2017 Bahrain Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Sebastian Vettel struck back under the Bahrain floodlights, turning an aggressive strategy into his second victory of the season. Lewis Hamilton‘s pursuit was compromised by a time penalty, while polesitter Valtteri Bottas finished third.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes
Pole time	1:28.769
Fastest lap	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Fastest-lap time	1:32.798 on lap 46
First	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari
Second	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Third	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
14 April 2017	Practice 1	14:00 – 15:30
14 April 2017	Practice 2	18:00 – 19:30
15 April 2017	Practice 3	15:00 – 16:00
15 April 2017	Qualifying	18:00
16 April 2017	Race	18:00

All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.

Championship background

Lewis Hamilton arrived at round 3 leading the 2017 F1 World Championship on 43 points, with Sebastian Vettel on 43. Mercedes headed the constructors’ standings with 66 points.

Race entries

Pascal Wehrlein returned to Sauber, replacing stand-in Antonio Giovinazzi after missing the opening two races.

Free Practice

Sebastian Vettel led FP1 in intense daytime heat, but Ferrari’s other car stopped with smoke coming from the engine area. Kimi Räikkönen’s lost running complicated the team’s preparation, while Felipe Massa spun after a braking problem late on. The session offered only a limited guide to the cooler conditions expected for the night race.

Sebastian Vettel remained fastest in the more representative evening FP2 despite briefly suffering a complete shutdown. Carlos Sainz also stopped with smoke from his car, while traffic compromised Mercedes’ quick laps. Stoffel Vandoorne returned after an engine change, and Ferrari recovered in time for Sebastian Vettel to join the longer race-simulation runs.

The hot FP3 conditions encouraged a quiet opening as teams saved meaningful quick attempts for later. Romain Grosjean spun into the barrier at Turn 5 and damaged his front wing, causing a stoppage. Max Verstappen emerged fastest in the late rush, but the daytime surface differed markedly from the evening qualifying conditions.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2017 Bahrain Grand Prix FP1, 14 April 2017

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:32.697	21
2	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+0.400s	22
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.869s	23
4	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+1.398s	22
5	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	+1.549s	24
6	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	+1.625s	25
7	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	+1.635s	23
8	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+1.675s	14
9	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+1.867s	21
10	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+1.939s	28
11	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	+2.141s	13
12	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	+2.230s	13
13	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	+2.300s	10
14	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+2.305s	27
15	30	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	+2.371s	19
16	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+2.882s	21
17	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+3.191s	24
18	94	Pascal Wehrlein	Sauber	+3.262s	23
19	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	+3.382s	16
20	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+9.636s	6

Free Practice 2 Classification

2017 Bahrain Grand Prix FP2, 14 April 2017

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:31.310	29
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.041s	35
3	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+0.066s	28
4	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.168s	34
5	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.284s	35
6	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	+0.573s	37
7	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	+0.769s	37
8	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.935s	18
9	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+1.195s	34
10	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	+1.397s	35
11	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+1.544s	33
12	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	+1.565s	38
13	30	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	+1.566s	38
14	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+1.587s	31
15	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+2.009s	34
16	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	+2.051s	36
17	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+2.634s	34
18	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	+2.762s	5
19	94	Pascal Wehrlein	Sauber	+2.807s	29
20	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	+2.920s	8

Free Practice 3 Classification

2017 Bahrain Grand Prix FP3, 15 April 2017

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:32.194	8
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.110s	10
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.556s	10
4	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.560s	13
5	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.591s	9
6	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	+0.607s	12
7	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+0.615s	8
8	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	+0.739s	9
9	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	+1.410s	18
10	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	+1.550s	11
11	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+1.722s	14
12	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+1.728s	10
13	94	Pascal Wehrlein	Sauber	+1.753s	15
14	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	+1.771s	15
15	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	+1.833s	15
16	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	+1.870s	17
17	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+2.004s	13
18	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+2.011s	14
19	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+2.074s	15
20	30	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	+2.223s	11

Qualifying

Valtteri Bottas headed the qualifying classification for Mercedes, with Lewis Hamilton second and Sebastian Vettel third. The table records the three session results; penalties and any changes to the starting order are noted below.

