2013 Bahrain Grand Prix
- 2013 Bahrain Grand Prix fans’ video gallery
- Vettel wins Bahrain Driver of the Weekend poll
- Bahrain was an “aberration”, says Vergne
- Karthikeyan (no, not that one) takes Predictions win
- Top ten pictures from the 2013 Bahrain Grand Prix
Image © Red Bull/Getty
Aimal (@aimalkhan)
21st April 2013, 14:46
Alonso has been having a lot of bad luck recently. i hope ferrari don’t do a Mclaren 2012. Having a fast car but not taking full advantage of it.
Alex (@korbendallas)
21st April 2013, 14:50
Has there been any other time in the last year and a half that his car has suffered a failure that wasn’t related to a crash? His only other recent bad luck was running into Vettel in Malaysia. Besides that, he and Massa have what must be the fastest, most reliable car on the track with a superb pit team.
Feuerdrache (@xenomorph91)
21st April 2013, 14:53
Actually only in this race he had bad luck – still good damage limitation from him.
Maybe he should stop getting under Vettel’s skin because since he’s doing it he’s not having the usual “Alonso luck”.
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
21st April 2013, 15:54
@xenomorph91 – exactly!
And maybe so, I think he should just concentrate on himself really because Vettel’s getting a lead now… ;)
puneeth Bharath (@puneethvb)
21st April 2013, 15:58
Now that’s very logical conclusion that Alonso is bad luck is because he is nt praising Vettel :P
Traverse (@)
21st April 2013, 14:55
The gods are repaying him for all the good luck he had last year :P
puneeth Bharath (@puneethvb)
21st April 2013, 15:24
@hellotraverse
Fernando was nt the only one to had luck last year.. Vettel had his fare share of luck as well… I hope you have not forgotten Brazil 2012… If you can call anyone unlucky in 2012 it has to be Hamilton..
BasCB (@bascb)
22nd April 2013, 7:23
What bad luck did Vettel suffer in 2012 BRazil @puneethvb? You mean making a mistake and getting tangled with Senna?
Lajo (@lajo)
22nd April 2013, 11:02
It wasn’t Vettel’s mistake, he did not see Senna in his mirror because Di Resta was between them. True, Vettel could have been more cautious, but he was ahead of the other 2 at the corner entry and it is pretty clear Senna was never going to pull that move off (outbraking 3 or 4 cars at the same time).
In my opinion, it was mainly Senna’s fault, and to less extent Vettel’s.
puneeth Bharath (@puneethvb)
22nd April 2013, 12:56
@lajo and @bascb
I am not going to say whether it was Vettel’s mistake or Senna’s … Because we could go on and on about it without reaching a conclusion…
What i meant by luck is that he did not suffer any serious damage as a result of that collission and he was even more lucky considering he was facing the wrong way and all the cars behind managed to avoid him…
Just want to make one thing clear that I am not trying to take anything away from Vettel here, his recovery drive in Brazil was brilliant…
I just dont get why some people think only Alonso gets lucky… the truth is most of the drivers has had their fare share of good fortune..
puneeth Bharath (@puneethvb)
22nd April 2013, 13:33
@Bascb
I actually wrote “vettel had his fare share of luck” not bad luck….
BasCB (@bascb)
22nd April 2013, 13:45
Ah, I misread that, sorry @puneethvb, now it makes a lot of sense!
Shreyas Mohanty (@)
21st April 2013, 14:55
They wouldn’t. McLaren are straightforward stupid – Ferrari isn’t.
Eggry (@eggry)
21st April 2013, 15:25
hahaha…well at least you won me.
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
21st April 2013, 14:57
We can only really call this one “bad luck”, lets be honest. So really he’s not been having a lot.
Hamilfan (@hamilfan)
21st April 2013, 18:38
@vettel1 What about malaysia , where his team made a horrendous decision for him to stay out on track.Don’t tell me it was his decision , at the heat of the moment you don’t have time to inspect damage in your car and come to logical conclusions , you listen to your team !
I am so looking forward to more wheel to wheel racing from fernando and vettel together like in the early laps today…
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
21st April 2013, 19:43
@hamilfan – Alonso drives for the team and the team made a suicidal error on strategy – if they had even been watching the feed, they’d have seen a failure was imminent.
So no, it was not “bad luck” as Alonso caused the collision and Ferrari failed to pit him. Luck was not involved in that insistence, it was by his and his team’s doing.
Hamilfan (@hamilfan)
22nd April 2013, 3:57
@vettel1 I think if your team is suicidal in either the pits or strategy or communication, it still counts as bad luck.For example ,Mclaren need years of research to get pitstops right over 3 straight races. Unfortunately , it was not something he could defy either . If you have a broken wing , and don’t pit ,you are a sitting duck. So , I’d say bad luck .
