.
And Perez is right on Hamilton's tail, and absolutely cruises around the Mercedes into Turn 4. Sandbags, my foot...
Hulkenberg locks up at Turn 1 and runs wide, allowing team-mate Stroll to, er, stroll through. Sorry, it is the first race of the year, we'll promise to improve.
Bottas continues his recovery from a rubbish start by getting by Albon for 12th place at Turn 8, before defending his position around Turn 11 to complete the move.
Hamilton's now dropped out of the DRS activation zone behind Sainz, with Perez now looking to make his way back past the Mercedes.
The stewards have decided no further investigation is needed for the Turn 4 flashpoint between Stroll and Norris. The two are running nose-to-tail in 17th and 18th place.
Schumacher looks like he is carrying damage on his Haas as his pace is over two seconds slower than those around him. That allows Zhou to charge by the German and up to 14th place.
Leclerc now has two seconds on Verstappen in this early stage, just trying to slowly build his advantage at the front. Hamilton now pressures Sainz with DRS use.
Penalty
Ocon has been given a five-second time penalty for his part in the clash with Schumacher. The Alpine driver is currently 10th tucked up behind team-mate Alonso.
More misery for Schumacher on lap six, as he gets overtaken by Bottas in the braking zone at Turn 1. The Finn moves up to 13th place.
Magnussen goes deep into Turn 1 again, which lets Russell trickle through into sixth! The Dane's not too happy with the braking feel on his Haas machine, and he's back to P7.
"Engine braking is doing funny things mid-corner," Verstappen says. Meanwhile, Sainz is still under pressure from Hamilton, with Perez trying to chip away at their battle for third.
TV replays show Ocon tapping the rear-right wheel of Schumacher at Turn 6 which sent the Haas driver into a 360-degree spin. Schumacher managed to get going again but lost places to Ocon, Albon and Tsunoda due to the spin.

The FIA stewards are investigating the Ocon vs Schumacher clash at Turn 6. Meanwhile a Turn 4 incident has been noted which occurred between Stroll and Norris.

Magnussen locks up into Turn 1, and has to cover Perez off into Turn 4 - but the Red Bull driver hangs on through Turn 5 and streaks clear of the Haas down the hill.
Both medium-shod McLarens were also slow off the line, Norris dropping four spots and Ricciardo two places. Remember, everyone else started on the softs.
Leclerc is attempting to break-build over Verstappen, but the Red Bull is looking quick. Sainz can't quite cling onto Verstappen's coat-tails at this stage, as Hamilton draws closer to him.
Bottas made a shocking start as he loses eight places on the opening lap and is 14th for Alfa Romeo. A Turn 6 incident between Ocon and Schumacher has been noted, it looks like they came together on the first lap.
Leclerc gets a good getaway and holds the inside for the first corner, keeping Verstappen away from the lead, as Sainz holds second - as Hamilton and Magnussen clear Perez into Turn 2!
Lights out
The lights are out, and the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix begins!
F1's AWS graphics are predicting a two-stop strategy here, which adds extra jeopardy and/or strategic fun.
Green flag
The formation lap is away.
Breaking news
Tyre news: all bar the two McLarens begin on the softs. Norris and Ricciardo have the mediums in play.
How's your nerves? You could cut the tension with a front wing endplate, such is the keen sense of anticipation in the air. 57 laps for each driver to kick off their seasons in the best possible way - are we ready? Let's begin.
Stopwatch
Five minutes to go, folks.
Sun
You'll be pleased to know that there's a 0% risk of rain. The track's currently at 30 degrees C, with a 24.3 degrees C air temperature, which will drop as night continues to fall.
First F1 start for Zhou Guanyu at Alfa Romeo - who starts from 15th place. Nico Hulkenberg makes his first start since the 2020 Eifel GP, as a late call-up in place for the COVID-positive Sebastian Vettel.
Plenty of talking points already with a slightly shuffled grid compared to what we're used to: Valtteri Bottas starts alongside old stablemate Lewis Hamilton, Kevin Magnussen begins in the top 10 - and we just don't know what race pace everyone has!

By: autosport.com

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