F1 2016: Rosberg wins Bahrain Grand Prix, Haas and new generation impress

When Nico Rosberg won the last three races of the 2015 FIA Formula 1 Championship after Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton had already sealed the title, the three-time F1 champion was asked about Rosberg's streak. At the time Hamilton dismissed it by stating that he had shifted his energy to other things. Implying that Rosberg didn't have much in the way of resistance to finish 2015 on a strong note.

None of that cockiness was present following Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix where Rosberg yet again beat the Briton at the start and getting punted around at the start by Williams-Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas led to a hard slog to third place for the defending champion.

Fans of the colourful Hamilton would have been pleased by his recovery drive although he would probably count himself lucky that former four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari broke down on the formation lap itself due to a power unit failure. Kimi Raikkonen's strong second place showed that Ferrari have enough race pace to keep Mercedes honest and one has to wonder if Vettel would have been able to better the Finn's finish and maybe even challenge Rosberg.

The result means that Rosberg has a maximum of 50 points to his name while Hamiton's two damage limitation drives in Australia and Bahrain have him in second place in the championship standings, just 17 points behind his German teammate.

Fourth, after a typically strong performance, was Red Bull-Tag Heuer's Daniel Ricciardo, albeit 32 seconds behind Hamilton who was twenty seconds behind Raikkonen at the finish of the 57-lap race.

HAAS, YOUNG GUNS IMPRESS
More impressive than the perma-smiling Australian, however, was Romain Grosjean piloting his Haas-Ferrari to fifth place. The combination of Gene Haas' motorsport facilities, money, expertise in setting up a racing operation and solid driving from Grosjean has seen the team have one of the best debuts by an F1 team in recent memory.

Even without Vettel's retirement Grosjean looked fast enough to repeat his sixth place finish in the season opening race in Melbourne.

Just as impressive was McLaren-Honda's reserve driver Stoffel Vandoorne scoring a tenth place finish on his F1 debut after he was asked to fill in for Fernando Alonso. The Belgian opened the team's account for 2016 and looks set to be a star of the future after out-qualifying and out-racing his far more experienced teammate, 2009 F1 champion Jenson Button.

Defending DTM champion and Mercedes supported driver Pascal Wehrlein helped the tail-end Manor Racing team punch above their weight by taking a 13th place finish.

2016 F1 BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX (03/04/2016)
Bahrain International Circuit - 5.412km, 15 turns (57 laps)

1. NICO ROSBERG (MERCEDES) 1hr. 33:34.696
2. KIMI RAIKKONEN (FERRARI) +10.282
3. LEWIS HAMILTON (MERCEDES) +30.148
4. DANIEL RICCIARDO (RED BULL-TAG HEUER) +1:02.494
5. ROMAIN GROSJEAN (HAAS-FERRARI) +1:18.299
6. MAX VERSTAPPEN (TORO ROSSO-FERRARI) +1:20.929
7. DANIIL KVYAT (RED BULL-TAG HEUER) +1 lap
8. FELIPE MASSA (WILLIAMS-MERCEDES) +1 lap
9. VALTTERI BOTTAS (WILLIAMS-MERCEDES) +1 lap
10. STOFFEL VANDOORNE (MCLAREN-HONDA) +1 lap
11. KEVIN MAGNUSSEN (RENAULT) +1 lap
12. MARCUS ERICSSON (SAUBER-FERRARI) +1 lap
13. PASCAL WEHRLEIN (MANOR-MERCEDES) +1 lap
14. FELIPE NASR (SAUBER-FERRARI) +1 lap
15. NICO HULKENBERG (FORCE INDIA-MERCEDES) +1 lap
16. SERGIO PEREZ (FORCE INDIA-MERCEDES) +1 lap
17. RIO HARYANTO (MANOR-MERCEDES) +1 lap

NOT CLASSIFIED

CARLOS SAINZ (TORO ROSSO-FERRARI) - 29 laps

ESTEBAN GUTIERREZ (HAAS-FERRARI) - 9 laps

JENSON BUTTON (MCLAREN-HONDA) - 6 laps

SEBASTIAN VETTEL (FERRARI) DNS

JOLYON PALMER (RENAULT) DNS