The Bahrain Grand Prix - Highlights Formula 1

Afternoon Malcolm -- Good afternoon.. Some in Formula One us

say we are brave to come in, others say we are naive. But rarely has a

Formula One felt as much heat as it has done in the desert. But despite

what has happened off the track, the man at the front of this Grand

Prix will be glad to be there. After all, it has been a tough

start to the season for the current all his own way this year.

Sebastian Vettel is still coming. world champion coming across the

line. P has done it! He is back, well done Sebastian Vettel, his

remarkable 31st pole position of a very short career. He has managed

to put aside all of the goings-on and focus on the racing. But it has

been a strange week, it seems being involved in petrol bombs and tear

gas. We have come to the circuit and seen armoured personnel cars.

It has been a strange weekend for Formula One, but life seems to have

gone on normally for the teams? have not seen any armoured

personnel cars, personally. But we are trusting the governing body,

they have made it clear and the British Government have not said we

shouldn't be here so we are going to have a Grand Prix. I think we

are lined up for a belter of a race. The same compound tyres as in China.

A lot of uncertainty going into this in strategy. There is talk of

a potential protest during the race, will the teams have discussed that

with the drivers? Or will they not want to put that in the head of

someone who will be driving at 200 miles an hour. Everything will have

been discussed, but the focus on the grid is how will we manage the

tyres, when will make the call on strategy? A lot of unanswered

questions. The message from the drivers is crystal clear. If there

is going to be a Grand Prix, it is going to be a Grand Prix they are

as is Sebastian Vettel, gearing up to start from pole position. But it

is a departure into the unknown. It is windy, we have had rain and 10

degrees cooler on the track. We are hearing a McLaren may be affected

by the wind than some of the other teams. Crucially, they have an

extra set of the new tyres over Red Bull. Further down the grid when

Nico Rosberg is comedy has three sets of new tyres. Will new tyres

be the thing to have? Is it the prime tyres, the option? It remains

to be seen. The Red Bull starts at the front and Sebastian Vettel will

be hoping for the first time this season, starting at the front will

give him his first victory this year. This is how they line up

behind him. The shock at qualifying was a

Michael Schumacher was knocked out of qualifying citing DRS problems.

As it heated up, it was Romain Grosjean that got through, knocking

out his team-mate, Kimi Raikkonen. Daniel Komen putting his best-ever

qualifying through, he starts in six. Jenson Button starts 4th, but

is happy. Lewis Hamilton just missed out on his third pole

position of the season and starts in second. That means for the first

time this season Red Bull took pole position, with Sebastian Vettel,

who put in a great lap. Mark Webber is in third. This is how they line

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 41 seconds

Michael Schumacher. He starts 116 metres behind Sebastian Vettel, and

keep your eye on him. What about the rest of the drivers? Let's hear

from them. You were the poll Master last year, it is five races since

you sat there, any nerves? It feels good. The last couple of races a we

have struggled a bit in qualifying, but we seem to be in a much happier

place here. Looking forward to the race. I think it will be long and

tough, especially looking after the tyres. We saw in the last race it

was difficult to judge who you will be fighting, hoodoo thing will be

your main contenders? Everyone runs more or less the same pace,

especially if the tyres start to go off. You can fighting with a lot of

cars, different teams. It is hard to predict and it should be an

exciting race to watch. For Jenson Button, fourth for you

today, yesterday was unmanageable tyres, but it is different today,

how does that compare with your strategy? It is still go into the

heart. It is tough on the tyres and I think everybody will struggle.

How many stops? Some people were talking about a four stops. It is a

little bit surprising. Driving most people will be doing two or three.

What we are going is a difficult one. I really don't know yet.

a great race. The I am with Daniel Komen, sixth

place qualifying. It must be a great feeling getting this Toro

Rosso so far up the grid? I hadn't or Sunday yesterday. We achieve a

maximum. It is a good feeling. If we can finish six, I will be happy.

We will try to push up as far forward as we can. We are in a good

position for points. Speak to the tyres. We will see how we make them

last. Some said they wouldn't happen, some said it shouldn't

happen. But we have arrived at the start of the 2012 have Bahrain

Grand Prix in the company of David Coulthard and Ben Edwards. Are we

set for the 4th different when a this grid has won his race before

and that his Ferrari. But with Alonso 9th and Massa 14th, that

statistic would undoubtedly be soft compound tyres. The soft

compound, with the yellow writing on the side, all the harder

compound with the white right's -- Malaysia is third. Sebastian Vettel

starting in opposition and he is 5th in the Championship. Kohl can

Burg has only scored two points. Di Resta is a bit further up. TEAM

RADIO: Kobayashi is on the white. What are your thoughts and strategy

on this one? It is a thinking driver's race and you will have to

look after the tyres. Take them as far as you can. But I think a

three-stop race is probably the right strategy. Jenson Button is a

thinking driver, so he stands a pretty good chance. David, your

thoughts? What is interesting is, Fernando

Alonso in ninth has taken the choice to go off the grid on the

option tyre. And give in he did not run in the last part of qualifying,

he could have chosen his tyres. I think we can expect him to do a

short first stint and get in and use the brand new tyres he has

available. The cars already making their way on to the grid. It is a

shorter version of this circuit than when they were last here in

2010. Ricciardo will be six in the Toro Rosso. Toro Rosso have never

scored points here before, so it is a huge opportunity for them.

