Only three people have stepped upon the podium in the first three races of the 2015 Formula One season, and – based on qualifying for Bahrain – that trend looks set to continue as Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Nico Rosberg line-up as one, two and three on the grid once again.
Reigning champion, Hamilton, was in imperious form once again at the Chinese Grand Prix last weekend. He produced a controlled performance to keep teammate, Rosberg, at bay, while perfectly executing his tactical plan to land the fast laps as and when he needed them. The win in Shanghai opened up a 13-point gap over second-place Vettel, who had to settle for third-place behind the Mercedes’ pair.
There was some controversy for Mercedes’ though, as ever, regarding the intriguing relationship of Rosberg and Hamilton. In this instance, Rosberg accused the Brit of trying to back him up into Sebastian Vettel – something which Hamilton refuted. Elsewhere, some people were left displeased with Hamilton after he sprayed one of the Chinese hostesses with champagne at the podium celebration – although both parties have moved to play the event down.
Hamilton enjoyed his first victory in Bahrain in 2014, however Vettel had won the two previous Grand Prix events here race. Fernando Alonso is the most successful ever driver here though, with three victories.
2015 Bahrain Grand Prix Starting Grid
- Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes
- Sebastian Vettel – Ferrari
- Nico Rosberg – Mercedes
- Kimi Raikkonen – Ferrari
- Valtteri Bottas – Williams Mercedes
- Felipe Massa – Williams Mercedes
Prediction
The big question that is starting to form this season is whether anyone will break the holy trinity of Hamilton, Vettel and Rosberg to get on the podium? All three have been on the podium for each of the opening three races of the season – a feat that has never been seen before in F1.
Hamilton is, once again, strong favourite to win again in Bahrain at just 1/2 (bet365 and SkyBet), while Sebastian Vettel is reasonably priced to take the title at 7/2 (Betfred).
There only seems to be three contenders at this moment, but someone is surely going to break into the podium positions sooner rather than later. Therefore, best bet for the weekend seems to be expecting one of the Williams Mercedes drivers to finish in the top three. Valtteri Bottas had the better of qualifying over his teammate Felipe Massa, so I’m going with the Finnish driver to secure a podium finish at the very decent price of 13/2 at SkyBet or Paddy Power.
Tip:
Valtteri Bottas to get a podium finish – 13/2 at SkyBet or Paddy Power
Bahrain F1 Race Details:
Track: Bahrain International Circuit
Start Time: 16:00 GMT Sunday (18:00 local)
Laps: 57
Track Length: 5.412
Tyre Allocation: Medium (white) and Soft (yellow)
Lap Record: Pedro de la Rosa – 1:31.447 (McLaren; 2005)
