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Whether it's a new potential winner in Formula 1, a defending champion looking threatening, or a McLaren well placed at one of his home runs, at many cutting-edge teams, we highlight five key things to watch for in Sakhir …
Winner # 108?
Can Leclerc handle the pressure and win his first victory?
There have been 107 different Grand Prix winners in the history of F1, but there have been only seven in the past five years. Charles Leclerc could join this list Sunday after taking his first pole position in Bahrain.
The 21-year-old Monegasque has clearly the pace to follow, as he has shown during his rookie season for Sauber as well as this weekend up to now, but be able to do it as soon as a first win is in play is a different proposal. absolutely.
"There are a lot of emotions" – Leclerc delighted with his first F1 pole
Add to that that Ferrari has already announced that it will give priority to Sebastian Vettel early in the season if necessary, and Leclerc knows that it is unlikely that he will get anything for free during the race. But it was Vettel who had the most trouble qualifying, so the dynamic between the two teammates of the race will be fascinating.
Shark arrows money
How good will Mercedes be at Ferrari?
If Ferrari did not have enough to worry about its two drivers, the threat of Mercedes could cause them serious headaches. While Ferrari dominated all the sessions this weekend, when it counted for the third quarter, Mercedes was much closer, Lewis Hamilton being only 0.03 from the Leclerc and Vettel division.
Ferrari's racing pace seems strong, but Turn 1 is long and the start could be the best opportunity for Mercedes to disrupt things. If Hamilton or Valtteri Bottas – well placed second – can beat a Ferrari, they should have the tempo to make life very difficult.
Last year, Vettel and Bottas were separated by just 0.7 seconds in the fight for victory. It could be just as close in 2019.
Red Bull in the crossfire
Will Max Verstappen look forward or backward?
The gap between Verstappen (fifth) and Bottas (fourth) was half a second in qualifying. It was not what Red Bull would have wanted, but a margin that the team has had in recent years. The problem in Bahrain is that the advantage over Kevin Magnussen de Haas, sixth, was only 0.005.
Red Bull does not have the pace of qualification needed to threaten the two best teams in Bahrain, but Ferrari and Mercedes have both called them "black horse" for the race. Verstappen's instinct will push him to look at the podium – especially after his result in Australia – but should he also look behind him?
The Dutchman is in an intriguing situation where he could fight for the top three, even the victory, but also be trapped behind a Haas or McLaren if he loses at the start, this is the improvement of the pace of the midfielder.
McLaren in the mix
Can McLaren fight Red Bull?
The Haas were the biggest threat to Red Bull after qualifying, until Romain Grosjean received a penalty, Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris now starting seventh and ninth. The McLarens are Bahraini co-owners and have so far made an encouraging showing at one of their home races.
As mentioned, Magnussen was only 0.005 seconds from Verstappen, but Sainz was only at 0.056 seconds, so raw speed is in the McLaren to be a threat. With Pierre Gasly in 13th position – another example of the midfield's proximity – the Red Bull leader could be attacked by McLaren from a strategic point of view.
And it's not as if there was no spice in this battle, while Red Bull now runs the Honda electric unit against which McLaren fought so hard for three years, while McLaren uses the Renault units that Red Bull dropped in late 2018 If a battle develops, it could mean a little more for both.
Master the midfielder
Who will win the midfield battle closer than close?
Although Red Bull is showing the pace of the race to get away from the peloton behind, the midfielder remains an exciting scrap. The gaps between the teams are measured in hundredths of a second rather than in tenths in qualifying, and the drivers must do everything possible to progress in the segments.
This has been shown by Nico Hulkenberg's qualification drop in Q1 and Gasly's Q2, but as Australia has shown, a bad qualification does not necessarily mean that points can not be earned.
On this occasion, a one-stop strategy was the only option, but tomorrow a two-stop could be a viable choice, given the high levels of soft tire degradation, as well as the potential benefit of the tire. a third DRS zone, which means that all teams except Williams will have at least the hope of finishing in the top 10.
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