Sebastian Vettel lining up on pole gone back his grip box so that all

trigger a jump-start. The lights are coming on and we are ready for

the Grand Prix to get under way. It is a pretty even start. The

Sebastian Vettel has the start over Hamilton. Jenson Button has lost

out a massive relief. Hamilton is second, Mark Webber is third. The

Ferrari of Alonso has made a fantastic start. Jenson Button has

been pushed down the order. Rosberg did not gain much at the start, now

Bruno Senna trying to get past. Incredible dust. Kimi Raikkonen

locking up on the turn Aids. Massa has come around the outside. --

turn eight. Alonso is the big winner at the start of that. What a

great start for Ferrari. Sebastian Vettel is already sprinting. We

have bits of front wing all over the place - cannot spot who's it is

yet. The midfield, the fight is intense and there has definitely

been some contact. Sebastian Vettel and Sons, trying to break the one-

second activation window for the DRS. So far, so good for Sebastian

Vettel. And he has got to try and replicate what we saw Rosberg do

last weekend, which is break the DRS has owned and managed his tyres.

Mark Webber under pressure from puncture. Was that the contact we

saw earlier? After a great qualifying yesterday, it is not

turning out now. Jean-Eric Vergne defending from the Williams of

Pastor Maldonado and Vitaly Petrov. Michael Schumacher takes full

advantage in the Mercedes. He is up into 17th, but he cannot make up a

lot of ground. Pastor Maldonado down the inside. Michael Schumacher

will try to take advantage. He is on the outside for the left hand

corner, he cannot get through. Wonderful racing in the early

stages. The Lewis Hamilton not able to stay with Sebastian Vettel at

this stage. This is the run down to the 11th corner. He is having a

look, but he does not go for it. They have to try to preserve the

tyres. He is running in the dirty air. The brake balance adjustment,

it is customary for him. Look at the Cup, Sebastian Vettel has gone.

It was 2.2 seconds at the end of the first lap, he has picked up 0.6

seconds. It has grown, 2.9 seconds. Jenson Button under pressure from

Kimi Raikkonen. He got away Paul Lewis. Felipe Massa tried to get

past Kimi Raikkonen. He has got past 10! Kimi Raikkonen still has

the inside line. They just avoid hitting each other. Felipe Massa

gains the place. I wanted to see Bruno Senna. We will keep an eye on

that. A fantastic start from Romain Grosjean. He comes across to the

insider. He defends it. The bottleneck. They immediately filter

into the second corner. The initial better way was a bit hesitant. --

initial getaway. He used both clutch pedals. He recovers well. He

has to go wide, he is hesitant. Felipe Massa, he flies off the line,

reminiscent of Nico Rosberg last week. He gets himself on the

outside. He is well positioned. Those new tyres helping him with

the traction. Yes, that will give you at least a car length. This is

what happened to Nico Rosberg. That was so tight. He got squeezed on to

the kerb. It is always risky to put yourself on the outside, you are at

the mercy of the car coming back onto the line. That could be where

Heikki Kovalainen picked up his poncho. -- his puncture. Heikki

Kovalainen is in the pits. Kimi Raikkonen trying to come back.

will have the position. He has done it. Kimi Raikkonen claims the spot

back. Now that the tyres have done a few laps, perhaps the Lotus is

coming into its own. Romain Grosjean is going well. He is

within a second of Lewis Hamilton, with Sebastian Vettel still leading.

The Lotus seems to be in great shape first. He is closing the gap

to 0.4. Any time soon, Lewis Hamilton will have to get defensive.

He cannot allow him to get into the DRS activations own. -- activation

zone. This is where the activation point is. Can he sugar it? He is

too far back on this particular lap. The Lotus has been good on

straight-line speed. The fastest man is Kimi Raikkonen. Romain

Grosjean is not quite close enough to get a move on Lewis Hamilton,

but he has close the gap massively. Lewis Hamilton will have to watch

out. Mark Webber cannot maintain the pace, he is back in fourth

place. Nico Rosberg is down in ninth, Paul di Resta hanging on to

Daniel Ricciardo, he qualified sixth, but he is down in 17th place.

Bitterly disappointing for Daniel Ricciardo. He was full of hope and

anticipation. He is finding himself behind his team-mate. That is a

shame. RADIO: The difference to Sebastian Vettel, 0.6 seconds.

Red Bull seems to be dialled into this Bahrain circuit. They have

found the form as the track temperature has come into the

operating window that their car seems to light. We had 25 degrees

track temperature last week, 40 degrees yesterday, and we currently

have 32 degrees. There has been talk about the windy conditions

affecting McLaren. Sebastian grow she is looking ever closer. --

Romain Grosjean is looking ever closer. Here comes Romain Grosjean!

There is nothing Lewis Hamilton can do! He takes second place! The

Lotus is flying in the hands of the young Frenchman! He did not finish

in the first two races, he got points in China, and now he showing

them what he is made of off. He has won here in GP2 in the past.

speed differential is incredible when you have the DRS. Anything

between 10 and 15 kilometres per Eric Vergne in the Toro Rosso.

