Arrivabene: Bahrain GP perfect answer to critics who claim F1 is boring

Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene believes last weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix answered Formula 1’s critics who claim the sport is boring. 

Sebastian Vettel made it back-to-back wins for the Scuderia in 2018 with a superb drive to fend off a late charge from Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas to claim his 49th victory in his 200th F1 race start. 

The race witnessed a fascinating strategic duel for victory between Mercedes and Ferrari, while other notable talking points included Lewis Hamilton’s recovery from ninth to the podium, while Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly finished fourth and Marcus Ericsson scored his first points in two-and-a-half years for Sauber. 

F1 has come under fire recently regarding its entertainment value, with FOM currently looking at ways to help improve the show by making following cars and overtaking less difficult in the future. But Arrivabene insists Bahrain provided fans with plenty of drama and entertainment.  

“I think it was a great race of Sebastian and the race, it was full of adrenaline,” Arrivabene told Channel 4. “It was a good answer to the people saying that Formula 1 is boring.”

Arrivabene praised Vettel and his team’s consistent performance across the weekend, while he also explained Ferrari’s decision to send a colleague of injured pitstop crew member Francesco Cigarini onto the podium to collect the constructors’ trophy. 

"The result, with a win for Sebastian, is confirmation of the great job done by the team, of an effective car and of a driver who drove like a true champion right to the very end.

"It was a shame for Kimi, who would have completed a fine result for the team. We chose to take one of our mechanics up onto the podium as a mark of respect to our colleague Francesco who was injured during the pit stop.

"The whole team hopes he recovers quickly. We are already preparing for the next race in China and as usual we will give it our all."