D4P conclusions:-What did we learn from the 2017 Bahrain GP?

With many of us F1 fans enjoying what happened in the Bahrain GP that saw Sebastian Vettel taking the lead of the Drivers' Championship away from Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari taking away the lead of the Constructors Championship away from the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team; the battle between both the teams is building up nicely for a great season ahead.

Within the Bahrain GP, there was a lot of action throughout the field and after watching the race twice, looking at the race notes I made for my Bahrain GP Race report and also digesting what happened, here's my five important points of what we've learnt from the Bahrain GP on Sunday:-

1. The incident between Carlos Sainz Jr and Lance Stroll- When I first looked at the incident, I was pretty certain that Sainz Jr was to blame for the incident but wondered with a different camera angle if Stroll gave him enough room on track. After looking again at various camera angles, I still was pretty sure that Sainz Jr was to blame for the incident. With both drivers blaming each other for the incident after the race had finished on Sunday, there was no choice that both drivers ended up in front of the stewards for an investigation. The stewards found Sainz was at fault for what they labelled a “very optimistic attempt” at passing Stroll and the Spanish driver will drop three places on the grid in the next race in Russia. He was also awarded two penalty points for a total of seven over the past 12 months.

2. Return of Pascal Wehrlein- This weekend has been the best it could be for Pascal. With a lot of expectations on his shoulders after a disruptive pre-season test period after hurting his back after the Race of Champions in Miami in January; many wondered if Wehrlein's return would be successful as Sauber hoped. With many looking to chastise Wehrlein and Sauber for what's happened; I don't believe that is necessary. Wehrlein has admitted and even taken full responsibility for the issues he's had with his back (which in my opinion is unnecessary) and will no doubt feel bad about that, he doesn't need the media making it worse. Even though Wehrlein has admitted how upset he was not racing in Melbourne and Shanghai, he will be even more determined to bounce back as much as possible during the season, start challenging the midfield for some much needed points for the Sauber and finishing in eleventh place on Sunday was the best he could have hoped for. And I have every faith that he will have learnt from this weekend and use that to his advantage as the season progresses.

3. The battle in the midfield- Every year the battle for the midfield gets more and more competitive and this was seen in the Bahrain GP. With stunning performances from Sergio Perez, Esteban Ocon, Romain Grosjean and in particular Nico Hulkenberg; the battle for the remaining points is hard-fought every single weekend. What I have learnt from this personally is that you need to have the consistency and the speed in order to maintain a midfield points scoring position this season. With Hulkenberg in particular demonstrating just how consistently fast he can be over a single lap and also in a race; he is showing everyone once again just how talented he really is and if he has the car underneath him he will deliver.

4. Jolyon Palmer- With the spotlight firmly I believe on Jolyon and his performance this season, I think he has had a strong weekend. He pulled it out of the bag for his best qualifying in the sport so far and showed that when the car is underneath him, he can deliver. However, his performance in the race didn't translate from his qualifying and that is an area he needs to work on. As I think Palmer is talented (you don't get to be GP2 champion if your not fast and consistent) and he needs to pull of the strings together and show everyone why he was a GP2 champion in the first place before it is too late. With Oliver Rowland showing great form in F2 and also up and coming GP3 driver Jack Aitken (my boy!) showing great promise, they will be eying up that seat. Palmer needs to have a few good weekends and remind everyone why he was signed to F1 in the first place before it really is too late.

5. Ferrari V Mercedes- Two of the most iconic car manufacturers going head to head during the GP; with Ferrari coming out on top with Sebastian Vettel winning the race. With many fans believing that Ferrari's form at the moment will dip as it has in previous years, the early signs are looking encouraging; provided they keep up with the development of their car throughout the season. With Lewis Hamilton blocking Daniel Ricciardo in the pitlane while the Mercedes team double-stacked their driver's pit stops; this then enabled Vettel to take the victory on Sunday alongside Vettel driving superbly. Even though it is still too early to say that Ferrari will be taking the titles back to Maranello this season, do not discount Mercedes and what they can do; their resources are second to none and they will be going to China with their sights on gaining their first victory of the season. And this is a fight I can't wait to see; never mind report on!

Do you agree/disagree on the five important points that we have learnt from the Bahrain GP? Let us know by tweeting us on Twitter either at Drivin4Pleasure or to myself personally jonesy_laaa.

Sarah Jones