© Getty ImagesThe Highs and Lows of BahrainIn this new, season-long series we look back at the W’s and L’s from each race location. First up: Bahrain!
Asthenewseasonisabouttostart,it’stimetolookbackat19yearsofFormulaOnethatOracleRedBullRacinghascompetedin.Astheseasonopenerwe’reheadingtoBahrainfirstofalltorevisitthehighsandlowsfromthepreviousyears.
Bahrain had been on the calendar for one year before the Team came into existence, so with 19 races completed it’s time to look back and the good, the bad and the ugly before we start our 20th season.
In our first two seasons the Team managed three top-10 finishes at Bahrain, so we were off to a strong start in the desert. Once we got to 2007, however, we were struck with some bad luck when switching to Renault Engines for the first time. We headed to Bahrain for round three of the season, and the Team endured the dreaded double DNF.
David Coulthard was the first to retire with a driveshaft issue on the 36th lap, five laps later Mark Webber had to retire with gearbox problems. The Bulls left that race still pointless in the standings.
One To Forget© Getty Images
After two years in the wilderness the Bulls arrived in Bahrain in 2009 on the back of the Team’s first win – and their first one-two finish.
Sebastian Vettel qualified in P3, but in the last stint on soft tyres he pushed hard and was able to secure the Team’s second-ever P2 finish, and our first . Jensen Button won the race and Jarno Trilli joined the podium in P3.
Seb Steps Up To The Podium© Getty Images
The Bahrain Grand Prix in 2011 was cancelled due to political unrest, but when the F1 circus returned the following year, the Bulls were in a rich vein of form.
Seb was already a two-time World Champion, but hadn’t had the best start to the season. That all changed in Bahrain though. He was able to stick his RB8 on pole and followed that up with a win and the fastest lap, claiming another hattrick for his scrapbook. He nearly repeated the achievement the following year, but couldn’t quite claim pole, missing out to Nico Rosberg by just 0.254s. But he was able to secure win and take the fastest lap in the process.
In 2018 Daniel Ricciardo had put his RB14 in P5 in qualifying and was hoping for a solid race in the dessert. However, that was where the good times finished for the Aussie. On the opening lap of the Grand Prix, Daniel suffered an electrical shutdown and had to retire the car. Max had been battling from the start of the race and collided with Lewis Hamilton, but was able to keep going, until the fourth lap where he lost power due to his transmission failing. Another double DNF for the Team in Bahrain…
Not How We Wanted It To End© Getty Images
Due to COVID-19, the Bahrain International Circuit was given permission to host back-to-back Grand Prix. The second one, called the Sakhir Grand Prix was to be raced on the outer circuit to keep things fresh.
At the opening race Max Verstappen and Alex Albon were able to claim a double podium, finishing P2 and P3 respectively. The following week, Sergio Pérez won his maiden Grand Prix at the Sakhir race after dropping back to P18. Racing Point had already announced they weren’t renewing his contract for the next, so Checo swooped onto the top spot to prove that decision was a mistake. 12 days later, he was officially signed to us for the next season and beyond. (So, we’re counting that win as a high for us.)
Double Bull Podium© Getty Images
When the new regulations came into play for the 2022 season, it was anyone’s guess who was going to come out on top with their new machines.
It was looking like it was going to be a fantastic season for Max and Checo. With three laps remaining, Max was in P2 and Checo in P4. Max then suffered a fuel system issue causing to lose power and having to retire. Checo moved up to P3 behind the two Ferraris, who were leading. But on the final lap, Checo suffered the same fate as his teammate. As he entered turn one the failing fuel system caused the power unit to shut down, causing him to spin and stop. Ending his race. It was a tough blow for the Team who looked to be on for a hatful of points before walking away empty handed.
Before It Went Wrong...© Getty Images
Any demons remaining from Bahrain 2022 were quickly exorcised at the season opener in 2023. It was pretty obvious from qualifying that the Team had built a rocket ship for Max and Checo who finished on pole and P2 respectively. And that’s how they finished the race. Only swapping positions at the front of the pack when Max came into the pits.
It was a hugely dominant performance, but nobody could have predicted what was to come for the rest of the season…
Plenty Of Sparks In Bahrain© Getty Images
