06/04/2014
NEWS STORY
In terms of excitement, today's race has a lot to live up to. We are not talking about the Porsche race or even the GP2, but rather the media buzz surrounding Bernie Ecclestone and Luca di Montezemolo as the great debate over the 2014 regulations continues.
Describing them as "unacceptable" and suggesting that the ‘green agenda" is more suited to Sports Cars and Touring Cars, Ecclestone insists that any changes will not damage Mercedes, though it is hard to see how.
Consequently, with an eye on the future, not to forget those double points on offer in Abu Dhabi, the German team will need to press home its advantage in these early races, and what an advantage.
The pair were both over half-a-second quicker than third-placed Daniel Ricciardo who was already facing a grid penalty carried over from Malaysia. Taking the Australian out of the equation therefore, there remained a gap of 0.7s over Valtteri Bottas.
The Mercedes duo are free to race and while Hamilton was clearly smarting from losing out to his teammate (and good friend), Nico Rosberg is well aware that he must prevent the Englishman from building up championship momentum if he is to keep his own hopes alive.
The Silver Arrows will disappear into the floodlight distance tonight but it is the battle behind which excites.
Behind Bottas, who will have relished out-qualifying his Williams teammate, we have Sergio Perez and Kimi Raikkonen who both also have their in-house issues to deal with. Then there are the veterans Felipe Massa and Jenson Button, the McLaren driver participating in his 250th Grand Prix this weekend.
As if that wasn't enough, we then have Magnussen, who heads Alonso, Vettel, Hulkenberg, Kvyat and Ricciardo, each with something to prove.
Sauber and Lotus will no doubt be looking forward to later tonight when they can pack up and put the misery behind them, the Swiss outfit's lousy weekend compounded when Adrian Sutil was handed a five place - admittedly richly deserved - penalty.
With absolutely no chance of the weather gods spicing things up, we are going to have to rely on the determination of the drivers especially those wanting to assert themselves within their respective teams. If Vettel's lowly grid sot comes as a surprise, what of Hulkenberg and Kvyat.
Tyres available this weekend are medium (prime) and soft (option), whilst the two DRS zones are on the start-finish straight and on the approach to T11.
Three stops is theoretically the quickest strategy, but teams with lower levels of degradation may try two stops. The ideal three-stop strategy for the race is: start on soft, change to soft again on lap 17, medium on lap 33, and a final stint on soft from lap 41. A two-stop strategy could be: start on soft, change to soft again on lap 22, then to hard on lap 44.
The pitlane opens and the drivers make their way to the grid, lots of burnouts, drive-throughs (not the stewards' type) and practice starts.
All starting on options except Vettel and Sutil, who are clearly aiming to get them out of the way as soon as possible.
Grip has been a problem all weekend, as have the gusty winds. As they head off on the parade lap, the air temperature is 25 degrees C, while the track temperature is 28 degrees.
Perez is slow getting away for the parade lap, a couple of cars have to take avoiding action.
In the cooler evening temperatures, the drivers are working furiously in order to generate heat into their tyres.
They're away. Rosberg has covered up to T1 but Hamilton has the inside line and takes the lead. The two continue battling, Hamilton running wide but maintaining the lead. A great start from Massa who is up to third.
At the end of lap 1, it's: Hamilton, Rosberg, Massa, Perez, Bottas, Button, Alonso, Hulkenberg, Raikkonen and Vettel. Vergne has pitted after picking up a puncture on the first lap in a clash with Maldonado.
As Hulkenberg is all over Alonso, Vergne finally leaves the pits after his team struggled to raise the rear of his car during the tyre change.
Out front, Hamilton posts fastest lap (40.928) as he builds a 1s lead over his teammate who has a 1.9s lead over Massa.
Replay shows an absolutely brilliant start from Massa, while Raikkonen lost out to his Ferrari teammate due to a very cautious approach to T1. That said, the Finn received a nudge from Magnussen.
Rosberg posts a string of fastest laps as he maintains the gap to Hamilton, the German now 3.8s ahead of Massa who is under pressure from Perez and Bottas.
Alonso is struggling, the Spaniard almost left for dead by Hulkenberg, while Hamilton is told to look after his left-front. "We have a little more understeer than the other car," he is informed.
"Remember we have the alternative strategy," Rosberg is told, "so you need to go longer on this stint and look after your tyres".
As Vettel closes in on Raikkonen who is right up the exhaust pipe of Alonso, Maldonado passes Gutierrez to take fourteenth.
Sutil is the first to make a scheduled pit stop, the German eager to get rid of his primes.
Perez is now just 0.8s down on Massa, as Ricciardo passes Magnussen in T1 but overcooks it and runs wide. Rejoining the track he is challenged by Kvyat but manages to hold him off.
