F1 2019 Bahrain GP conclusions: Ferrari falters again

The 2019 Formula 1 season livened up with a thriller under the lights in Bahrain, as the first night race of the season served up lots of drama. 

There was action aplenty from start to finish during a breathless encounter, which proved to be a rollercoaster ride of twists and turns with reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton ultimately coming out on top after late heartbreak for Charles Leclerc. 

Here are some of the main talking points to come out of the Bahrain GP…

Ferrari falters again, Merc profits

At the half-way stage of the Bahrain GP, things looked to be going all Ferrari’s way. Leclerc was leading a comfortable one-two in what had been a dominant response to the team’s mysterious lack of performance in Melbourne. 

But, just as so often has been the case throughout the past two seasons, Ferrari witnessed another great opportunity go begging as the demons of past failures returned to haunt the Italian squad. 

The race began to unravel for the Scuderia on Lap 38 when Sebastian Vettel spun all by himself at Turn 4 having once again emerged second best in a duel against Hamilton. Losing his front wing a couple of corners later acted as another blow for the German as he was forced into an unscheduled pit stop and could only recover to a lowly fifth. 

Not to matter, Ferrari was still on course for victory - or so it seemed. Barring a poor start, Leclerc had barely put a foot wrong all weekend and appeared well on course to convert his sensational maiden pole position into a deserved first victory when engine issues - a missing cylinder identified as the culprit - cruelly ended his hopes. Paddock speculation had been rife all weekend that Ferrari had turned down its engines in Australia for an unknown reason, was it due to some reliability concerns? 

As was the case in 2018, Mercedes was there to pick up the pieces as Hamilton profited. Undoubtedly, the Briton was fortunate as he never looked in contention for the win, but ultimately his race craft and excellence in wheel-to-wheel combat put him in prime position to pounce.