BasCB (@bascb)
22nd April 2013, 7:25
@hamilfan, whether its a bad call by the team or by the driver, that is NOT bad luck. Its a mistake. And a stupid one at it in Malaysia when just about 80% of casual viewers expected the wing to come loose just from the TV images.
Hamilfan (@hamilfan)
22nd April 2013, 10:42
It’s alonso’s bad luck as I am sure he did not make the decision. Ferrari made a blunder to risk a few places . He agreed to the decision as he did not know the extent of damage . Do you think had he seen images , he wouldn’t have pit ?
Again it’s a team blunder similar to pitstop fumbles . Call it bad luck or not , its not in the driver’s hands
Lajo (@lajo)
22nd April 2013, 11:14
As more and more of such incidents happen to Alonso, I’m getting more and more convinced that it largely boils down to the image Alonso built of himself during his time at Ferrari. The super hero, the Samurai, the magic man who wins championships with an awful car, the know-it-all genius, the perfect driver who never makes mistakes, he has bad luck instead.
And it seems he did too a good of a job, because now not only his fans, but his team too believes all that crap and are now lacking the self confidence to even think of questioning his opinion/assessment, even in situations when they should just tell him what to do since they are in the position to be able to make a decision, still they seem to be relying on the driver (do you want to pit? no? OK, you are dragging your wing on the tarmac, one pylon is broken in two but no problem, if you think, just stay out for 3 more laps).
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
21st April 2013, 14:49
Vettel was just so much faster than everybody else today! Great first lap (except from initially with Rosberg’s quite vicious but fair defence) and then just cruised off into the distance. Job done.
Shreyas Mohanty (@)
21st April 2013, 14:57
Nothing exceptional really except the manouvre to pass Alonso. Gap was more because of other cars getting caught up than Vettel’s “finesse” .
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
21st April 2013, 15:00
@shreyasf1fan – he put himself into the position that he wasn’t caught up in traffic. He got past Alonso and Rosberg on merit and reaped the benefit.
Kingshark (@kingshark)
21st April 2013, 15:04
Fastest laps suggest that Alonso had at least equal pace to Vettel, hell, he was able to match the front runners’ pace despite driving the entire lap with an open DRS. Though it didn’t really matter at the end, really annoyed by what happened, he easily could’ve finished 2nd today.
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
21st April 2013, 15:07
@kingshark – he was able to keep them behind, not match the leading pace. Still a bloody good effort though.
Eggry (@eggry)
21st April 2013, 15:14
@kingshark, @vettel1 Surely this is Red Bull track.(while China was Ferrari, Lotus track) after just a week nobody can be so stronger or weaker. We saw fairly competitiveness of Lotus and Ferrari so the trend is not that changed. I hoped Alonso for win but at the end of the day, I don’t he would have been able to challenge Vettel today. Still podium should have been easy one unless silly glitch.
Shreyas Mohanty (@)
21st April 2013, 15:30
@vettel1 : Nah, he just ran into luck.
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
21st April 2013, 15:34
@shreyasf1fan
I reply to what?
Alonso Fan
21st April 2013, 15:35
As an Alonso fan I have to say that Vettel was just better with that overtake. My favorite raced just got tooled by the man with the finger.
Gigantor (@kbdavies)
21st April 2013, 14:59
“I don’t get my legs up high cos’ i’m not a woman”…..classic line! Lool!
DaveW (@dmw)
21st April 2013, 16:53
Really? I thought it was pretty off-color and very embarassing. he could have just said they tokens were personal things from his Oma and left it at that. Espcially after he makes some odd though ostensibly positive statements about his female team member who was on the podium (she takes care of the boys? What, is she the nanny?). Defintely seems like he tries too hard to be a tough bro sometimes.
Kimi4WDC
22nd April 2013, 4:01
Typical Vettel “I want to be cool” fail.
BasCB (@bascb)
22nd April 2013, 7:25
Sounds like it yes.
Lajo (@lajo)
22nd April 2013, 11:23
He’s not a native English speaker, I think he just couldn’t express himself correctly. For me it looked like he meant to say can’t do that because he does not have the flexibility of a woman. I’m sure he didn’t mean anything sexist.
Anyway, I agree that it’s too much silliness of him on the podium/interviews.
crazy.mechanic (@akshay)
21st April 2013, 15:01
How hard is to acknowledge Vettel’s win. He is terrific driver, he has done enough to show he is a deserving 3 time WDC!!
Anele (@anele-mbethe)
21st April 2013, 15:10
people will always find excuses to hate. Unfortunately people are blind the immense talent he has
clappy (@danielc)
21st April 2013, 15:24
Guys im the biggest Hamilton fan and I never use to give him props in 2010-2011 but last year it all changed I wish a few others could acknowledge it.