The old pro Button passes Bottas in T1 with ease, the Finn passed by Hulkenberg just two corners later.
Bottas pits next time around as does Kvyat, as the leading pair close on the hapless Vergne.
Ricciardo is back up with Magnussen and giving the Dane a hard time. The McLaren driver blocks the Australian but experience pays off and the Red Bull driver sweeps past in T11.
As Ericsson and Chilton pit and Raikkonen complains about a flat spot on his right-front, Massa and Perez are battling side by side, the Brazilian veteran needing all his years of experience and guile.
Alonso pits from ninth at the end of lap 12, the Spaniard rejoining in 15th. Gutierrez also pits.
Sutil has slowed to a crawl, The German having been involved in a clash with Bianchi. Indeed, the Sauber driver stops on track.
Raikkonen and Grosjean pit at the end of lap 13, as Vettel complains that his DRS is not working. Bianchi also pits following the clash with Sutil.
As Magnussen pits, Ricciardo is all over his Red Bull teammate, the German now clearly struggling with those primes.
"We're wasting time like this," says Ricciardo. The order is given to Vettel and he duly obliges.
Hulkenberg pits, as does Vergne (again). The German rejoins in thirteenth behind Kvyat and Raikkonen. On fresh rubber the German makes short work of the Finn and the Russian.
Perez pits at the end of lap 16 as does Vettel. The Mexican, who was third, rejoins in 10th, behind his teammate.
Out front, Hamilton and Rosberg are battling hard, 24s clear of third placed Button, who subsequently pits. The German makes a move in T1 but overdoes it which allows Hamilton to keep the lead.
Next time around Rosberg makes his move again, this time he makes it stick. However, Hamilton is having none of it and the pair go wheel to wheel, the Englishman re-taking the lead with a bold, brave move. Fantastic stuff.
Elsewhere, Bianchi gets a drive-through for the incident with Sutil and Ricciardo pits.
Hamilton pits at the end of lap 19, as Rosberg is told to "push hard for two laps", his team switching to its alternative strategy. Elsewhere, Maldonado pits.
"The cars ahead are for position," Vettel is told, "but we think the majority are three stopping."
With Rosberg still to stop, Hamilton is second, ahead of Bottas, Massa, Hulkenberg, Perez, Alonso, Button, Raikkonen and Vettel. Elsewhere, Sutil has retired.
Rosberg pits at the end of lap 21, rejoining in second, on primes, 6sd down on his teammate. "This will be a long stint on prime tyres," the German is told.
Vettel closes in on Raikkonen who is in turn shadowing Button.
As Massa shadows his Williams teammate he reports that the Finn's tyres are going off. The Williams pair running third and fourth ahead of the Force India duo.
Vettel and Raikkonen locked in battle, however, there is little the Finn can do when thev world champion uses his DRS to take ninth.
As the Williams duo battle this has allowed the Force Indias to join in. "I would like to box now if possible," says Bottas. The first six all powered by Mercedes.
As the Finn dives into the pits, Massa is left to battle the Force Indias. Bottas rejoins in 11th as Perez pulls a sneaky move on Hulkenberg to take 4th.
"He didn't leave space there," complains Hulkenberg, "he pushed me right off."
As Vettel builds a 2.8s lead over Raikkonen, teammate Ricciardo closes in on the Finn.
"DRS not working," complains Button as he hunts down the Force Indias whilst under attack from Alonso.
Perez tries the same move on Massa, passing the Brazilian who is subsequently passed by Hulkenberg also. Meanwhile, Ricciardo and Raikkonen almost come to grief in T1 as the Australian out-brakes himself in his attempts to pass the Ferrari.
Massa, Alonso and Grosjean all pit at the end of lap 28, as Ricciardo continues to harry Raikkonen.
Following their earlier duel, the leaders are now separated by 7.5s, though Rosberg is on the slower (prime) tyre. Third placed Perez is 22.5s behind.
"The pace of the prime and the option is closer than we expected," Rosberg is told, which is possibly not what he wanted to hear.
After 30 laps, it's: Hamilton, Rosberg, Perez, Hulkenberg, Button, Vettel, Raikkonen, Ricciardo, Bottas and Massa.
Bottas, battling with Ricciardo and Raikkonen for seventh, goes off in T1. "What was he doing," shouts the Finn, though it's unclear whether he is referring to the Australian or the Finn.
Raikkonen cuts the corner and passes Ricciardo but has to give back the position. The Ferrari driver is then immediately under attack from Bottas who subsequently passes his countryman with apparent ease.
Mercedes powered Bottas is now all over Ricciardo, the end result inevitable. Behind, Massa sweeps past Raikkonen.
Bottas finally passes Ricciardo as teammate Massa closes in. Elsewhere, Raikkonen pits and switches to primes.
