Five things you might have missed from the Bahrain Grand Prix
Pierre Gasly was one of the stars of the Bahrain weekend, but before his Toro Rosso team had even hit the track there was a blunder to fix in the pitlane.
Brendon who?
The Frenchman was surprised to find when he arrived at the track on Thursday that - according to the pitlane etchings - he had a new Toro Rosso team-mate. Someone called Hartly.
⚠️⚠️⚠️New teammate this weekend!!! Mr HARTLY ??? pic.twitter.com/t35x9tV1Em
— Pierre Gasly ?? (@PierreGASLY) April 5, 2018
More Raikkonen gold
Kimi Raikkonen is famous for his way of responding to media questions, and he lived up to it ahead of the Bahrain GP weekend when he was asked how he would change Formula 1.
Kimi's response was as illuminating as usual.
"I don't have the power so what's the point thinking about it?"
Amid all the talk of change, Kimi is one thing many fans would like to keep the same.
"What would you change in Formula 1?" ?
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 5, 2018
Kimi, please make sure YOU never change ?#BahrainGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/PsRFp0JeDL
Oh bollards
First practice was interrupted briefly by a stray bollard getting on track. It was retrieved quickly an efficient marshal, but that wasn't the end of the matter.
F1 social media has a sense of humour these days. So it explored the 'possibilities' of what the marshal was up to.
What's this Marshall up to?
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 6, 2018
Opening a barber shop??
World's biggest relay baton??♂️
Or maybe just retrieving a stray bollard ?#F1 #BahrainGP pic.twitter.com/yqcIB90wlp
— Neb (@Onheels) April 6, 2018
Below the belt
Modern F1 has its many challenges. Not least how one maintains a poker face when one sees oneself on television on the world feed. Do not look startled, point, smile, wave, flinch. Do not do anything really. Such reactions are not cool.
All in the Haas team have the statuesque pose down to a fine art. That was until Kevin Magnussen decided to interfere. No man could have maintained poise under such provocation.
It's fair to say @KevinMagnussen was feeling a bit testy during #FP1 ?#F1 #BahrainGP pic.twitter.com/n0eoRIn0it
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 6, 2018
FYI - all was forgiven after yesterday's 'contact'. ? pic.twitter.com/a9UzVnuweb
— Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) April 7, 2018
McLaren's martial arts
For McLaren things could scarcely have been more desperate in Bahrain. It was a second off engine supplier Renault in qualifying in a performance it described as "astonishing". And that's without mentioning what its old engine partner Honda was up to at the same moment. Or the amount of money it cost to get out of that relationship. Or that this was the home race of the people who signed that cheque...
For Fernando Alonso, a handy distraction was some photobombing on team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne.
Getting ready for quali like... pic.twitter.com/UpurZAEcKB
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) April 7, 2018
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