Red Bull making a scary turnaround
Vettel sounds warning with podium finish
“We’re not yet where we want to be,” Sebastian Vettel radioed to his team after last weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix. “But we’ll get there.”
The message from the four-time Formula One champion was meant to thank and motivate his Red Bull colleagues after his third-place finish in steamy Kuala Lumpur. It was also meant to warn his rivals.
Point taken. If they’re not shaking in their racing shoes, they should be. Red Bull’s turnaround in 2014 has been, well, scary.
That’s the funny thing about F1. Most competitors in this high-speed sport are painfully slow when it comes to turning their fortunes around. Not Red Bull, it seems.
Okay, the Grand Prix season is only two races old, with the third this weekend in Bahrain. But don’t forget the all-important off-season, when cars are designed, built and tested. This winter, Red Bull found itself miles behind other top teams during the 12 days of tests, with a trunkful of problems related to F1’s new V6 turbo engines and expanded energy-recovery systems. The championship squad suffered so many setbacks and breakdowns on the test tracks that its cars were unable to complete even a single full-race-distance run, unheard of for a team of such stature.
At the season opener in Australia, the common assumption was that Red Bull would not see the checkered flag. Sure enough, engine problems forced out Vettel on Lap 3. In the sister car, though, Daniel Ricciardo not only made it to the finish line, he placed second, becoming the first Australian to stand on the podium at his home Grand Prix.
That result is now in question; after the race, Ricciardo was disqualified because of an apparent fuel irregularity, and an appeal hearing is set for April 14. Still, the point was made: Red Bull was on its way back.
In Malaysia, Ricciardo’s luck went from bad to worse. After a strong start in the race, running a solid fourth, he was hit by a succession of misfortunes — loose wheel, broken front wing, tire puncture — that put him out of contention. To make matters worse, because of the wonky wheel, Ricciardo was slapped with a 10-place grid penalty that he must serve in Bahrain on Sunday, seriously compromising that race, as well.
But this time it was Vettel’s turn to grab Red Bull by the horns. Not only did he complete his first race distance of 2014, he did so in style, with a visit to the podium thanks to his third-place finish.
Now, Red Bull is still no match for the fearsome Mercedes machines, which cruised to easy wins in both events, with Nico Rosberg doing the honours in Australia, and Lewis Hamilton in Malaysia. Rosberg now sits at the top of the standings with 43 points. Hamilton is next with 25. Watch for either of the two to triumph this weekend, as well.
As for Vettel, he’s down in seventh place with 15 points. For now. Once Red Bull and engine partner Renault sort out the glitches, watch out.
That means Mercedes must rack up as many points as it can, as early as it can, if it hopes to stay ahead over the course of 19 races. It learned that lesson well in 2009, in its previous incarnation as the Brawn GP team. That year, Jenson Button exploded out of the gates in his Mercedes-powered rocket, winning six of the first seven races. He didn’t win any more after that as the competitive tide started to shift. But his cushion was enough to secure him the title.
As it happened, the runner-up that year — the guy who caused many cold sweats at Mercedes — was a 22-year-old boy wonder named Sebastian Vettel. Final note: For the first time, Bahrain is holding its Grand Prix at night under floodlights. Organizers say it’s their way to mark the 10th anniversary of the event. But as The Economist put it, “the gloomy backdrop is fitting for the lack of media coverage of the country of late.”
Protests surrounding the race have become an annual ritual meant to highlight the Gulf kingdom’s human rights record. In 2011, the race was cancelled altogether because of the political unrest. More demonstrations are planned for this weekend.
Many columns can be written about where F1 chooses to go racing. In October, Sochi will play host to the first-ever Russian Grand Prix. Given the events in Ukraine, you can bet the scrutiny will be intense, no matter the time of day.
Is that really what F1 wants? On the tube: Qualifying for the Grand Prix of Bahrain airs Saturday at 10:55 a.m. on TSN and RDS. Race coverage airs Sunday at 10:55 a.m. on both networks.