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After 2 Grands Prix in the 2018 Formula One season, Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel have edged ahead in the Championship, with Mercedes still battling close behind.
Although it wasn't all roses for Ferrari in the desert, they did manage to taste the rosewater on the podium, and that might just be enough for now.
Before we head to China in a couple of days for race 3, let's take a look back at some of the insane happenings that took place under the lights at Sakhir!
#1 Raikkonen's Pitstop Mishap
What is it with Ferrari powered cars, and being prone to chaos in the pits! Just one race after the Ferrari powered Haas team, saw a double DNF. Ferrari's pit crew were affected by a malfunction that saw Kimi Raikkonen released in an unsafe manner in Bahrain.
Not only did this force the Finn out of the race, but it also lead to the injury of Ferrari pit crew member Francesco, to whom we wish a speedy recovery.
Kimi's rear left tyre went straight into his leg, breaking it. This came just days after Ferrari were handed a fine in free practice for another unsafe release. With all these mishaps in the pits, does F1 need to rethink its pitstop mechanisms?
Either way, Ferrari will certainly need to reflect on this, as they lost a good haul of points and a possible podium. Hopefully, this won't hurt Kimi in the next few races of the season.
#2 Double Red Bull Trouble
What looked to be a promising weekend for Red Bull in Bahrain, was cut short, after both cars saw the end of their race within the very first few opening laps.
First came Daniel Ricciardo, who was the victim of an unfortunate electrical failure, leaving the car completely defunct. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen ran his left rear tire into Hamilton's front wing, tearing it off the wheel completely.
Although Verstappen managed to limp back to the pits, he was subsequently taken out of the race due to losing drive. This can't be good for Red Bull, as they lost out on a large batch of points, allowing McLaren to inherit 3rd in the Championship for now. They also don't do themselves any good trying to retain Ricciardo for 2019.
#3 Gasly's Gutsy Drive
After inheriting P5 on the grid, after qualifying 6th and being bumped up to 5th due to penalties, there's no doubt that Pierre Gasly would have happily taken a top ten finish on Sunday.
However, the young Frenchman put in a brilliant drive and, perfectly took advantage of situations such as Raikkonen's misfortune and the plight of the Red Bulls.
Not only did Gasly manage to fend off Kevin Magnussen in P5, but he also cleverly didn't try fight Hamilton and Bottas, giving himself a clean drive to the finish.
The elation of the Toro Rosso mechanics is completely justified, as in only his 7th Grand Prix start, Gasly gave Honda their best finish since returning to F1 in 2015 and gave Toro Rosso only their 7th top four finish in 228 races.
#4 THAT Hamilton Overtake
Whether you like him, or whether you don't, there is no denying that Lewis Hamilton is one of the best to ever grace this sport. Evidence of this was on full display in Bahrain this Sunday, where a raging Hamilton got himself up from 9th all the way to the last podium spot.
Hamilton had a tough fight, having to deal with an aggressive Verstappen and maintain calm through a hectic first few laps.
In an era where overtaking is not as easy as it once was, Hamilton pounced on an unsuspecting Ocon, Hulkenberg, and Alonso. With sparks flying, the grandstands cheered as they watched the reigning World Champion get himself into 6th place.
Lewis might be used to being at the front after winning for so many years, but he definitely hasn't lost his edge as an overtaking driver. When all is said and done, we'll be looking back at maneuvers like this as a testament to the Brits' unwavering skill.
#5 Vettel's Marathon Gameplan
Alongside Hamilton, we also saw Sebastian Vettel have his grit and skill as a driver tested here in Bahrain. Losing the opportunity to execute a two-stop strategy due to the unfortunate mishap in the pits, Sebastian Vettel was forced to drag soft tires to the end of the race.
With an expected running life of 40 laps, Vettel had to hang on delicately and manage the tires to an agonizing 50+ lap stint. With an unrelenting Bottas on his tail, Vettel had to dance around Sakhir like a ballerina, if he wanted to survive the race with his wheels intact.
Having to manage fuel and recovered energy immaculately, Vettel managed to keep Bottas out of DRS distance until the last 2 laps, from where it was nothing but instinct that got him through.
Mirroring their duel in Russia last year but with the roles reversed, Bottas got within an inch of overtaking Vettel. In the end, however, the spoils went to the German champion, keeping himself ahead until the end of the race, exclaiming that "those tires were done" after he made it past the finishing line!
