One thing is certain; Formula
One’s stakeholders, from Bernie Ecclestone, its chief executive, to
FIA president Jean Todt, to the owners of all 12 teams, were breathing a
huge sigh of relief last night. The drinks trolleys on the British Airways
and Gulf Air flights back to London were in for a workout.
Vettel’s win, at least, was a good news story. The world champion’s victory
ensured that four different drivers have now won the first four races of the
season, the first time that has happened since 2003.
It was also the first time since 1983 that four different teams had won the
first four races.
The 2012 championship is proving as unpredictable as it is thrilling.
McLaren were supposed to have the fastest car; Lewis Hamilton and Jenson
Button locked out the front row at the first two races of the year in
Australia and Malaysia. The two Britons were nowhere on Sunday, Hamilton
finished eighth, thanks in part to two botched pit stops, while Button
retired two laps from the end.
With Mercedes also struggling in the desert heat, it was left to Lotus to take
the fight to Red Bull. And fight they did. Kimi Raikkonen possibly should
have won the race but he wasted a perfect opportunity to pass Vettel and had
to settle for second place.
Nevertheless, it was the Iceman’s first podium since September 2009 and with
his young team mate Romain Grosjean taking third, capped a fine day for the
Enstone-based team. Maybe, just maybe, they could have a say in this title
race.
Such idle musings were a long way from anyone’s thoughts yesterday morning.
Following the discovery of the body of an anti-government protester on
Saturday, there was a fear that the simmering tension which had underscored
the week could boil over.
Police cars and armoured personnel carriers lined the route. Black plumes of
smoke, from burning tyres, wafted over Budaiya, a village outside the
capital that saw mass protests this week. Nearer to the circuit sniffer
dogs, metal detectors and bag searches weeded out unwanted guests.
It could not have been more different inside the BIC where fans lounged on
cushions puffing on Hookah pipes and clowns entertained the kids.
The race was another engaging battle in a season which has already provided
its fair share of drama. Vettel built an early lead from pole but, with the
McLarens going backwards, was caught by Raikkonen by the halfway point.
The Finn looked to have superior pace but Vettel fended him off valiantly and
then, after the final round of pit stops, pulled away convincingly.
“It’s a very tight season, the cars are very close to each other and small
things can make a huge difference on a Sunday,” he said. “You need to get
everything right; you need to have the right tyres, you need to treat them
right, you need to find the right set-up through the course of the weekend.”
McLaren patently failed to do that. Neither Hamilton nor Button could not get
their tyres working and were regularly lapping one second slower than the
Red Bulls and Lotuses.
Hamilton was further hampered when he was twice held for an eternity in the
pits as his rear left gunman struggled to complete the wheel change.
Button, meanwhile, had looked in a position to secure fifth position until he
ran into a barrage of problems in the closing stages; a cracked exhaust and
a puncture leading to his retirement two laps from the end.
A disappointing end to the weekend for British race fans, but in the grand
scheme of things it did not much matter.