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Formula One is back and we have gotten off to a smashing start. Mercedes back on top, but this time it was Bottas who took the inaugural race win with Lewis Hamilton and the all-new Honda-powered Red Bull of Max Verstappen in third.
Ferrari seemed a little lagging and going into Bahrain there will be a lot of questions over whether the prancing horses of Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc can pull one back over Mercedes, or whether the Silver Arrows will run away with this one for the start of the season at least.
Now we head to Bahrain, a race which saw some craziness last time around with Pierre Gasly's Toro Rosso in fourth, and Vettel taking the win in front of Bottas not being able to get in front of the Ferrari.
With the all new and improved Bottas showing his attitude in 2019, I find it hard to believe that the Mercedes driver will be as meek in his attack of cars in front of him as he was last year.
I also find it hard to believe that we have seen all of Ferrari's pace in Australia. A track like Bahrain will be a true test of all the cars on the grid, unlike a strange track like Albert Park. Will we see Ferrari notch one back over Mercedes?
Will Bottas continue to show off his mean streak, or will he falter behind Hamilton as he did last year? And how will the Red Bulls perform on a track like Sakhir, one where Gasly saw so much success last year?
We don't know, but like always that won't stop us from guessing. Here are our five early predictions for the 2019 Bahrain Grand Prix.
#5 Vettel takes Pole
Ferrari really needs to show themselves as a contender this Sunday in Bahrain, and all of that work starts on Saturday.
Last time around in Bahrain, Vettel was fast enough to grab pole and take the victory, so it does seem like he is carrying the track specific momentum heading into Bahrain.
Ferrari's response to their lack of pace in Australia was rather calm, hinting that they know what went wrong and are on top of the problem.
Mercedes might be on top right now, but Vettel is a fighter and with pole being all important in any race, we see the Ferrari's getting the jump on the rest of the grid with their pace on Saturday.
Why Vettel and not Leclerc? Well even in Australia, we saw the Ferrari rookie asking permission to overtake Vettel, and while the same team preference does not exist on Saturdays, it shows that Charles isn't necessarily in an absolute competition mindset, while no doubt, Vettel is.
#4 Haas Have More Pit-Stop Problems
One of the craziest occurrences of the Australian GP was the reappearance of Haas F1 team's pit stop curse.
At Albert Park in 2018, we saw the Haas team lose out on their most successful finish in Formula One after both Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen were taken out due to problems in the pits.
Just this past race, after Haas hadn't seen any pit stop issues for an entire year, once more we saw the left front tire of Romain Grosjean afflict his car after another issue in the pits.
All Haas can be happy about is the fact that Kevin Magnussen wasn't also taken out due to issues in the pits. And for that exact reason, it feels like Magnussen's car is due to be a victim of the Haas pit stop curse a race later in Bahrain.
The pit stops were kind on the Dane in Australia, but with F1 being a sport of inches and nuts and bolts, the same problems could come to haunt Magnussen in Bahrain.
The Bahrain pit lane wasn't free from issues last year, with Kimi Raikkonen, unfortunately, running over the leg of a mechanic and being taken out of the race.
While we don't see any pit stop issues coming up for Ferrari, or Kimi in Sauber, watch out for Haas who seem to be on the edge right now.
#3 Leclerc and Gasly Duel in the Desert
If you've caught Netflix's F1 documentary "Drive to Survive" then you'll know that one episode focuses on the intertwined careers of Red Bull's Pierre Gasly, and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.
Both drivers who have dueled each other since their karting days, and even last year when they were in Toro Rosso and Alfa Romeo Sauber respectively.
With both of them now in top tier teams, it seems destined that they have some more battles as the years go on.
Why Bahrain? Well, both of these drivers have a history with the circuit. Most recently, last year, Pierre Gasly willed his Toro Rosso to an unbelievable P4, just out of the podium position.
Meanwhile a few years back, in the 2017 Formula 2 season, Charles Leclerc had what might have been the best race of his career and took an incredible comeback F2 win at Sakhir.
The two have taken each other on in F1 before, notably in Singapore last year, and now with it all on the line, they have the chance to prove which youngster has a better grip in the sandy conditions in Bahrain.
#2 No Mercedes on the Podium
After a dream scenario for Mercedes in Australia where they not only took a 1-2 finish, but also managed to escape without seeing red on the podium, we see the fortunes turning in Bahrain.
We all want a close title race this season and one way for that to occur would be for Mercedes to not appear on the podium in Bahrain, while Ferrari lap it up and take full advantage of a Silver Arrows off day.
What could happen to keep five-time World Champion and the current Championship leader out of the top three positions?
I don't see it being anything dramatic, I feel that it will be more like Ferrari's general dragging race in Australia, where the Mercedes just don't have the best starts and find themselves unable to catch up to the top pack.
Bahrain does generally see some crazy retirements, from crashes and engine failures to the aforementioned pit stop troubles, so maybe we could see a Mercedes in the wall or going down in smoke. However, I just see Mercedes taking a backseat in Bahrain and allowing their rivals in Ferrari and Red Bull to pull some points back.
#1 Verstappen takes the Win
After what was a surprisingly promising start by the all new Honda-powered Red Bull of Max Verstappen in Australia, it's cleared that the Dutchman has a spring in his step and that he will be consistently competitive this year.
Last time around in Bahrain, Verstappen was the victim of a transmission failure that forced him out of the race, just like 2017 where a brake failure destroyed his race. Ironically, Verstappen's best finish in Bahrain to date has been a P6 with Toro Rosso in 2016.
That being said, it seems like Verstappen has shaken off the bad luck that plagued him in the middle part of last season and that he will be able to shake off his bad luck in Bahrain this Sunday.
Last year, it took Mercedes until Azerbaijan to win a race, and this time while we see Ferrari doing well in Bahrain, we think that the top spot will be reserved for the currently on fire Max Verstappen.
Leaving Renault in the dust, Verstappen has embraced Honda in this new era and with a fresh and free attitude, we see Verstappen outlasting the Ferraris, Mercedes and his teammate Pierre Gasly to get Red Bull's first win of the year in the desert circuit of Bahrain.
