With season’s three races complete, it is abundantly clear that team Mercedes will have a dominant position in Formula-one competitions in 2014 on account of technical superiority of their machines. If engine configurations are maintained for the 2015 season as well, as the authorities have already announced, Mercedes will continue to hold the upper hand until the end of 2015. It doesn’t mean that drivers racing other cars are disappointed – they are doing the utmost to match the Mercedes class. Champion driver Sebastian Vettel said at the conclusion of the Bahrain Grand Prix that Red Bull was fast making improvements, while admitting that Mercedes engines were still superior.
While the top two drivers indulged in the fight to getting an upper hand, the action behind them was no less thrilling. The two Force India drivers Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg fought a fierce battle for the third spot. Hulkenberg had been recovering from his Q2 exit on Saturday and for pretty long in the race Perez and Hulkenberg remained engaged in the duel for a place behind the 1-2 position of Mercedes. Perez has had a quiet start to the 2014 season but he helped Force India gain the podium finish. Near the end, Hulkenberg was challenged by Red Bull’s Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo, who finally pushed Hulkenberg to the fifth spot. But Nico Hulkenberg’s woes didn’t end there. He had to keep a number of cars at bay, including Sebastian Vettel’s Red Bull, Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas’ Williams and two Ferraris by Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen. But he held on steadfastly to the number 5 position. Vettel finished sixth, Massa was seventh, Bottas eighth, Alonso ninth and Raikonnen tenth.
It was heartening to see the brave Australian, Daniel Riccardio, partly making up for two back-to-back disappointments in this season’s first two races. Recovering from the 10-place grid penalty at Sepang, Ricciardo began the race from the 13th spot and on his way, passed team-mate Sebastian Vettel to leave him at the sixth spot. Riccardio finally collected his first points from the race.
More thrills were added on the Manama race track, when the safety car had to come out 15 laps from finish, after Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado collided with Mexican driver Esteban Gutierrez driving the Sauber. The accident looked dangerous but the drivers were not hurt. Maldonado was slapped a stop/go penalty and 5-place grid drop in the Chinese grand prix. Gutierrez had to be taken to hospital for checkup but he was declared fit.