The only position up for grabs as far as the other 10 teams were concerned was
third place, and it was taken brilliantly by Daniel Ricciardo. The Red
Bull newcomer put in another lustrous performance, while his
team-mate Sebastian Vettel qualified 11th. Sadly for the Australian, he will
start 13th due to a penalty from Malaysia, promoting Williams’ Valtteri
Bottas to third, another young driver who continues to underline his
potential.
In the first dry qualifying of the season, Mercedes’ advantage over the rest
of the field was obvious from the moment they emerged under the lights.
First Rosberg and then Hamilton went more than a second quicker than anyone
else. Vettel’s opening attempt was 1.8 sec slower than the Briton; a
deficit which would have been unheard of over the past four seasons. Along
with his team-mate, the Mercedes were the only team to go through on the
harder of the two tyre compounds, and in competitive order, while the usual
suspects fell by the wayside.
Then, for the second time in three races, the world champion failed to find
his way into the top-10 shoot-out, reporting issues with the downshifts on
his frail Red Bull. Nico Hulkenberg was also a surprise casualty of the
second segment. But in reality this was just the third instalment of
Hamilton and Rosberg’s private battle for supremacy. In the second session
they were once again an immovable object at the top of the pile, enjoying a
gap of nearly a second.
The first to set a time in the final shoot-out was Bottas, but it was a matter
of seconds before he was eclipsed by Rosberg and Hamilton, who were in a
league of their own. The team even tweeted their confidence at getting close
to last year’s pole time, a 1:32.3 sec lap, something no other team could
dream of. In the end, the fastest time was around a second off Rosberg’s
2013 pole.
Elsewhere Kimi Raikkonen out-qualified Fernando Alonso, and will start fifth,
while the McLarens will line up in sixth and eighth. Jenson Button just
edged his younger team-mate, Kevin Magnussen, ahead of his 250th grand prix.
Watching on as the sun went down in the Bahrain paddock were Jean Todt, FIA
president, and Bernie Ecclestone. The pair have been meeting over the
weekend with the sport’s new rules high on the agenda. It has been the main
topic of discussion over the weekend, with ever greater divisions emerging
between some of the sport’s most brilliant technical minds.
Adrian Newey, F1’s pre-eminent designer and technical guru at Red Bull, has
questioned the merit of the regulations and suggested the introduction of
hybrid engines was “without proper thought”.
Meanwhile Paddy Lowe, Mercedes executive director (technical), said he is
baffled by the extent of the criticism. “I don’t understand it because I
think there are so many positives around this formula,” he said.
Luca di Montezemolo, Ferrari’s president, who has been avowedly against the
changes, will descend on the paddock today for further meetings before the
lights go out on Bahrain’s first night race.
It is a race which, barring a mechanical catastrophe, one of Hamilton or
Rosberg look almost certain to win.