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From titanic battles to heartbreaks: Bahrain's best GPs
- GPblog.com
The Bahrain Grand Prix will be held for the 17th time on March 28, 2021. In 2004 the race was on the calendar for the first time and except for 2011 it has been hosted by the oil state every time. Time to look back to the best races.
Battle of the Titans between Alonso and Schumacher
In 2006 the Bahrain GP was the first race of the season and it was an exciting one. Alonso and Michael Schumacher battled for victory until the flag fell. Alonso grabbed the lead after the second round of pit stops and held off the German to claim the win.
Alonso's Ferrari masterclass
In 2010, the Bahrain Grand Prix was held for the first time not on the Grand Prix circuit but on the Endurance circuit. It was the first race of the year and also Fernando Alonso 's first race at Ferrari.
Sebastian Vettel started the race from pole position, but towards the end of the race his Red Bull Racing car ran into problems. Alonso took over the lead and won his first race for the Scuderia.
Duel in the Desert
One of the races that made the most impact in Bahrain is the 'Duel in the Desert'. In 2014 Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg drove neck and neck for a long time in a lap-long battle for the first place. In the end the battle was won by Hamilton and Rosberg came second. Sergio Perez managed to secure the third and final podium spot after a great race.
The 2014 race is also remembered for a moment between Esteban Gutierrez and Pastor Maldonado. Maldonado came out of the pit lane at the moment Gutierrez entered the first corner. The Venezuelan didn't want to give up his spot and tapped Gutierrez on his rear wheel, sending the Mexican flying over.
Heartbreak for Leclerc
In 2019, Bahrain was the setting for the second Grand Prix of the year. After Mercedes won the first race of the year convincingly, Charles Leclerc was suddenly on pole in Bahrain. The young Monegasque was at the start of his second Grand Prix with Ferrari.
On race day Leclerc seemed to be heading for a comfortable victory. Until his Ferrari lost speed on lap 46. He was slower than his direct rivals and was overtaken by cars he had lapped before. On lap 48 he was overtaken by Hamilton and on lap 54 by Valtteri Bottas. Max Verstappen was already on the pace, but his first podium finish was saved by a double retirement of the Renaults. For which the safety car had to come out.
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