Valtteri Bottas claimed his maiden Formula 1 pole, narrowly beating Lewis Hamilton. Fernando Alonso could not set a Q2 time after another power-unit problem, while Carlos Sainz‘s stoppage disrupted the closing moments of Q1.

Qualifying Classification

2017 Bahrain Grand Prix Qualifying, 15 April 2017

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:31.041	1:29.555	1:28.769	12
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:30.814	1:29.535	1:28.792	13
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:31.037	1:29.596	1:29.247	12
4	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	1:31.667	1:30.497	1:29.545	12
5	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:30.988	1:29.843	1:29.567	16
6	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:30.904	1:30.307	1:29.687	12
7	27	Nico Hülkenberg	Renault	1:31.057	1:30.169	1:29.842	15
8	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	1:31.373	1:30.677	1:30.074	12
9	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	1:31.691	1:30.857	1:30.763	16
10	30	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	1:31.458	1:30.899	1:31.074	15
11	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	1:31.531	1:30.923	—	12
12	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	1:31.748	1:31.168	—	12
13	94	Pascal Wehrlein	Sauber	1:31.995	1:31.414	—	15
14	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	1:31.774	1:31.684	—	12
15	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	1:32.054	No time	—	8
16	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	1:32.118	—	—	5
17	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	1:32.313	—	—	8
18	11	Sergio Pérez	Force India	1:32.318	—	—	7
19	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	1:32.543	—	—	9
20	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	1:32.900	—	—	8

What happened in the 2017 Bahrain Grand Prix?

Valtteri Bottas led away from pole, but Sebastian Vettel passed Lewis Hamilton at the start and immediately applied pressure. Ferrari then brought Vettel in early, taking the initiative in the first round of stops.

Max Verstappen retired with a brake failure after his stop. A separate collision involving Carlos Sainz and Lance Stroll brought out the safety car, giving the leaders another strategic decision to make.

Lewis Hamilton slowed on the approach to the pits to avoid stacking directly behind his team-mate, delaying Daniel Ricciardo and earning a five-second penalty. That extra time, served at his later stop, made the chase considerably harder.

Mercedes allowed Lewis Hamilton past Valtteri Bottas to pursue the Ferrari, but Sebastian Vettel had enough in hand. Bottas completed the podium, with Kimi Räikkönen fourth and Daniel Ricciardo fifth. Stoffel Vandoorne never started after a power-unit problem, adding to McLaren‘s difficult evening.

Further down the points places, Sergio Pérez, Romain Grosjean, Nico Hülkenberg and Esteban Ocon completed the scoring positions. Lewis Hamilton set the fastest lap, but no bonus point was awarded under the 2017 rules.

After the race, Sebastian Vettel headed the drivers’ standings with 68 points, followed by Lewis Hamilton on 61. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 102, with Mercedes on 99.

2017 Bahrain Grand Prix race results

The 2017 Bahrain Grand Prix was held on 16 April 2017, with a scheduled start of 18:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	57	1:33:53.374	25
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	57	+6.660	18
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	57	+20.397	15
4	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	57	+22.475	12
5	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	57	+39.346	10
6	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	57	+54.326	8
7	11	Sergio Pérez	Force India	57	+1:02.606	6
8	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	57	+1:14.865	4
9	27	Nico Hülkenberg	Renault	57	+1:20.188	2
10	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	57	+1:35.711	1
11	94	Pascal Wehrlein	Sauber	56	+1 Lap	0
12	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	56	+1 Lap	0
13	30	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	56	+1 Lap	0
14	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	54	Power unit	0
Ret	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	50	Gearbox	0
Ret	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	12	Collision	0
Ret	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	12	Collision	0
Ret	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	11	Brakes	0
Ret	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	8	Electrical	0
DNS	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	0	Water pressure	0

Fernando Alonso retired from the race, but was classified as he had completed 90% of the race distance.

