- The Inside Line
Alive and kickingKate Walker April 6, 2014
The vocal critics of Formula One's brave new world left the Bahrain paddock with egg on their faces this evening.
Instead of the dull taxi-cab driving and fuel saving that has dominated the headlines since the 2014 F1 season got underway last month, the sport leaves Bahrain's Sakhir International Circuit in a celebratory mood, with even those finishers far from the podium glorying in what was one of the most thrilling grands prix in recent memory.
Not only were there intra-team battles aplenty, with the ants marching two-by-two up and down the pack, but the 2014 Bahrain Grand Prix destroyed a handful of tired F1 clichés. Apparently Bahrain is a circuit incapable of delivering a good race. That theory no longer holds water.
The Sakhir Circuit is also one of the hungriest on the calendar, a track where fuel saving should have been in evidence for 57 delicate laps. Instead we were treated to an incessant succession of thrills and spills, every battle hard fought with fuel economy barely a consideration. If that's not proof that the 2014 power units are impressive in their efficiency, what is?
F1 drivers are not known for giving the most illuminating of comments, so afraid are they of a media backlash (and so finely honed their media training), but Sunday evening saw the pack do their talking on track, showing all and sundry that Formula One is still capable of delivering performances reminiscent of the 1979 French Grand Prix battle between Gilles Villeneuve and Rene Arnoux.
And all of the above would still be true had neither of the dominant Mercedes drivers turned up for work on Sunday evening.
Behind the elegant pas de deux of the Silver Arrows were intra-team battles aplenty, with the squalling radio comments to match. Sebastian Vettel was told to let teammate Daniel Ricciardo past in the early stages, as the Australian was unquestionably faster - at that moment - than the defending champion. The Red Bull pair then spent much of the race running in close formation after the pit stops, passing Mercedes-powered cars as tyre degradation and pit stop strategy came into play.
We were treated to a close running Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa for not insignificant chunks of the race, and at times it looked as though one of the Williams drivers might end the Bahrain Grand Prix on the podium. Around the mid-point of the race, Sergio Perez passed Nico Hulkenberg for P4 in a move that would prove to be the moment the Mexican racer laid his claim to a podium finish. And while Hulkenberg radioed the team to complain he'd been pushed off, they were fair fights all.
The 2014 Bahrain Grand Prix was more than an answer to F1's critics on the inside - it was 100 minutes of pure racing, of adrenaline and glory. It is races such as these that help grow F1's fanbase, for it was a textbook example of a nail-biter, of 57 laps that could convince anyone that Formula One is worth making time for on a Sunday.
Not every race can be as good as the one we just watched. But as an answer to F1's critics, both internal and external? We couldn't have hoped for more from what was once known as the Bore-ain Grand Prix.