The fifteenth race of the 2020 Formula One season is covered here by our F1 correspondent Nick van der Meulen in his report F1 Review Bahrain 2020.

Bahrain International Circuit holds an important place in F1 history, as it hosted the first Grand Prix in the Middle East in 2004. A Tilke-penned circuit, it is known for is sweeping nature with many passing places. It was normally run during the day, but was staged under lights for the first time in 2014 (the second Grand Prix venue to do so after Singapore). It was a popular decision and the race has been hosted in the evening ever since. Turn 1 was renamed after Michael Schumacher – the winner of the first Grand Prix held at the track – in 2014.

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Fiery crash

F1 safety was highlighted today after a first lap accident, which saw Romain Grosjean’s Haas-Ferrari pitch into the wall at high speed and explode into flames on impact. Thankfully, the Franco-Swiss emerged relatively unscathed, hobbling to the ambulance stretcher without his left boot. The entire front end of his mount went through the barrier (yes, you read that correctly), with his machine cut in half. Slow motion replays show Grosjean jump over the barrier to the marshals with his machine ablaze.

The halo around the cockpit appeared intact and it is clear this saved Grosjean’s life. The Medical Car, driven by (South African) Alan van der Merwe, was quickly on hand with the driver being involved in the use of fire extinguishers and helping Grosjean over the barrier. A further incident happened at the restart, when Lance Stroll (Racing Point-Mercedes) was punted upside down on the opening lap by Daniil Kyvat (Alpha Tauri-Honda). The Russian was involved in both big incidents, but was blameless in the Grosjean incident. He was, however, penalized 10 seconds for taking out Stroll.

More Merc dominance

Mercedes locked out the front row of the grid. Bottas made a terrible start and dropped to sixth position before the red flag came out. His luck continued to flag when he picked up a puncture at the restart and had to pit under the safety car, dropping him to 16th place (he finished an eventual eighth). It was interesting to watch how both Mercedes drivers held off on using their hard compound tyres, while their rivals switched much earlier. Lewis Hamilton, having started in pole position and led the race throughout, finally switched to hards with 20 laps to go, without losing the lead. After taking his 98th pole position, he led from lights to flag and took victory under the safety car for the first time this season.

Challengers

Red Bull-Honda locked out the second row of the grid, however, Alexander Albon was running with a new chassis after destroying his original machine on Friday afternoon. Max Verstappen, drove as hard as ever to finish runner-up, while Albon redeemed himself somewhat with a solid third place.

Racing Point had only one charge in the running for points, in Sergio Perez, and the Mexican didn’t disappoint. He ran close to the front of the field throughout the race, looking to score good points towards the constructors’ championship. Racing Point is battling McLaren-Renault and Renault for third in the constructors’ standings, behind Mercedes and Red Bull. Sadly, the race ended in tears for Perez, as his engine expired spectacularly with three laps to go while running third, bringing out the safety car.

Points battle

McLaren-Renault had a strong race at Bahrain, with both drivers finishing well. It was clear the car had good speed in comparison with Ferrari, as both Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz scythed past Charles Leclerc with ease during the race. Sainz also got the better of Bottas for position, no mean feat at a circuit like Bahrain. Norris and Sainz finished fourth and fifth, respectively, the team benefiting greatly with Perez’s retirement and taking over third place in the constructor standings with two races to go.

Honourable mentions

Pierre Gasly (Alpha Tauri-Honda) ran as high as fifth, before his tyres went off in the closing stages of the race and he slipped to finish an eventual sixth after Perez’s late retirement. Daniel Ricciardo (Renault) will be disappointed with seventh place as he was stalking Gasly for position when the safety car came out for Perez. Teammate Esteban Ocon finished ninth, while Leclerc claimed the final point on offer.

The F1 circus stays in Bahrain for the penultimate round of the world championship, where it is named the Sakir Grand Prix and will use another version of the circuit, generally used for endurance races. Fans have only five days to wait…