Stoffel Vandoorne did not line up on the grid as a result of a power unit issue.

2017 Bahrain Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	46	19:20:27	1:32.798	209.952
2	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	42	19:14:32	1:33.495	208.387
3	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	55	19:34:46	1:33.720	207.887
4	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	36	19:04:30	1:33.826	207.652
5	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	33	18:59:54	1:34.087	207.076
6	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	39	19:09:52	1:34.256	206.705
7	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	39	19:09:55	1:34.609	205.933
8	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	33	19:00:25	1:34.948	205.198
9	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	45	19:20:04	1:34.985	205.118
10	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	35	19:04:07	1:35.086	204.900
11	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	39	19:10:11	1:35.179	204.700
12	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	40	19:11:46	1:35.372	204.286
13	30	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	43	19:16:57	1:35.552	203.901
14	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	47	19:23:13	1:35.595	203.809
15	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	10	18:20:34	1:36.303	202.311
16	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	4	18:10:10	1:36.681	201.520
17	94	Pascal Wehrlein	Sauber	43	19:16:40	1:36.786	201.301
18	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	8	18:16:52	1:38.026	198.755
19	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	6	18:13:42	1:38.718	197.362

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. Average speeds are in km/h. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded. Time of Day is local.

2017 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 2017 Bahrain Grand Prix.

2017 Post-Race F1 Drivers’ Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Sebastian Vettel	German	Ferrari	68
2	Lewis Hamilton	British	Mercedes	61
3	Valtteri Bottas	Finnish	Mercedes	38
4	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Ferrari	34
5	Max Verstappen	Dutch	Red Bull Racing	25
6	Daniel Ricciardo	Australian	Red Bull Racing	22
7	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Williams	16
8	Sergio Pérez	Mexican	Force India	14
9	Carlos Sainz	Spanish	Toro Rosso	10
10	Romain Grosjean	French	Haas	4
11	Kevin Magnussen	Danish	Haas	4
12	Esteban Ocon	French	Force India	3
13	Nico Hülkenberg	German	Renault	2
14	Daniil Kvyat	Russian	Toro Rosso	2
15	Pascal Wehrlein	German	Sauber	0
16	Antonio Giovinazzi	Italian	Sauber	0
17	Jolyon Palmer	British	Renault	0
18	Stoffel Vandoorne	Belgian	McLaren	0
19	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	McLaren	0
20	Marcus Ericsson	Swedish	Sauber	0
–	Lance Stroll	Canadian	Williams	0

2017 Post-Race F1 Constructors’ Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	102
2	Mercedes	99
3	Red Bull Racing	47
4	Force India	17
5	Williams	16
6	Toro Rosso	12
7	Haas	8
8	Renault	2
9	Sauber	0
10	McLaren	0

2017 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2017 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	26 March
2	2017 Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai	9 April
3	2017 Bahrain Grand Prix	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir	16 April
4	2017 Russian Grand Prix	Sochi Autodrom, Sochi	30 April
5	2017 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Montmeló	14 May
6	2017 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	28 May
7	2017 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	11 June
8	2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix	Baku City Circuit, Baku	25 June
9	2017 Austrian Grand Prix	Red Bull Ring, Spielberg	9 July
10	2017 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	16 July
11	2017 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	30 July
12	2017 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	27 August
13	2017 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	3 September
14	2017 Singapore Grand Prix	Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore	17 September
15	2017 Malaysian Grand Prix	Sepang International Circuit, Sepang	1 October
16	2017 Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka	8 October
17	2017 United States Grand Prix	Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas	22 October
18	2017 Mexican Grand Prix	Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City	29 October
19	2017 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	12 November
20	2017 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix	Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi	26 November