Pastor Maldonado goes to the outsider. A lot of oversteer, but

miraculously, he keeps the position. Jenson Button is into the pits,

Felipe Massa, Nico Rosberg. He is on to the harder tyre, Jenson

Button. The same for Felipe Massa. Jenson Button had a horrible pit-

stop in China. That looked quick. Interestingly, I did not see any

adjustment. Jenson Button was complaining of understeer, and this

is considered to be a track which is hard on the rear tyres. I did

think this bodes well for Jenson Button later in the race. Nico

Rosberg dealing with the traffic. We can find out what happened to

Daniel Ricciardo. We have got every play. He started in sixth place.

There was contact. Heikki Kovalainen trying to sneak a

position, there was not much Daniel could do. That was unfortunate. And

for Heikki Kovalainen. He is down to last position. His Romain

Grosjean catching Sebastian Vettel? There is not much difference in

terms of lap times. Sebastian Vettel leads by 4.9 seconds of a

stop Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber fighting for third. We have got a

flurry of activity, Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton.

That will have helped Mark Webber. He is using it Lewis Hamilton as a

pricking reference. -- like a braking reference. McLaren have a

problem! He has lost a massive amount of time in the pits again,

what is going wrong? They have analysed their pit-stops so closely,

but something has gone wrong again, and that helps Mark Webber and the

band have a long so. -- Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso. Nico Rosberg

and Lewis Hamilton! They are going to wheel to wheel. Lewis Hamilton

is using his KERS. Lewis Hamilton passes Nico Rosberg. He has gone

wide! I think he will hold it. He will have dust on his tyres, but he

knew that was not sand, it was concrete, and he used it. He was

technically well off the track, but he make the past. There were some

antics like that in the GP2 race yesterday. Felipe Massa behind Nico

Rosberg. We are yet to see Sebastian Vettel coming to the pits.

He takes advantage of the fresh set of tyres. Great, aggressive driving.

If you watch the left rear, they have an issue. This is what

happened to Jenson Button last weekend. Exactly the same corner of

the car. Into the pits, the Lotus. Romain Grosjean back on his way. He

came in from second place, he was closing on Sebastian Vettel. Romain

Grosjean is ahead of Mark Webber. You then have Mark Webber, Fernando

Alonso, Jenson Button, followed by Lewis Hamilton, because of his slow

stop. This is an important element of the race for Mark Webber. He has

got a clean run at Romain Grosjean. If he wants to stand a chance...

RADIO: What happened? A problem with the left rear. Still a long

way to go in this race. Slightly unsettled, Lewis Hamilton. Gary,

did you get a view of that? Exactly the same problem as Jenson Button

in China, six seconds lost, exactly the same as Jenson Button. It was

one of those situations, the left rear, it has got a problem of some

sort. It is really sad news for them. We have got an incident

him off the track. There is a role about all four wheels off the track.

Sebastian Vettel has done the right thing, he has got clean air in

front of them. There should be a clean track for him. This is Paul

di Resta and Romain Grosjean in the background. Sebastian Vettel still

leads the Grand Prix. If you look around the track, there are white

lines, and that defines the limits. You can go off the limit if you are

avoiding an incident or there has been an issue, but that will be

down to whether Lewis Hamilton can convince the stewards he was forced

to run wide to avoid a collision with Nico Rosberg. If he can

convince them, he can avoid a penalty. Jenson Button had the

fastest lap for a moment, but Sergio Perez has beaten him.

Fernando Alonso in the Ferrari, they cogwheel to wheel. World

champions going hard at it in terms of racing. Jenson Button has got in

front of Fernando Alonso. Lewis Hamilton will try to follow Jenson

Button. Really good stuff, Jenson Button needs to make the most of

this part of the race, it has got harder tyre. He has got past

Fernando Alonso, never an easy driver to pass. He did not have to

use the DRS. Will there was Hamilton find a way through? Romain

Grosjean setting some fast times. We will get the gap when they come

back past us. We are riding with Fernando Alonso. A long time before

opening the throttle. He is five kilometres an hour slower than

McLaren in a straight line, and the McLaren will have the DRS, so I do

not see Fernando Alonso keeping it Lewis Hamilton back. Sebastian

Vettel taking the traffic. Paul di Resta does not put up any

resistance. He has not stopped as yet. He was leading the Grand Prix,

but there is not much he can do on an odd set of tyres. Given the

qualifying position, there will be another three laps to talk about.

under pressure. Still some changes to be going on. Alonso just about

keeping Hamilton behind. The gap between an Vettel and Grosjean was

4.2 seconds. Not the space for Kimi Raikkonen to go on the inside. Mark

Webber was wide on the apex. Kimi Raikkonen goes for it. Lovely mover

and no need for DRS. This mortar gets past Alonso, fairly

straightforward in the end, the same area but and was able to go

through. -- Jenson Button. There wasn't much Alonso could do. I

suspect Lewis Hamilton is a hot under the collar after the lengthy

pit stop here experienced. Next up is his team-mate, Jenson Button. Di

Resta has got past Maldonado. has got up into 10th as suddenly

after being in 12th. I suspect there was some action at Cern No 1

or in to turn them up for. The man who has benefited that is Paul di

Resta. I think the radio chatter will be about a Paul di Resta

weaving all over the place. It is Maldonado. The graphic was wrong.

suspect as they were squabbling in turn number four, Paul di Resta

says thanks very much boys. What a lovely position for Paul di Resta

to be in. CROWD GROANS did not fight quite as hard as he might do

it if it wasn't his team mate. -- the Ferrari of Lon -- Alonso.

