MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2019 16 Ghiotto wins F2 Sprint Race Winners of Formula 2 Championship on the podium , Berkay sixth in Besler• take support series wins to make Bahrain race a flying start to F1 Bahrain GP Race Day AFP | Manama macher had finished eighth on his debut in Saturday’s ick Schumacher finished race, taking pole in his sec - Besler becomes Msixth after starting from ond thanks to a ‘reverse grid final• winner of for yesterday’s system’ used for the top eight Porsche GT3 season Formula Two race at the Bah- finishers. rain Grand Prix. Mick Schumacher is sched- The 20-year-old son of sev- uled to test with the TDT | Manama en-time world and Alfa Romeo F1 teams in champion Michael Schu - Bahrain on Tuesday. here was already plenty of action early on Race TDay yesterday at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Formula 2 cars in action at BIC Sakhir, with the two series held in support of the Formula 1 Gulf emerged from a pit stop on lap 13 sensational victory in a time of Schumacher (+24.679s) came Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2019 with fresh tyres in his UNI-Vir- 42m 36.192s. sixth while ART Grand Prix’s showcasing “Limitless” thrills. tuosi challenger. Sette Camara had to settle for (+25.154s) and Luca Ghiotto enjoyed a dra- But the Italian masterfully second place 5.474s behind Ghi- MP Motorsport’s Jordan King Mick Schumacher steers his car during a Formula 2 race matic victory in the Sprint Race fought his way back to the front otto, while Latifi this time was (+25.520s) completed top eight. of the FIA Formula 2 Champion- and re-captured the lead on the third 6.867s back. The second round of the For- 21m 56.466s. pole-sitter Tio Ellinas of Cyprus, ship, while Berkay Besler won penultimate lap after passing Earlier in the 23-lap sprint, mula 2 season takes place in JB Simmenauer from France Jesse Van Kuijk of the Nether- the final event of the season in DAMS rival Sergio Sette Cama- pole-sitter Mick Schumacher Baku from April 26 to 28. completed the podium after lands and Christoffer Bergstrom the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge ra. Earlier, he overtook Feature of Prema Racing got away with crossing the finish line 2.211s from Sweden. Middle East. Both races had set Race winner in a clean start, but he didn’t hold Besler takes season-ending win behind. The top three overall were the stage for the spectacular 57- the other DAMS car to go into on to the lead very long as Sette Besler won the season-end- Dylan Pereira (+3.449s) from also the winners in the Pro class. lap Bahrain Grand Prix, which second position. Camara took over for a few laps. ing race of the Porsche GT3 Cup the was fourth, Koehler, Shaikh Isa bin Sal- was held under the bright flood- All three drivers finished in As the race went on, Ghiotto after narrowly beating newly Leon Koehler (+4.140s) from man and Van Kuijk formed the lights of BIC in the evening. the top thee, forming a similar eventually made his way to the crowned champion Al Faisal Al Germany fifth, and Bahrain’s podium in the ProAm category; podium from the one that ap- front before pitting. Zubair of Oman to the cheq- very own Shaikh Isa bin Sal - while the winners of the Am Ghiotto clinches late win peared for the Feature Race on Ghiotto’s UNI-Virtuosi team- uered flag. Only 0.197s separated man Al Khalifa (+5.601s) sixth class were Michael Knutzon of After leading early on in the Saturday. Ghiotto was in second mate (+18.240s) the pair in the 10-lap sprint. overall. Sweden, Michael Sauer of Den- 23-lap Sprint Race, Ghiotto place from that event, but this finished fourth, Carlin’s Louis The triumphant Turk clinched Rounding out the top 10 were mark and Michael Doppelmayr dropped all the way to 14th as he time he was able to claim the Deletraz (+21.939s) was fifth, his win in a total race time of Khalid Al Wahabi of Oman, of Austria.

The car was extremely difficult Leclerc: Maiden F1 podium in Bahrain to drive, says the medium tyres but overall lucky in very unlucky situation RaceFans | Manama not the pace that we should have had today.” Autosport | Manama ebastian Vettel said he had Vettel was overtaken by Ssignificant handling prob- Leclerc and then came under errari driver lems in his Ferrari after spin- attack from . Fsays his maiden Formula 1 ning and finishing fifth in the When the Mercedes overtook podium was “lucky in a very Bahrain Grand Prix. Vettel on the outside of turn unlucky situation” after an ap- Although the Ferrari driver four the Ferrari driver spun, parent MGU-H failure cost him took the lead at the start of the and lost his front wing as he victory in the Bahrain Grand race he said he quickly discov- returned to the pits. Prix. ered his car was not handling “Obviously it was very Leclerc suffered a bad open- well. close,” said Vettel, who ac - ing lap in which he slipped “It was very difficult,” he cepted responsibility for the from first to third and only just said. “I realised after more or spin. “I tried to get back on the fended off Lewis Hamilton’s less half a lap after the start inside just like the lap before. Mercedes, before recovering that it would be very difficult. “I think turn four was one of brilliantly to take control of the Ferrari’s Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc steers his car The car was extremely diffi- the trickiest corners. It was my race. cult to drive for me. mistake, I lost the rear, then I The 21-year-old held a com- “I think Charles [Leclerc] spun, and I think during the fortable lead when he reported season. I am never looking at the result, struggled less and he had no spin I damaged the tyres so an engine problem with 10 laps “We have been lucky in a very I am looking at the potential to difficult to follow and pass me. much that I had quite a lot of to go and Ferrari told him he unlucky situation. I’m happy to do better,” he said. It was quite tricky. vibrations which then I think had no energy recovery from The team has done have the at the end “Today, third was not our “The second stint I think we led on to the failure of the front the MGU-H. an amazing job otherwise we would have fin- place.” calmed down a little bit with wing.” That meant Leclerc was recover lack of ished even more rearward, and Leclerc’s mechanical prob- passed by Hamilton and Valt- pace in Australia. with fuel I don’t think we could lem and Vettel spinning while teri Bottas and was set to be And what to say. Of have been OK.” battling Hamilton let Mercedes overtaken by the Red Bull of course I’m extremely To take the lead of the race steal an unlikely one-two in as well, before disappointed like the Leclerc had to re-pass Bottas Bahrain. being saved by a safety car two and Ferrari team-mate Sebas- Hamilton paid tribute to Le- laps from the end. whole team. But it tian Vettel and the Monegasque clerc over the team radio after Assessing the loss of his first happens admitted his “very strong” winning and said afterwards F1 win on his second start for CHARLES LECLERC grand prix only made the result that Leclerc “has a lot of wins Ferrari, Leclerc said: “It hap- harder to take. coming in the future”. pens. It is part of motorsport. In the immediate aftermath of “This weekend Ferrari have “Unfortunately today was not Australia. the finish he also found it diffi- been incredible,” said Hamilton. our day but I am confident the “Of course I am extremely cult to take his first F1 podium “I’m sure it was a devastating team has done an amazing job disappointed, like the whole as much consolation. result for him. We were defi- Ferrari’s German driver Sebastian Vettel steers his car into the pit lane after to recover the lack of pace of team, but it happens during the “As I have said a lot in the past, nitely lucky today.” losing his front wing