F1 is making a rapid return to Sakhir, just one month after testing came to an end there. As such, the race will indicate just how far teams have come in the intervening weeks - yet surely there's little doubt already who has progressed farthest of all. March started with Sebastian Vettel pushing Red Bull's flaky RB10 back to its garage at the Bahrain International Circuit after it had spluttered to a halt in the pitlane; it ended with him 'best of the rest' behind omnipotent Mercedes in Malaysia. From barely being able to string several laps together without some misfortune or other rearing up, they could race the requisite 56 at Sepang as though their pre-season tribulations were a fast-fading memory, if not a bad dream. Extrapolate forward and won't Vettel, winner in Bahrain in both 2012 and last year, have the hat-trick in his sights?
@SkySportsMike
Even discounting the fact that Sergio Perez failed to take the start in Malaysia, he has been largely anonymous in the opening two weekends of his Force India career. At the season opening race in Australia, Perez finished bottom of Q2 - even behind the Caterham of Kamui Kobayashi - whilst his team-mate Nico Hulkenberg went nearly four seconds quicker in that same session, making it into Q3 and eventually lining up seventh. Come race day in Melbourne, Perez was the last of the drivers on the lead lap, coming in 35 seconds behind Hulkenberg and only picking up a point courtesy of Daniel Ricciardo's disqualification. Based on that lacklustre performance, it appeared McLaren had made the right choice of axing him after just one season, particularly given his replacement Kevin Magnussen's starring role on his F1 debut. With another two weeks to settle into his new team, Perez returned to the venue where he was propelled into the spotlight in 2012 with a fine drive to second for Sauber. However, in qualifying he once again failed to match his German team-mate, exiting in Q2 with his time 1.5 seconds slower than Hulkenberg's, who was again fighting it out in the top-ten shootout. Technical problems meant Perez was forced to watch the race from the sidelines - "the car kept going into neutral when I was downshifting on the way to the grid," the Mexican said - as Hulkenberg was engaged in a battle with Fernando Alonso, eventually finishing fifth. These two drivers were regarded as the hottest talents in F1 when McLaren were looking to replace Lewis Hamilton in September 2012 and now with a direct comparison available, it is clear that Perez needs to up his game as Hulkenberg continues to fulfil his potential.
@WilliamEslerF1
Even before the Bahrain GP became F1's political hot potato, the sport's first grand prix in the Middle East wasn't exactly a fans' favourite. Yes, for those in the paddock attending the event, the first-rate facilities at Sakhir and the hospitality of the organisers were reasons to cut the event some slack amid the criticism from elsewhere, but for the millions watching the race many thousands of miles away on TV the uninspiring 5km track layout and lack of general atmosphere provided little reason for the event to be classed as anything other than just 'another race'. And the less said about the 2010 race held on the 'endurance' circuit the better...
@SkyGalloway