Mercedes F1 Team Gears Up for Bahrain GP

Lewis Hamilton is in the thick of things as far as the drivers’ standings go, right now in fourth place but very much within striking distance. “The Bahrain circuit is a real challenge, particularly for the tyres with overheating and also the sand on the track, but this helps to make it unique,” said Hamilton.

Nico Rosberg, who retired in two of the first three races (finishing at P4 in the other one), is eager to get back in the saddle. “The first three races haven’t quite worked out as we had hoped on my side but the positive is that we have a car that we can really work with,” said the German driver. “It’s going to be very tough on the rear tyres and our biggest challenge will be to make the most out of the situation.”

The expectations remain high and, so far, only the lack of reliability from Rosberg’s car is keeping the team back. Of course, Hamilton could do with a better pace to truly challenge the leaders. He did say the team is hard at work trying to get the right setups.

As was the case last year, there have been questions about the race as protests have been ongoing in Bahrain. According to F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone, he thinks “there’s no reason” for the race not to push through and be a hit. Bahrain’s authorities already committed to providing the proper level of security for the race this weekend.