Last Updated on March 29 2019, 6:07 pm
Obviously it’s impossible to do such a thing but it’s possible to make a decent educated guess based on current data and previous form.
Some weeks ago, TJ13 published some team mate battle analysis based on a very clever mathematician named Andrew Phillips who runs a data-driven F1 analysis website called F1metrics.wordpress.com, I encourage any fan of the more technical aspects of our sport to go take a look and perhaps follow Andrew on Twitter (see below).
Andrew of F1Metrics has given his analysis based on pre-season testing long runs to try and understand the pecking order. Obviously, in Barcelona testing, Ferrari seemed streaks ahead and Mercedes strangely slow, but given this as Ferrari overperforming and Mercedes ‘sandbagging’ in testing, the analysis isn’t far off for the team predictions.
Again, another analysis TJ13 published on team form from pre-season is from Karun Chandhok, the Sky F1 – ex Caterham F1 driver. He saw Ferrari very strong with Mercedes not too far behind.
Given that the general consensus is that Ferrari had some cooling issues in Melbourne as TJ13 wrote about earlier this week when Haas gave away some secrets, plus previous form for Ferrari at Bahrain, we can probably expect a very strong challenge from the Italians. Possibly a top tip for a win from Vettel who took his Ferrari to victory at the Bahrain Sakir circuit last year.
Currently, SBD lists Vettel’s odds of winning this year’s Bahrain Grand Prix at +625 which takes into account of what happened in the Australian Grand Prix.
It’ll be all about qualifying, and if Ferrari can claim the front row then there’s every chance of victory.
A dark horse worth considering is Kimi Raikkonen. The ex Ferrari driver and now Alfa Romeo (was Sauber) has always gone well in Bahrain and the Alfa Romeo Racing team are certainly on the up so points finish and possibly even a top 6 spot for Raikkonen wouldn’t be a surprise.
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