Hamilton has been in the pits as well. Another bad stock Lewis

Hamilton. It wasn't quick was it? It look like the real Jack this

time. Michael Schumacher gets on his way. Rosberg battling with

Alonso as he comes out of the pits! The Ferrari slivers and slides and

does it. Rosberg Defence, like he did when Hamilton was behind. I

think Rosberg has just held on. Great stuff. Nico Rosberg allowed

to defend the inside and Alonso choosing to go the other way round

than Hamilton did. P just wasn't able to pull it off on the brakes.

I suspect if he was in a slightly better car, he would have had more

confidence. In the end Rosberg keeps the positions. Rosberg

fighting hard and shows he is prepared to mix it with Fernando

Alonso. Di Resta is on a different strategy to those around him. In

comes Kimi Raikkonen. He has decided to go for another set. He

has gone for the harder compound tyre which is what Grosjean has

been running on. A good stop, four second stationery. Not the best we

have seen but what is required at this stage. This is a replay of

Lewis Hamilton's stop and I think it is the left rear again that it

was the issues. They can cross to read those wheel nuts and that is

what a hot potato looks like. Maldonado getting up on the inside.

Rosberg trying to push him wider game. There has been some contact

in the background. We will try to get back to who that it was. That

it was marginal Rosberg, he pushed Alonso to the edge of the racetrack.

You are allowed to make a change of line to defend your position but

you're not allowed to force a car off the track or crowd the car off

its racing line. The stewards will open the rule book, read what is

there and make a decision. I think it might have been Maldonado to

ended up spinning into the background. Into the pits comes

Sebastian Vettel. Grosjean has also come in. We expect Sebastian Vettel

to come out well ahead of Kimi Raikkonen. They send him on his way.

Vettel comfortably out in front of Raikkonen. He has closed the gap.

He has been the winner through the pit stops. Grosjean coming in

behind HRT. You can see how much Raikkonen has gained. Look at the

gap now. Raikkonen, the man on the move, qualified 11th but with a lot

of new tyres and so far this afternoon, it is working

fantastically for him. This is the incident. He gets over the kerb and

loses the back of the car. It looks like there is some damage to the

back of the car because his steering was squint. He has got a

left rear puncture. What ever caused that. It was Maldonado lost

control of the car on the second turn. As they have come in for a

new set of tyres, they have felt there is some suspension damage.

You're not allowed to ground a car. TEAM RADIO: He pushed me off the

track. Very clear, all the time you have to leave a space. The rules

and regulations say, and that is not an invitation to dinner there

from Fernando Alonso. Hamilton still in 11th. Rosberg is at the

front of this cue in the Mercedes won the race in China comfortably,

it appeared this week. But after the race they will investigate the

personal to the Force India. He will be wanting to get into the DRS

zone and confirmed that. Di Resta in the Force India surely to be

passed by the Red Bull of Mark Webber? Sebastian Vettel leads by

two seconds over Kimi Raikkonen. have Sauber in the pit lane so I am

sure Kobayashi will be going into the pits on his lap. Hamilton right

on the back of Massa. Alonso decides to abort. Was he trying to

get the slipstream? Was he trying to get a DRS? It was incredible, it

looked like he was going in the pit lane. It's was very peculiar.

Hamilton has been helped by all of that. Rosberg is still up ahead in

seventh. Alonso, Mergulho and Hamilton. Behind this group is

Perez. -- Massa. At the last minute, he was never intending to come in,

but look how close he was to the end of the pit lane. It is either

brave or silly stuff, depending on your views. Vettel has not got it

all his own way as he tries to take his first win of this season. Kimi

Raikkonen has closed the gap and is just a couple of car lends a wake.

The next opportunity will probably be on the main straight. -- car

lengths away. The great thing about this Formula One, we have different

strategies this afternoon in terms of Raikkonen on 11th, and Vettel

starting on pole position. Vettel having used extra sets to get

through to pole position only had one new set of tyres. This is a

perfect example of what fresh tyres can deliver. A beautifully driven

by Raikkonen. Expressive Best impressive stuff early on in the

Grand Prix. Has he got any KERS? Not any more. He has got some, but

is he close enough? He is going down the inside and he cannot make

it because Basij moved. There is a lot of respect between them and you

could see that, but Vettel had to get out of it. As Raikkonen crossed

the line he got the 100% availability of the KERS. The speed

of the car is much higher and you get a much bigger benefit from KERS

when you look -- used it in the low-speed second gear corners.

RADIO: You can push it to pass on the main straight, pushed to pass

on the main straight. That is selling as the engineer has been

following Raikkonen's strategy. He is telling him to hold everything

he can, hold his KERS, used the push to pass. It were used every

available engine mode. Maximum power the Renault engine can

deliver. The make no bones about it, they know strategically, they have

to keep the Lotus behind to win his Grand Prix. Both have Renault

engines, but not much difference. But there is difference in the

straight line speed because the Red Bull tends not to be as quick in a

straight line but delivers great downforce. The pressure on Vettel,

especially this last corner in Bahrain, turns 14, it is almost

like a double apex exit. You run the car on to the kerb and then

drift away and come back again. Very easy to make a mistake in the

corner. Raikkonen will know, a lot of experience. It is world champion

against world champion. David, let's update everyone what is

happening against the battle for the lead. Grosjean is third, Mark

Webber is 4th, and Rosberg has just gone into the pits. Hamilton has

come into the pits behind and let's hope they get a clean stop this

time. It looks all right, he gets away cleanly does Lewis Hamilton. I

suppose they might have been damage to the thread, and that is a worry

because the wheel nut and never wants to go on properly. It is

still a relatively slow stop. they have got in issue and they are

going for safety? They are more than capable of doing under-threes

second pit-stops. Kimi Raikkonen looking a bit further behind in his

lap as they run to turn 14. He carries a bit more speed on the

brakes. Has Vettel done enough to keep him at bay for another lap?

