F1 | Bahrain GP Report Cards – Vettel is the tire wizard, the two Mercedes standard bearers mocked, Gasly gets applause...

Il Bahrain GP he gets a nice one 9 full , because the second GP of the season entertains at the beginning and keeps the fans in suspense at the end, glueing fans to the TV. Vettel's feat is from another era, romantic and painful, Bottas lacks the momentum in the final metres.

Sebastian Vettel 10 cum laude The SF71H is a delicate material to be shaped with care, he handles it to perfection, setting a record lap in qualifying and managing the race like a true champion. The one-stop strategy – which seems like the craziest of gambles – is transformed into a splendid reality by Seb, capable of driving so cleanly as to avoid the degradation of the soft tyres. The champion's touch is seen even more on the last lap, when he sets the first corner in order to disorientate the attacking Bottas and thus gain an unexpected safety margin to archive one of his best victories. Second victory of the season, tenth in Ferrari, forty-ninth in his career. MAGIC 

Pierre Gasly 10 The Frenchman had to wait a bit, using the end of 2017 (with many technical problems) as an apprenticeship to the category. In Bahrain he provided a glimpse of his qualities. The qualifying was crazy, the race was impressively tough and solid, conducted close to the leaders right from the start. He doesn't waste the great opportunity, he brings Toro Rosso where it had been missing for quite a while (the last fourth place had been Verstappen's) and above all he rides Honda, giving the Japanese engineer the best result since his return to F1. SURFER

Marcus Ericsson 9 The Swede brings the first smiles to Alfa Romeo Sauber, managing the difficult task of reaching the points zone. In qualifying he gave a good four tenths of a second to his teammate, the GP interpreted him in the best way, extending the first stint on soft tires and then switching on medium tires until the end. Two golden points, he is a solid driver who is often underestimated. DETERMINED

Valtteri Bottas 8,5 He started well from third position, put pressure on Vettel from the first stint and towards the end of the race he had the pace to win thanks to the excellent grip of the medium tyres. He lacks the necessary inspiration to overcome a Vettel in a state of grace. STOPPED

Kevin Magnussen8,5 He forcefully takes back what Melbourne had taken from him, confirming himself on the ball and without making concessions to anyone, including the box. Mean and efficient. FIERCE 

lewis hamilton 8 The triple overtaking in the initial stages of the race is a beautiful and spectacular display of strength, but his comeback comes to a halt in the presence of a Ferrari which takes the same gray wall off guard. PERplexed

Nico Hulkenberg 7,5 Renault suspended in the middle ground, unable to worry the leaders, fast enough not to put the points zone at risk. Nico puts his best foot forward, in qualifying and in the race, with a consistency that is an acquired certainty. CAREFUL

Fernando Alonso 7 Usual attacking race, coming back from the disappointing thirteenth place in qualifying. Reassured by a car that allows him to at least fight on equal terms with the others for the points zone, but McLaren's objectives were different. WRESTLER

Stoffel vandoorne 6,5 Substantial race, eighth place behind Alonso is a positive sign. THIS

Carlos Sainz 5 He lost positions at the start due - it seems - to an incorrect engine mapping. During the race he complained about the imperfect balance of the car. Not yet in tune with the car and far from the Hulk. DELUDENT

Daniel Ricciardo sv His RB14 blacks out after one lap. Is Milton Keynes losing his smile, red emotions on the horizon? BAD LUCKY

Kimi Raikkonen 7 The vote does not take into account the pit accident. In great form throughout the weekend, however, he faltered at the start, being overtaken by Bottas and complicating Ferrari's plans. He would have fought for the podium in any case and his pace was more than decent. PIMPANT

Max Verstappen 5 For various (an always eagerly awaited Red Bull) and obvious (his talent) reasons, many considered him to be the protagonist of the 2018 world championship for sure. For now he is making mistakes one after the other. The off track in qualifying condemned him to a difficult comeback from fifteenth position. The regular, but impetuous overtaking on Hamilton effectively forced him to retire. MESTO

Romain Grosjean 6 He doesn't seem to be racing at Magnussen's levels, but in the race he is forced to make an additional pit stop after losing his left bargeboard. Without the extra stop he could have fought to get into the points. IN FLASHES

Esteban Ocon 6,5 He gets the worst of the duels with McLaren and Renault, but fights with a knife between his teeth, winning a useful point for a Force India that is distantly related to the single-seater admired in recent years. LIVELY

Sergio Perez 6 Despite the twelfth position he sees the glass half full, saying he is entertained. But his race is already compromised on the first lap, when Hartley hits him, damaging his car. He can do little. NOT GUILTY  

Charles Leclerc 4,5 Particularly in difficulty with his teammate, who is certainly more experienced than him. Talent however is on the Monegasque's side, he probably just needs a little time. Thirteenth at the finish line, not at ease with the medium tyres, he opts for the supersofts towards the end. INCONSISTENT

Brendon Hartley 4,5 Gasly sparks, the New Zealander with the same car stumbles in the middle of the group swamps. The unexpected collision with Perez costs him a ten second penalty, which is fatal for any ambition. In any case he doesn't have the pace of his teammate. MESS

Lance Stroll and Sergey Sirotkin 4,5 In fact, the two neither add nor take away. They both see the finish line, attacked, in sixteenth and seventeenth position respectively. The truth is that the situation is so embarrassing that it becomes difficult to understand where the responsibilities of the two young drivers end and where those of the team begin. We know that in F1 the car has its specific weight, and the FW41 is currently quite a headache.

Antonino Rendina

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