Whilst it could be easy for some to sit and conclude that the Bahrain Grand Prix was yet another case of Ferrari imploding and Sebastian Vettel finding himself in a spin again, the race – while having a familiar outcome – saw the stars of tomorrow shine bright.
It was always predicted that the Scuderia’s latest junior appointment in Charles Leclerc, was destined for greatness and only two races into his Ferrari career, the 21-year-old has already made a bold statement.
Fastest in two of the three practice sessions throughout the Bahrain weekend and then a commanding maiden pole position by three-tenths over his four-time world championship winning team-mate, Leclerc had a near faultless weekend.
Having been beaten off the line by Vettel, Leclerc dropped into third behind one of the Mercedes AMG cars, though by the fifth lap had it all in order and was ready to take the lead off his team-mate.
A superb move around the outside of the German at Turn 4 would have left Ferrari sweating bullets, but the move was clean and swift.
Agonisingly, a mere ten laps from the chequered flag, a cylinder head failure left the Monegasque driver without crucial horsepower needed to race on.
That left Leclerc exposed to the threat of Lewis Hamilton, who at that point was a country mile behind the Ferrari.
It was only a matter of time before Hamilton would inherit the lead, with an apologetic wave to his fellow competitor as the Mercedes AMG cruised past, remarking too post-race that Leclerc: “has a lot of wins coming in the future.”
The second Silver Arrow of Valtteri Bottas was quick to relegate Leclerc another position, before a late safety car – which stayed out until the end of the race – allowed the Ferrari driver to at least stand on the podium for the first time.
Despite the loss, it was how the young Leclerc consolidated and remained composed amidst the negative situation that left many impressed and in awe.
This is a 21-year-old who’s faced a great deal of tragedy and adversity in his life.
“As I have said a lot in the past, I am never looking at the result, I am looking at the potential to do better,” he said with a glass half full following the race.
The on-track brilliance shown by Leclerc in Bahrain was special, though it was his composure off the track that really spoke volumes, given that when he was still a teenager racing in F2, he turned up at a race meeting only days after the loss of his father and claimed pole position and then the victory.
(Xavier Bonilla/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Whether it’ll be next time out in China or not, Leclerc is going to win races this year and win many, should Ferrari’s form and reliability allow it.
His drubbing of his more experienced team-mate in Vettel is a sign that perhaps the 21-year-old is the Prancing Horse’s hope for their first championship since 2007.
It was not only Leclerc that shone though under the lights of the Sakhir circuit, with McLaren rookie Lando Norris starring in the midfield during race en route to his first championship points in only his second race in Formula One.
The youngest driver on the grid at just 19 years of age, Norris battled throughout the race with the oldest driver and former world champion Kimi Räikkönen, ultimately claiming sixth and the best-of-the-rest tag.
Norris starred in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix during qualifying, making a maiden start inside the top ten and well ahead of his experienced teammate in Carlos Sainz.
Whilst points were not scored on debut, another top-ten start in Bahrain yielded eight points and plenty of plaudits for the Briton.
Having had less attention on him during the start to the season, Toro Rosso rookie Alexander Albon also claimed his first points in Bahrain with a solid ninth place finish for the Red Bull junior team.
A very humble and quiet character, Albon has been the envy of many of the younger drivers despite his lack of championships in the junior categories.
The solid operator was set for a Formula E berth until the eleventh hour, and Albon – along with his childhood idoliser in Norris and 2018 F2 champion George Russell – will provide great excitement in Formula One this year, despite Russell’s limitations with the troubles at Williams.
Formula One may soon be 1000 races old and cops a lot of criticism for being a stale product, but it never fails to bring these exciting young names to the fore.
And if Leclerc can go on to ruffle a few more feathers this season, then 2019 is going to be a special one.
Looking for great odds on racing and sport? Get into the action with PlayUp today. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
Five-years is a long time in motorsport, let alone the general state of the world – especially given the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic…
Red Bull and Max Verstappen vaulted right back to the top of the charts with a win in Suzuka, after his DNF in Melbourne.
Japan Grand Prix has been the most entertaining of the season to date, but Max Verstappen was back to his winning ways.
This season is only four races old, but Fernando Alonso needs to decide on his future beyond this year sooner rather than later. Formula…
It’s a pretty good time to be a Tasmanian sports fan right now. After years in the sporting wilderness with not much to celebrate,…
The question remains where the Australian Grand Prix winner will be in 2025 and whether it’ll be somewhere his value can truly be appreciated.