Raikkonen gets the DRS. Muses the KERS a little bit but not as much

in the previous lap, so he knows he is not quite close enough. Grosjean

is having a fantastic race in third place. A better luck, because he

closed the gap to 6.6 seconds. If Raikkonen cannot make this happen

at this stage in the Grand Prix, it comes down to a battle of the pit

stops. McLaren and Ferrari out in the pit lane. It is going to be a

battle between the pit stop teams between Red Bull and Lotus at this

rate. Jenson Button into the pits and Alonso it is in as well. Little

slower at that time for Ferrari, who have normally been the best in

many of the races. They were certainly fast as in China, and in

Melbourne. Force India were the traffic, not the ideal release.

Bruno Senna and Kamui Kobayashi in front of them. -- in front of him.

Nico Rosberg going quickly on a new set of tyres. When will the leaders

come in? This was Sergio Perez, as Fernando Alonso was released.

Kimi Raikkonen having a new set of prime tyres available, will he come

in and get out into clean air? Side by side with Michael Schumacher. He

gets squeezed out, it is so close. Kimi Raikkonen, would he come in

earlier than Sebastian Vettel, to get the new tyres, to get out into

clean air and exploit the lap times, to try to gain the undercoat on

Sebastian Vettel in the Red Bull? Remember what happened to Kimi

Raikkonen when they pitted him too early in China, he went backwards.

Yes, but the car appears to be working very well. He is getting

more trouble on the track, the temperature is remaining calm.

Felipe Massa is in. Gary, what are your thoughts on the strategy of

the top two? If I had been running Kimi Raikkonen, I would have had

him in two laps ago. He would have been driving at Sebastian Vettel's

pace. There would only have been 21 laps to go. What David says, he

needs to get in now, but I would have done it earlier. Lewis

Hamilton has the fastest lap. Felipe Massa behind him. We might

see more action in the pits. Lotus are coming out, I expect this will

be Kimi Raikkonen. An incident involving Philip -- involving

Fernando Alonso being looked. Almost contact there. Sebastian

Vettel is in. As his Kimi Raikkonen. It is down to the pit stops. Red

Bull, good. Lotus have got to try to do the same or even better.

have not done it. There is no real difference. Who had the advantage?

Sebastian Vettel. Sebastian Vettel has got to try to clear the traffic

of the Caterham. The Lotus crew not servicing the car quite as quickly.

Kimi Raikkonen has a fresh set of tyres, so he will have the benefit

of them, but crucially, Sebastian Vettel has extended the gap. He has

passed the cuter run, -- Caterham, so this is working nicely for

Sebastian Vettel. We are not expecting any more pit stops from

them. Sergio Perez wants a piece of the action. Michael Schumacher

using his KERS. He is trying to do the undercut. Kamui Kobayashi

cannot defend. Sergio Perez will have a go as they run down into the

eighth corner. Kamui Kobayashi gave him space. They are on different

strategies, that is the wise thing for this team. They need to play

the team game. Kamui Kobayashi getting out of the way. RADIO:

Sebastian Vettel has worst degradation, you will catch him.

The worst degradation, the tyres of Sebastian Vettel's car. That is

what they are saying that. Look at how close Nico Rosberg is. Can Paul

di Resta defend much longer? KERS is operating on both cars, and

that ers. Nico Rosberg is getting closer, but not close enough.

Rosberg bailed out quite early. He operated it manually. Paul di Resta

goes defensive. I get the impression Nico Rosberg is not

taking any risks, he knows he is quicker and has the better strategy.

He does not want to risk getting involved in anything. He knows that

Jenson Button is only four seconds behind, so he will want to deal

with Paul di Resta as quickly as he can. He does not want to allow

Jenson Button to get too close by squabbling corner for a corner.

Jenson Button is in seventh, two places ahead of Lewis Hamilton, so

they will be close if they finish in those positions in terms of the

championship. Mark Webber is heading for his fourth consecutive

fourth place. Quite a long way behind Romone Rose, but a long way

ahead of these guys. -- quite a long way behind Romain Grosjean.

Consistency wins prizes of us adopt he is doing OK at the moment.

Sebastian Vettel would go ahead if it stays as it is. That is quite

something. RADIO: A double KERS boost to defend. That means he

would use a bit as he comes out of the 14th corner. And when he

crosses the finish line, he will be able to use it again. Another 6.7

seconds available. He has used about 3.5 seconds. Nico Rosberg has

not used any, said he would use a boost as he comes out of the second

corner. Jenson Button has cut the gap down, 3.3 seconds. Nico Rosberg

will see him in his mirrors if he does not get past Paul di Resta.

