Caterham Wins Thrilling Showdown in Desert

Qualifying:

Pos	#	Driver	Constructor	Time
1	29	Pastor Maldonado		1:22.951
2	2	Lewis Hamilton		1:23.133
3	1	Sebastian Vettel		1:23.220
4	30	Dean Stoneman		1:23.339
5	62	Jules Bianchi		1:23.493
6	63	Diego Álvarez Torrente		1:23.541
7	34	Valtteri Bottas		1:24.049
8	33	Einar Ármannsson		1:24.276
9	28	Daniel Melrose		1:24.444
10	27	Dave Cassidy		1:24.468
11	21	Stoffel Vandoorne		1:24.866
12	24	Kevin Magnussen		1:24.871
13	22	Jordan Davies		1:24.906
14	31	Romain Grosjean		1:24.920
15	23	Pierre Gasly		1:25.159
16	32	Alexander Albon		1:25.359
17	90	Daniel Ricciardo		1:25.457
18	91	Max Verstappen		1:25.465
19	6	Santiago Urrutia		1:25.894
20	5	Marvin Kirchhöfer		1:25.924
21	55	Artem Markelov		1:25.971
22	66	Pascal Wehrlein		1:26.041
23	118	Carlos Sainz Jr		1:26.042
24	119	Felix Rosenqvist		1:26.250
25	56	Sergey Sirotkin		1:26.353
26	67	Mike Rockenfeller		1:26.444

Report:

It seems just like yesterday that Formula One graciously welcomed the Bahrain Grand Prix into its folds. It seems like the first Bahrain Grand Prix, won by <missing data>, has only been yesterday. However, teenagers alive today have not known a Formula One without this thrilling Grand Prix in the desert.

With all the great races that have happened in Bahrain so far, this could very well have been the most exciting one. We saw Pastor Maldonado and Sebastian Vettel clash, these two elite drivers battling for the victory in the seventh race of the season, after Pastor Maldonado collided with Hamilton earlier in the race.

It was Marvin Kirchhöfer, who almost caused Sauber to ruin Caterham’s day completely. He was in the way, although Sebastian Vettel accepted that he tried to lap the German too early. Maldonado tried to take advantage, but Kirchhöfer got in the way whilst trying to keep out of it, allowing Vettel to win the race by less than a second.

Behind the thrilling fight for the victory, Dean Stoneman completed an amazing comeback after being turned around on the very first lap, keeping the championship lead intact. Calinetic also had a very decent race, although it went unrewarded as far as scoring points is concerned. FAST scored a double points finish as well, as all teams look forward to Sunday.

Race:

Pos	#	Driver	Constructor	Time/Retired	Points
1	1	Sebastian Vettel		44:14.306	15
2	29	Pastor Maldonado		+0.758	12
3	62	Jules Bianchi		+9.954	10
4	30	Dean Stoneman		+35.426	8
5	34	Valtteri Bottas		+37.065	6
6	21	Stoffel Vandoorne		+58.204	5
7	22	Jordan Davies		+60.119	4
8	63	Diego Álvarez Torrente		+60.499	3
9	24	Kevin Magnussen		+63.988	2
10	23	Pierre Gasly		+67.681	1
11	91	Max Verstappen		+82.319	0
12	32	Alexander Albon		+84.889	0
13	5	Marvin Kirchhöfer		1 Lap	0
14	27	Dave Cassidy		1 Lap	0
15	66	Pascal Wehrlein		1 Lap	0
16	6	Santiago Urrutia		1 Lap	0
17	55	Artem Markelov		1 Lap	0
18	67	Mike Rockenfeller		1 Lap	0
19	119	Felix Rosenqvist		1 Lap	0
20	118	Carlos Sainz Jr		1 Lap	0
21	56	Sergey Sirotkin		1 Lap	0
22	90	Daniel Ricciardo		Suspension	0
DNF	33	Einar Ármannsson		Oil Leak	0
DNF	28	Daniel Melrose		Suspension	0
DNF	2	Lewis Hamilton		Collision	0
DNF	31	Romain Grosjean		Collision	0

Fastest Lap:

Pastor Maldonado – 1:24.289

Infinite Improbability Drive Of The Race:

Calinetic-Holden – their best effort of the year so far, they can be proud even without points.

Reject Of The Race:

Alexander Albon – causing a massive accident at the start is one thing; doing so whilst taking out your teammate is another.