TribalTalker (@tribaltalker)
21st April 2013, 15:29
I was killing time, playing “fantasy F1 team” with some friends recently and we all chose (argued about) our favourite pairs of drivers. But we all forgot Vettel. He’s a 3-time WDC and we forgot about him… why? We’re not haters, we’re just not moved by him. He’s not exciting. It ended up being a discussion about anonymous drivers across the four decades we’ve been watching F1. Good fun.
Shreyas Mohanty (@)
21st April 2013, 15:34
@akshay : Or rather his car has.
David-A (@david-a)
21st April 2013, 16:49
@shreyasf1fan – The car wouldn’t do anything without the man behind the wheel.
Jono (@me262)
22nd April 2013, 0:24
tall poppy syndrome…but you have to admit, Vettels lego man hair is annoying
Alfie (@alfie)
21st April 2013, 15:02
Massive shame for Paul. Can’t help but feel it might’ve been different if he was on a 3-stop.
Antonio Nartea (@tony031r)
21st April 2013, 15:48
@alfie: Can’t help but feel it might’ve been different
Fixed.
Anele (@anele-mbethe)
21st April 2013, 15:07
fantastic win for vettel…now I’ll sit back watch him not win driver of the weekend.
Eggry (@eggry)
21st April 2013, 15:09
Hard weekend for Ferrari duo. lots of action but hardly entertaining except last min battle of Perez/Alonso/Hamilton/Webber.
Ed Marques (@edmarques)
21st April 2013, 15:14
Vettel was great today, and i am really laughing at the comments trying to diminish his win.
Hamilton from 9th to 5th, Rosberg 1st to 9th. I think we can see who is the number one here.
Great drives from Di Resta, Perez, Kimi and Grosjean.
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
21st April 2013, 15:16
@edmarques +1!
Did Alonso get this last week? Certainly not from me…
Eggry (@eggry)
21st April 2013, 15:20
for sure lol
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
21st April 2013, 15:40
@joshua-mesh
Old and dead, old and dead.
I don’t like Alonso and I make that quite clear, but I never criticised him in China because he did everything right. I criticised the stupid decision that was made in Malaysia and how he hit Vettel, but that was entirely just and was a general consensus even among the most diehard of Alonso fans.
bananarama (@bananarama)
21st April 2013, 16:05
I don’t like Vettel, not a bit. I should probably support him since he is from a town 20km from where I live (or WAS from there, since he decided his taxes should go to some other place but most drivers do that so who cares) and raced him in karts (once, and he didn’t only beat me, he humiliated me and pretty much everyone else that day) but I just can’t.
But when he wins I just try to keep my mouth shut and accept it and try to focus on taking the fight to him again next race and thats what I think all those who don’t have anything constructive to say should do, too.
bananarama (@bananarama)
21st April 2013, 16:14
this was a reply to @vettel1 and I don’t see why that didn’t work
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
21st April 2013, 16:42
@bananarama fair enough! I’m also having problems with the reply button for some reason…
About the racing with Vettel though, I am majorly jealous of you! I don’t do much karting, but I would be surprised even if I did to be against Di Resta (the nearest driver geographically to me, unless he too lives in Monaco?)
Jono (@me262)
22nd April 2013, 0:42
look you don’t have to excuse yourself, its very normal to hate on vettel. Very successful no doubt, but success does not buy you cool. Maybe hate is a strong word ok well Vettel is just not cool then. Kimi can be considered as one of the coolest if not the coolest drivers of the lot – well Vettel is just his geeky friend :)
Hamilfan (@hamilfan)
22nd April 2013, 4:04
@bananarama “But when he wins I just try to keep my mouth shut and accept it and try to focus on taking the fight to him again next race ” …Now that sounds as if you are racing him ? :P
Yep , I agree . I will like him if not for his tantrums and attitude . He is just repulsive . Don’t mistake me its not because of his nationality or something. I find it strange considering I adored schumacher in his ferrari days . But, after 2006 monaco , I lost all respect for him . If Alonso does not win this year , he cannot win at all .
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
21st April 2013, 16:38
@keithcollantine – if the message I’ve replied to is gone, would you mind removing this so it doesn’t look stupid? Cheers ;)
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
21st April 2013, 16:39
Should be here.
MB (@muralibhats)
22nd April 2013, 11:30
Doesn’t look stupid though :)
puneeth Bharath (@puneethvb)
21st April 2013, 15:32
@edmarques
Yes, it was a great drive by Vettel… and the others you mentioned also had a good race…. But I see certain 2 time champion missing from your list of good drivers today ..seems intentional :)… Thought he drove a damn good race considering the problems he had and the extra stop he had to make because of that…
Ed Marques (@edmarques)
22nd April 2013, 3:34
I think you are missing the point here. I like Alonso, I don’t like Vettel. But not recognizing Vettel’s talent is idiotic, to say the least. Alosno was great today, of course, but i will not overestimate his talents, a thing that’s happening these days along with the hate on Vettel.