Sebastian Vettel is fending off Kimi Raikkonen. Sebastian Vettel

was quicker on the last lap by 0.7 seconds. We saw Kimi Raikkonen

closing up, but now, Kimi Raikkonen is being fended off. There is

little to choose between them. This is looking good, in terms of

excitement, but I do not think Kimi Raikkonen is doing enough. Fernando

Alonso, if place, Lewis Hamilton, ninth place. You were talking about

Mark Webber, the fourth place, it would give him third place in the

championship. That would put him five points behind what would be

the leader, Sebastian Vettel. Consistency is keeping people in

the hunt for the championship. is looking so close and competitive

at this early stage of the season, the flyaway races offering DUP many

different results. Sebastian Vettel is just about control and things

are. Where is Kimi Raikkonen? He is not as close as we thought he was

going to be. He looks like an ant in the distance. Nico Rosberg on

the inside. The last of the late breakers. Paul di Resta will not

have anything left. He is having day go! He is not one to give up

easily. But Nico Rosberg, with his superior grip, he should have the

edge. That is good news for Nico Rosberg, but bad news for both of

them, because they have lost a chunk of lap time. Jenson Button

has been able to close the gap further. A classic ers past. -- DRS

pass. It is unusual, you would expect it to be the inside wheel

that locks up, but he gets away with it. Jenson Button is so much

quicker than Paul di Resta. He is putting him under pressure for the

sixth place. Sixth place is the best Paul di Resta has had informal

one. RADIO: Jenson Button is in your DRS zone. The crucial bit of

information, they are giving him everything that is available from

the Mercedes engine, you have to use the engines for several races,

so at various points, they will turn down the mode of engine to

save on the high rpm that takes away some of their energy and heat

from the pistons. Is that an issue for Jenson Button? He is coming

into the pits! That is more than a normal pit-stop. What has happened

to Jenson Button? He has got a puncture. He did not lose much time.

He must have picked that up very quickly. That has given Paul di

Resta a real break. Breathing space for Paul di Resta. Next up,

Fernando Alonso. They have pressure sensors on the cars, the driver

would not necessarily feel it along the straight, because that

centrifugal force keeps the sensation of it being inflated, and

it is only when you turn in that you realise you have lost pressure.

I suspect that was an engineering call. He has come out in 13th place,

behind Nico Hulkenberg, outside the points. Lewis Hamilton is in ninth

place, and perhaps a prospect of gaining some more, particularly if

Paul di Resta drops back. There was Hamilton moved up to eighth place.

He is gaining some points. They could be valuable points. Felipe

Massa moves up to ninth place, and it brings Michael Schumacher up

into tenth place. Up front, 0.3 seconds gained by Kimi Raikkonen on

the last lap over Sebastian Vettel. Is there time? We are running out

of laps. It is a pretty small cap, visually. That is a Toro Rosso!

There is so much going on, it looked like Kimi Raikkonen had

managed to get himself a bit closer,... Up it is Daniel

Ricciardo. I was going to say, there was Hamilton's chase of

Fernando Alonso, Hamilton was 0.4 seconds slower on the last lap.

RADIO: Yellow G two. He has a cracked exhaust. It never rains,

but it pours. Sebastian Vettel controlling things up front again.

We have seen it so often in the past, but he has had to fight for

this. He still has a way to go, crossing the line with two laps to

go. In the background, Kimi Raikkonen, 0.1 seconds slower. But

for Lotus, this is still directed be an incredible result, with

second and third places, and still we are waiting to see what happens

with Paul di Resta. The front three will stay in this order, and do

something remarkable happens, but they will be a flurry of activity

between Paul di Resta, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton. Bruno

Senna parking his car. They are checking that he has got the right

tyres, but a disappointing day for Williams. I want to keep an eye on

the battle for sixth place, Paul di Resta, Fernando Alonso, Lewis

Hamilton. RADIO: You have a broken exhaust, we are not worried about

engine performance. He can keep going for the moment. McLaren's

crew getting out? They are getting ready to retire a car. They will

retire Jenson Button. They are making space in his garage.

disappointing end to the Grand Prix for Jenson Button. It looked as

though he would score points, but a broken exhaust has caused the end

of his race today. Jenson Button will withdraw the McLaren.

Sebastian Vettel looks set for victory here. Kimi Raikkonen,

Romain Grosjean, second and third. We are on the final lap, Sebastian

Vettel has the margin, 3.3 seconds. Romain Grosjean, 7.9 seconds

further back. Paul di Resta only has a couple of seconds over

Fernando Alonso, Sir Fernando Alonso will be chasing that. I will

see if we can see the action. Paul di Resta looks as though he has got

one second to Fernando Alonso. This will be a long black for him. It

has got Jenson Button just behind him. This is the man that has come

back to poor position today, looking like he will get his first

victory of the season -- back to pole position. It has been a

stunning weekend for Sebastian Vettel, pole position when

everybody wondered if Red Bull were firing on all cylinders. They have

been today. Sebastian Vettel has had to fight for it, because Kimi

Raikkonen has shadowed him. It is only from the middle part of the

race onwards. Kimi Raikkonen came from 11th place, and Fernando

Alonso is on the tale of Paul di Resta. Comment through, Sebastian

Vettel Printing beavered bought on to the finish straight -- coming

through, Sebastian Vettel bringing be Red Bull on to the finish

straight. He has driven beautifully all weekend long. It is done to be

his 22nd career victory. -- it is going to be. It is the first Red

please stop the car at the pit exit. It is the first double podium for

the team since 2006. The first podium for the Lotus name in a long

time, since I think it was Australia 1988. I am watching the

action for Paul di Resta in sixth place who has Alonso all over the

back of him. Alonso and di Resta into turned 14. Will he hold on to

equal his best result in Formula One, which was Singapore? This is a

fantastic drive from Paul di Resta this afternoon's. Bull does it,

finishes six, just ahead of Fernando Alonso. -- Paul di Resta.

