F1: Sebastian Vettel Wins Nail Biter Bahrain GP

The 2018 Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix culminated amidst lots of nail biting action with Sebastian Vettel claiming his second win of the season. The Scuderia Ferrari driver started the race on pole and continued to hold on to the top spot with a lead of0.699s, resisting the charge from Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas in the final stages. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton finished a strong third, having started ninth on the grid after receiving a five-place penalty for a gearbox replacement. With back-to-back wins, Ferrari now consolidates its position at the top, with Mercedes coming in second in the constructors' standings.

The 2018 Bahrain GP was anything but subtle with plenty of action on and off the track. Strategic pit stops and tyre choices turned out to be game changers for drivers through the race. Vettel ran the race on softs and managed to preserve the tyres through the final stages, while Bottas, on mediums, managed to extend his time longer on the track.

(Both Red Bull cars retired for separate reasons)

Meanwhile, it was a disastrous day for Kimi Raikkonen after starting second on the grid. The iceman's chances of taking a podium were crashed, after a pitstop incident left a Ferrari mechanic hurt. The Finn hit the gas before the left-rear had been changed and struck a mechanic's leg. Raikkonen stopped in the pitlane with three new tyres and the unchanged old one on his car and retired. The mechanic was taken to the hospital as Raikkonen stepped out of the car, calling it a day.

Vettel held the lead right from the start, while Bottas starting third, was quick to steal P2 from Raikkonen going into Turn 1. The German was off to a lead by over 3 seconds in the initial stages. Vettel pitted in the early stages to switch to softs, followed by Raikkonen in the next lap. Bottas pitted two laps later for mediums, allowing the German to build a wider gap of over 8 seconds with the help of fresh rubber.

(Lewis Hamilton made a strong finish in third place, having started ninth)

The top three soon broke away from the rest of the pack, while there was plenty of action going with the remainder of the grid. Both the Red Bull cars had to call it quits early in the race for separate reasons. Max Verstappen squeezed Hamilton too hard exiting Turn 1 on Lap 2 and damaged his left-rear wheel, which caused a puncture. While he had the tyres changed, a differential problem had him stop shortly after ending his run.

For teammate Daniel Ricciardo, the race ended shortly after Verstappen's puncture, after his car abruptly shut down at the exit of the Turn 8.

Meanwhile, the final 10 laps saw the Bottas adding some pressure to Vettel's run. The Ferrari driver opted for a one-stop race and the move paid off as he crossed the chequered flag. With the last two laps to go, Bottas entered the DRS range and attempted to pass Vettel at Turn 1 on the final lap. But that's as close as he could get to claim the win at the Sakhir circuit.

(Fernando Alonso clears Leclerc on Lap 16, eventually finishing 7th)

Meanwhile, Torro Rosso's Pierre Gasly brought home an incredible end to the weekend finishing fourth. The young driver managed to start fifth in the race and took his first ever points, a big boost to both Torro Rosso and Honda power. Finishing behind Gasly were Haas Ferrari's Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg of Renault; whereas McLaren had a positive run with Fernando Alonso and Stoffen Vandoorne finishing at P7 and P8. Alonso started the race from 13th moving to ninth in the opening lap, a big push after poor qualifying.

Esteban Ocon of Sahara Force India took the last point finishing 10th, behind Sauber's Marcus Ericsson, who took his first points since 2015.