For me the other were better than him today.
puneeth Bharath (@puneethvb)
22nd April 2013, 13:31
@edmarques
I agree with you on the point about people not recognizing Vettel’s talents… You dont win 3 WDC if you are nt bloody good…
I disagree with the comment on Alonso though.. I thought he drove very well considering the issues he had… which is nt over estimating his talent but just acknowledging a good shift he put in…
Damien Blackman (@hyakuyagami)
21st April 2013, 15:34
Not a very big fan of Vettel, but he put that work in to get into the lead. I didn’t see all of the race but I was amazed to see him put and back out ahead of Kimi. That was speed in hand, also look at Mark, nowhere near this time, gotta see highlights but I think he may get driver of the weekend for this one.
Gigantor (@kbdavies)
21st April 2013, 15:38
Lewis may be better than Rosberg, but this race is not the one to prove that. They endured different circimstances. As already pointed out, it seems Rosberg’s car was get up to get that pole in quali, whilst Lewis’s was setup for race pace. Also Lewis was nowhere until “something” happened to his car after the 2nd pitstop to give him better balance and pace. He alluded it was something probably reset the wrong way when they changed the gearbox and rebuilt the suspension.
Ed Marques (@edmarques)
21st April 2013, 15:55
Rosberg couldn’t handle the rubber, simple thing. Hamilton growed through the race, driving a consistent race (consistent year for him). Last week Hamilton’s car was also “up to get the pole” and he finished 3rd.
timi (@timi)
21st April 2013, 15:16
A dominant victory from Vettel. Seeing this only 4 races in to the season doesn’t bode well for the WDC competition at all
Oli Littlejohn (@olilittlejohn)
21st April 2013, 15:20
Alonso was just as dominant last weekend so it doesn’t really mean a lot. Vettel always wins here anyway!! Spain should be interesting though!
lightsout (@lightsout)
21st April 2013, 15:18
I am the only one who hated the last lap coverage of the race from FOM? We barely saw Hamilton & Webber’s battle – and then we completely missed Webber & Perez! Just to watch Vettel cruise around, I think that is a joke. Fair enough show him taking the flag, but not the rest! Just not sure why we need to see the Red Bull pit crew sitting there!
Kodongo (@kodongo)
21st April 2013, 17:15
Agree, it was very poor. I was waiting to see the conclusion to Webber-Hamilton-Pérez and all we saw was a mostly empty pit straight.
Kimi4WDC
22nd April 2013, 4:04
+1.
clappy (@danielc)
21st April 2013, 15:26
“Calm down” Jenson says, Button was just as rough when he ran im off the track, it was desperation on Button’s part, almost asking them to intervene.
Traverse (@)
21st April 2013, 15:28
The arrogance of Button was very revealing. I’ve lost a bunch of respect for him.
clappy (@danielc)
21st April 2013, 15:31
Wow at the Macca interview after the race it’s bordering on being nasty about Perez seriously the corner before they banged wheels it was Buttons fault Brundle agreed.
puneeth Bharath (@puneethvb)
21st April 2013, 15:44
@joshua-mesh
+1
Joshua Mesh (@joshua-mesh)
21st April 2013, 18:40
Pity my post was deleted :(
Without even telling me why. Bahrain government run this site XD
Antonio Nartea (@tony031r)
21st April 2013, 15:53
Gutierrez did it again.
I wonder if Caterham ever managed a straightforward / on-track classification in front of a Sauber before…
Nick (@npf1)
21st April 2013, 16:28
Guts has been all over the place the entire weekend. Honestly, I’m wondering how long until the replacement or ‘talks with Peter Sauber’ rumors start.
Antonio Nartea (@tony031r)
21st April 2013, 17:00
@npf1: That won’t happen. At least not as long as Carlos Slim keeps pumping cash in Sauber’s direction. Without the mexican capital, I honestly don’t see how Sauber could be able to gather enough money for a competitive season in F1, so it looks like they’re stuck with Gutierrez, I’m afraid. And a VERY bad car and probably a very frustrated no.1 driver, soon, to top it all off nicely.
foleyger (@foleyger)
21st April 2013, 16:19
DRS has ruined the 2 grand prixs in a week
Craig Woollard (@craig-o)
21st April 2013, 16:33
No it hasn’t.
foleyger (@foleyger)
22nd April 2013, 17:01
u call the DRS skilful? overtaking other drivers that easy into turn 1 in both grand prixs is not fun. no skill in overtaking now
Michael Brown (@)
21st April 2013, 16:45
-Same podium as last year.
-Like last year, somebody didn’t leave the space for Alonso.
-Although I’m a Di Resta detractor, his drive was good.
-Vettel’s overtaking was absolutely incredible.
-I didn’t really like Perez’s very late defensive moves but he was being hard and fair.