It’s Hamilton versus Vettel
GRAND PRIX: THE BATTLE OF BAHRAIN IS ON BETWEEN FERRARI AND MERCEDES BENZ
The Haas team impressed prior to the pit stop debacle.
The Sakhir circuit will be in the limelight this weekend when it hosts the Bahrain Grand Prix, the second round of the 2018 F1 Championship. All eyes will be on the continuation of the Ferrari/Mercedes Benz battle, if indeed it was a battle in Melbourne.
The issue that beset Lewis Hamilton after the Virtual Safety Car (VSC) period and the team’s miscalculation regarding Hamilton’s time advantage over Sebastian Vettel’s pit stop has been a very prominent feature in the F1 media ranks.
There have even been allegations of conspiracy between Ferrari and the Haas team leading to the VSC deployment and its subsequent effect on the outcome of the race, but those innuendos can be placed very firmly in file thirteen.
While we are talking Haas, the team certainly impressed prior to the pit stop debacle.
Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen both qualified well and were running best of the rest before they retired.
That impressive performance has raised a few eyebrows in the pit lane, in fact it has also raised an issue to be discussed at the next strategy group meeting.
Apparently McLaren and Force India are surprised at the US team’s rapid improvement shown in Australia and are concerned that the Haas is indeed more Ferrari than the approved agreement permits.
Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has responded by suggesting those making the statements take their complaints to the FIA.
Charlie Whiting, race director for the FIA says he has no concerns and that all is above board.
The outcome of this meeting should make for interesting reading.
Hamilton has confirmed that he backed off towards the end of the Australian race in a bid to preserve the Mercedes power unit.
He is reported as saying: “The engine was overheating and I’ve got to do seven races with this engine, preferably more if I can. I was on the limiter and I was too hot, but I was pushing.”
Understandably the Englishman said that it was against his “spirit of racing.”
I agree with him, but it is a situation that I fear we will see more often this year as teams attempt to conserve the equipment in an attempt to avoid the ridiculous penalties that hover like a sword of Damocles.
The imposed limitations must have a detrimental effect on the very essence of competition.
The dictionary definition of a race is to determine the relative speed of the contestants, not to determine the durability or cost cutting abilities of those contesting the race.
Just thought I would mention it.