"We're safe on fuel," Hamilton is told, "so no more lift and coast, no more lift and coast." "I heard you man," he replies, "I'm watching my tyres."
As Perez and Vettel pit, Massa sweeps past Ricciardo, to take sixth.
Perez rejoins behind Alonso and is soon past the Ferrari.
Hulkenberg, Button and Ricciardo all pit at the end of lap 35.
Vettel makes short work of Magnussen, having an anonymous race, and Maldonado.
Raikkonen and Ricciardo are at it once again, this time for twelfth, again the Red Bull driver has the edge. A few corners later the Australian passes Magnussen also.
On lap 37, Hulkenberg posts a new fastest lap (38.785) as he closes to within 3.122 of his fifth placed teammate.
Massa makes his third stop on lap 38, the Brazilian dropping from 5th to 10th in the process.
Button is right on the tail of Alonso, as Vettel is told that he will be "under pressure from the three stoppers" at the end.
There's an incident involving Maldonado and Gutierrez which has left the Sauber badly damaged. It's unclear what happened.
Replay shows the Mexican being T-boned by Maldonado who had just left the pits. The Sauber is flipped over in a sickening accident. "What was that," asks Gutierrez, who, thankfully, appears to be OK.
As the Safety Car is deployed, Hamilton, Rosberg, Alonso and Bottas all pit.
Next time around Raikkonen also pits as Magnussen pulls off to the side of the track.
Behind the Safety Car, it's: Hamilton, Rosberg, Perez, Hulkenberg, Button, Vettel, Ricciardo, Massa, Bottas, Alonso, Raikkonen, Kvyat, Grosjean, Maldonado, Kobayashi, and Chilton.
What was a 9s lead for Hamilton has been wiped out in one fell swoop.
"There are ten laps remaining," Paddy Lowe tells Hamilton, "let's bring both cars home," the Mercedes technical director realising that there could be fireworks at the re-start. Moments later Rosberg gets the same message.
The stewards announce that the Gutierrez/Maldonado incident is under investigation.
At tnhe end of lap 46 the Safety Car pulls off and while it's all clean for the Mercedes duo, Force India pair almost trip up over one another. However, further around the lap Rosberg is all over his Mercedes teammate.
The race has really come alive again, Ricciardo going around the outside of Button to take sixth. Shortly after, Massa also passes the McLaren driver.
"I've got no power," says Hamilton as Maldonado gets a stop/go penalty.
Behind the battling Mercedes duo, it's Perez, Hulkenberg, Vettel, Ricciardo, Massa, Bottas, Button and Alonso.
Hamilton posts a new fastest lap (37.306) and Rosberg a PB, the pair separate by just 0.913s. Button under attack from the Ferrari pair and Kvyat.
Within just a couple of laps the Mercedes pair are 6s clear of their next challenger.
The Red Bulls are battling, Ricciardo passing his teammate into T1 but the German refusing to give up the fight easily. Nonetheless, the Australian is through and up to fifth.
"I'm really, really slow down the straight," complains Vettel as Ricciardo hunts down Hulkenberg.
The two Red Bull are running as one as they close in on Hulkenberg, Massa keeping a watching eye.
Out front Rosberg passes Hamilton in T1q but again the Briton re-takes the position. In his enthusiasm the German runs wide as the paid fight one another all the way. The gloves are off.
Next time around Rosberg makes the same move but with the same result, an enthralling battle but will it end in tears?
Unseen, Ricciardo has passed Hulkenberg, the German running slightly wide in T11.
"You can use overtake on the exits, wherever you need it," Hamilton is told.
Vettel locks up and almost runs into the back of Hulkenberg as he pursues the Force India. Behind this particular battle are the two Williams.
Perez is told that at the current rate Ricciardo will not catch him. Under pressure from his teammate, Massa runs slightly wide.
A problem for Button who appears to be coasting. A sad end to his 250th Grand Prix.
Massa goes off track as he battles Vettel, the German holding on to the position. Naughty, naughty, very naughty.
Having dropped behind Vettel, Massa is now under pressure from his Williams teammate. Elsewhere, Perez is under pressure from Ricciardo.
Hamilton takes the flag, ahead of his Mercedes teammate, as Perez holds on to third and the final podium place.
Ricciardo finishes fourth, ahead of Hulkenberg, Vettel, Massa, Bottas, Alonso, Raikkonen, Kvyat, Grosjean, Chilton, Maldonado, Kobayashi and Bianchi.
"Nice work," Hamilton is told, "you had us all going there mate."
"We have the pace in this side of the garage," he replies, "let's keep hold of it."
If F1 2014 is unacceptable, this was probably the best possible argument those that disagree could put forward. Though the Safety Car period kept us on our seats until the very end, there was plenty to keep us occupied during the previous fifty-odd laps.
Great stuff.
Check out our race gallery, here.
Chris Balfe