He matches his best ever finish in Formula One by holding of Rosberg.

TEAM RADIO: Excellent job, excellent job. Thanks everybody, I

had one chance. Unbelievable, Sebastian Vettel takes victory. And

his first win in Bahrain ahead of points in Bahrain. Jenson Button 18.

The Sebastian Vettel back on the top set. No doubt he feels very

happy after Red Bull had delivered the pole position. Victory and the

fastest lap in Bahrain. After all that has gone on, thank God it was

the racing that took the headlines and the man who wrote those

headlines is with us. Sebastian Vettel. You made it look very easy

all weekend, how hard was it out there? It was harder than making

comments like you. It was tough. We have a good start, excellent. We

made up for the poor start I had in China. It was important to get a

bit of a gap. Tried to control the race, but it was not easy because

Lotus were very quick, they had retires. You have a few laps more

because you run the set in qualifying. Generally the tyre is

slower over a whole stint. Degradation is worse so you feel

the tired going off sooner. It made it extremely difficult. Raikkonen

was a very quick closing in and with hindsight, it was very crucial

to stay ahead for the big chance he had. After that, he ran into the

same kind of problems with the tyres. We were generally very

strong at the back of the stints when everyone was sliding around.

Able to create a bit of an advantage. Look how far he is awake.

He opens the DRS. He had lots of KERS at this point. Closing speed

was incredible. You know him, you know he is an attacking driver, was

it a different pressure this time round? I know he does not mess

about. He gets a chance and most of the time he uses it will stop his

speed is incredible. It is difficult to judge in the mirror.

It is not as if I have equality screen which shows me where he is.

It is a fraction of a second judgment and I tried to defend.

Fortunately he decided to go to the other side, so I could stay ahead.

He spoke on the team Radio. apologised to the team because he

said he missed his one opportunity to pass you. The speed he was

closing in, I thought he would get more than one chance. But I was

able to get the tyres back to life, in particular the last corner,

create a bit over that and -- advantage on the straight. Kept him

awake. It means, if you take a look at this monitor, you are the leader

of the world Championship. I know there is a long way to go, but even

you must admit it feels nice after the first four races? It is too

early to look. We have 20 races in all. I am not looking. This is the

constructors, maybe you will look at that? Very happy. For the team,

it is the best way to say thank you. The guys, I don't know how they do

it. They don't sleep. The mechanics. I've thing you have to beat a

certain type of human beings. On Sunday, when they have finished

packing up and get back to the hotel, they just fall asleep? No,

they have the energy to go into the pub. And obviously after a result

like this, to celebrate. To have a few beers and finish off like that.

I know you did not want to look, but I can tell you, 53 points. If

you want a nice easy retirement at when you finish, come and join us

on the BBC. I need to practise my English. Not at all. David is very

good at it. A key is getting better. I could not keep up with your

shorts, the trousers. He will not allowed to were short on television.

Really? Let's hear from Eric who had a fantastic weekend with his

Lotus team. Congratulations, a great day in the

office? Finally we have a normal weekend and both cars are finish

the race. I am very proud to be part of this team. Congratulations

for stab deducing you're going to win for a little while?

Sebastian Vettel was very fast. Developments coming for the next

race? Yes, we keep going. A very happy Eric, the Lotus team

boss, and that is before Romain Grosjean got his hands on him and

covered him in champagne. Is this how you celebrate in this team now?

You might be in trouble with your boss a bit later? We do have some

funny moments. I enjoyed the race. You deserve the celebration, how

was it? I think I made a fantastic start. Both cars were very quick.

We were not far from beating... Just talk us through this. I used

all of the KERS to get into the first corner. It was pretty good.

Two nice moves on Mark Webber and Lewis Hamilton. It was very good to

be able to fight it with them. us through overtaking Lewis

Hamilton. He was starting to struggle with his rear tyres. I

could open the DRS and use the speed of my car and go for the

inside. My tyres were in better shape, so I could go for it. I

tried to pull away as quickly as I could. You are relatively new to

Formula One, so when you come up to a formula world champion in a

McLaren, do you think twice before making a move or do you just think

of them as competitors? I think you always think twice because there is

not much room to make a mistake. You have to be a little bit careful,

tried to judge who is the guy in front of you. The rest is to have

tyres in better shape. It is not just the world champion in a

McLaren you have to come up against every week, but he did a great job

and congratulations. Romain Grosjean finished on the podium as

did his team mate. Now this is a Kimi Raikkonen.

