F1 driver grades GP Bahrain 2019: top grade as consolation prize for Leclerc

E t's the season for the number 2 pilots. Valtteri Bottas won in Melbourne. Charles Leclerc would have won in Bahrain had it not been for a cylinder in his Ferrari V6 turbo. At the time Ferrari was supposed to be number two 10.4 seconds ahead of Hamilton. 'Charles deserved the win,' said his conqueror Hamilton.

The 21-year-old Monegasse dictated the Bahrain GP from the first training session. That continued until qualification. Sebastian Vettel was 0.294 seconds short of his teammate. Only at the start and in the first five laps did the German lead. Then Leclerc took over the command.

'Charles was faster everywhere,' admitted Vettel, who struggled with an unstable rear of his Ferrari and never found confidence in his car. The spin after Lewis Hamilton's attack, the loss of the front wing, a third pit stop and 5th place sealed a weekend to forget for Vettel. This is also reflected in the grades. Leclerc gets the grade 10, Vettel only the 7th.

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Bad luck and inability came together with Sebastian Vettel - it got the grade 7.

Grade 10 also for Lando Norris

Lewis Hamilton retaliated for the defeat against Valtteri Bottas in Melbourne with a strong race that started again with a bad start . But then the world champion showed his fighting spirit. He regained the lost place against Bottas, stayed in sight of Vettel despite problems on the soft tires and struck after the second pit stop when the first opportunity arose. His maneuver, past Vettel on the outside, was worth seeing. Grade 9 for the Englishman.

Nico Hülkenberg also earned grade 9, although he didn't see the checkered flag and only in trainingstarted from 17th place. There are technical reasons for both. A software problem cost 40 hp in the qualification. An engine failure ended a great race to catch up with three laps before the end of the race up to 6th place.

Lando Norris inherited it, whom we, like Leclerc, reward with a grade of 10. The newcomer put in an excellent performance in the McLaren under the most difficult conditions. For the second time in the top ten on the grid and the title “Best of the rest” in the race. Incidentally, with an average of 9.5 from the first two races, the rookie leads the field.