Congratulations, you first podium since the Italian Grand Prix in

2009. It must have put a smile on your face? Yes, but a bit

disappointing not to win. We did more-or-less everything right. Just

missing a bit of speed to have a chance to go one side. I chose the

wrong side and braking. My tyres dropped off a bit so I could not

get close enough. Congratulations Kimi Raikkonen and he achieves in

four races 1 Michael Schumacher has tried to do in two years. Let's

hear from Michael Schumacher. Michael, an event for raised, lots

of overtaking which is how you enjoy it? Yes and No. I don't know

how I feel. You sort of drive at a pace that is given by the tyres and

that is a everybody the same. To manage to finish the race with some

tyres left over. We should question ourselves whether that should be

the case. If 80 to 90% of the field all complain about the same problem,

maybe Pirelli should think about it and do something. I don't think it

is right a couple of teams can somehow handle it. Even they, I am

sure are unhappy about it. And the restaurant also much. You feel like

you are running behind the safety car or in teams -- in terms of the

speed sensation. It is unsatisfying and not what a Formula One event

should be. Strong words from Michael Schumacher. He is more than

entitled to his views. I am not sure the fans would agree? I don't

think they would. We have seen some exciting races. P is the man behind

the wheel, and they are frustrated about the amount of time management

they have to do. There was plenty of excitement today, let's have a

look at a nice moment involving Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

This went before the stewards and they have decided no action to be

taken. Why do you think that is? Rosberg has made one change of

direction to defend his positions. You could argue it was very late,

but Lewis Hamilton was able to make the pass, so Rosberg wasn't able to

gain anything from the change of direction. Lewis Hamilton will be a

frustrated driver. Issues in the pit stop? This is down to the

materials they use. They have an aluminium nuts going on to a

titanium upright. These pit-stops have been very long. We still need

more information from McLaren. But we think the nut is getting cross

threaded, so they have to take that one off on put another one on.

is the opinion of a former driver, what about a former car designer,

Gary Anderson can explain. Wheel nuts, we saw a couple of mistakes

by McLaren. This is a typical wheel nuts. It is a steel wheel nut, very

robust and you cannot damage the threat very easily. McLaren have a

titanium and rear axle and an aluminium wheel nuts. They don't

want to damage the titanium axle. But before the race had started we

saw one of the mechanics adjusting the mechanism on the guns. They

could have been before the race started they were nervous about

something and they were trying to make sure everything was correct.

But two mistakes in the race and they paid the price for it. I think

there will be some head-scratching and decision-making going on in

McLaren before we are in Spain? Formula One is about pushing the

boundaries. It is easy to criticise when mistakes are made, but when

they are doing more than three pit- stops, we have to applaud them.

They look at this up by Fernando Alonso, causing Sergio Perez to

break. From this position it is difficult to see. But there is a

clear mark within the pit lane which is available to the stewards

to be able to see it the car has been released into impeding the

other car. There was another incident on the track involving

Nico Rosberg and we heard Fernando Alonso on the team Radio, he was

furious? Let's remember Alonso is not be on playing up to the cameras,

he notes the stewards are listening to this and Charlie Whiting. He was

focal saying he was weaving around the racetrack and it is for the

stewards to look and make a decision. Do you agree? I don't

think it was as bad as the Lewis Hamilton move. Rosberg was quite

late in his change of direction. But they have all the information

now. All this information for the stewards and they have decided, no

action. That this is Fernando Alonso after a dramatic Grand Prix

for him. A great start, but at the end you

couldn't quite catch Paul di Resta? Maybe just 500 metres from the

finish line. We have to be happy, we beat both McLaren cars. It is

out and reach. In the end we limited the damage again. We were

eight points from the leader at the start of Bahrain, now we are 10

points. The first four race is I think we did quite good, damage

limitation. From Fernando Alonso to the man who he was chasing at the

end of the rays, Paul di Resta holding on to sixth. Talk us

him behind. He did not get close enough on the first lap, so I saved

a bit of KERS to make sure that I could keep in front of them.

Another lap, I would have been in trouble. That was not the only

action you had, to win a two stops, you went wheel to wheel with Sergio

Perez and Pastor Maldonado. This, I was a bit quicker than them.

Knowing how that corner works, if you can stop it on the entry, that

can set you up, and that changed our race. We were quicker. Within

another lap, by would have got by them. When you're Engineer says, a

good job, but you have got another 14 laps, I thought it was

optimistic, but it was a great team effort. We maximise what we had to

do. It has been a difficult weekend, so congratulations, having missed a

part of the final practice. If we will see you in Spain in a few

weeks. Paul di Resta has disappeared to his engineering

debrief, he has been replaced by Dan. How do you think Formula One

reflects on what has been one of the most remarkable weekends in its

long history? The men who run the sport will be travelling home

tonight breathing a huge sigh of relief. There were some arrests as

a result of a minor protest, but nothing like the trouble would have

been witnessing a round the island in the last few days, nothing like

what was feared it during the race. But in the weeks and months ahead,

the sport has to think, does it want to come back this time next

year? It has been the source of so much debate, some people thought it

was wrong to come here, other people thought it was not safe,

some fans felt it was sport, nothing more, nothing less. But

whichever way your opinion goes, one good thing that has come out of

this, by shining a spotlight on this part of the world, perhaps it

will do some good. William Hague called his counterpart and

encouraged the reforms that the governing party have tried to bring

in. Perhaps that would not be the case if Formula One had not come

here, but yes, the most controversial race for many years.

In many ways, the events of the past few days have put into

perspective the importance of a Formula One race when, but a win is

a win for Sebastian Vettel, he leaves here as the championship