Bad news for McLaren?published at 15:45 British Summer Time 16 April 2017
Oh this looks bad for Stoffel Vandoorne. His McLaren is being wheeled back into the garage.
Fifteen minutes to go until the race starts...
Summary
Vettel wins, Hamilton 2nd, Bottas 3rd
Hamilton given time penalty for obstructing Ricciardo
Verstappen suffers brake failure
Vandoorne, Magnussen, Verstappen, Sainz, Stroll, Ericsson out
Get involved #bbcf1
Bad news for McLaren?published at 15:45 British Summer Time 16 April 2017
Postpublished at 15:44 British Summer Time 16 April 2017
Image source, Getty ImagesWhen Lewis Hamilton got his first pole position, at the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix, he converted it into his first win in Formula 1.
Will his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas do likewise?
Postpublished at 15:40 British Summer Time 16 April 2017
Get involved #bbcf1published at 15:40 British Summer Time 16 April 2017
Philip Stothers: Bernie is like the wrapper around your Easter egg, just rip it off and focus on the main thing the chocolate (the racing in f1 terms)
Postpublished at 15:39 British Summer Time 16 April 2017
BBC Radio 5 live sports extraBBC Radio 5 live's Tom Clarkson asks Niki Lauda who he thinks will win the Bahrain Grand Prix: "Ferrari are closer than you think. Lewis and Valtteri are going to fight each other into that first corner. Hopefully they won't fight too much though".
Listen to commentary livepublished at 15:38 British Summer Time 16 April 2017
BBC Radio 5 live sports extraBuild up to the race is live now on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra.
Tom Clarkson is out and about now on a very windy grid trying to get a word with anyone he can grab.
Circuit statspublished at 15:36 British Summer Time 16 April 2017
Image source, .Lap distance: 5.412km. Total distance: 308.484km (57 laps)
Race lap record: One minute 31.447 seconds, Pedro de la Rosa (Spain), McLaren 2005.
2016 pole: Lewis Hamilton (Britain) Mercedes 1:29.493
2016 winner: Nico Rosberg(Germany) Mercedes
Pitlane openpublished at 15:34 British Summer Time 16 April 2017
A touch under 30 minutes to go until lights out and the pitlane is open.
The floodlights are on as the sun starts to set.
Celeb spot!published at 15:33 British Summer Time 16 April 2017
Image source, Getty ImagesNaomi Campbell is in Bahrain for the race. The British supermodel is currently posing for pictures with some of the Ferrari crew.
Postpublished at 15:31 British Summer Time 16 April 2017
Happy birthday Sir Frank Williams, who is 75 today.
Formula 1 teams certainly know how to do cakes properly, look at the three below!
Postpublished at 15:27 British Summer Time 16 April 2017
Image source, Getty ImagesNico Hulkenberg and Jolyon Palmer start seventh and 10th respectively for Renault after belting performance in qualifying.
Points finish on the cards? The last time Renault had both drivers finish in the top 10 was at Abu Dhabi in 2010 - Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov finishing fifth and sixth respectively.
Confused driverspublished at 15:23 British Summer Time 16 April 2017
Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in BahrainThe second row is full of drivers who were confused after qualifying. But while Sebastian Vettel could not understand why the gap to Mercedes had grown, Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo was perplexed as to why it had come down by half a second. The Australian, who out-qualified team-mate Max Verstappen for the first time this year, was 0.8secs off pole - but that’s half a second closer than Red Bull were at the first two races. Ricciardo said there was nothing obvious that explained that, other than the team had learnt through experience “more what not to do”. Team boss Christian Horner said he suspected it was related to the car’s inherent efficiency helping on the straights.
Verstappen, who was quicker than Ricciardo until the final run, was affected by Felipe Massa’s Williams diving down the inside at the last corner as he was preparing his lap. “It is a bit of a shame,” the Dutchman said. “We could respect each other a bit more instead of trying to squeeze in at the last corner.” But he was optimistic of a decent race. “I think we can be close to Ferrari,” Verstappen said. “I think Mercedes is till a little bit too quick but normally when it’s hard on the tyres they tend to struggle a little bit more so you never know.”
Get involved #bbcf1published at 15:21 British Summer Time 16 April 2017
What should Bernie do next?
John Hedge: He built the business and then sold it. Any new owner with a grain of intelligence then keeps the old owner around for awhile.
VB: Less than zero (involvement in F1). He's already almost irretrievably ruined f1. Time to take his ill gotten gains and go far away
Postpublished at 15:20 British Summer Time 16 April 2017
Image source, Getty ImagesThe driver on pole in Bahrain has been the winner in five of the 12 races to date.
It has never been won by anyone starting below the front two rows.
Nico Rosberg won the race last year after Lewis Hamilton secured pole position.
I know a cracking Owl sanctuarypublished at 15:15 British Summer Time 16 April 2017
The drivers have been getting up close and personal with the local wildlife ahead of the race.
Here's Daniel Ricciardo with a falcon clamped on his hand.
This is probably the only time I've seen Dan with an insincere grin on his face.
Postpublished at 15:10 British Summer Time 16 April 2017
Image source, Getty ImagesHere's Bernie on a buggy in Bahrain.
Can't imagine that's a mode of transport he particularly enjoys using.
Maybe he can open a business if he is not as involved in F1 as he'd like to be - Bernie's buggies...
What do you think he should do next?
Get involved #bbcf1published at 15:08 British Summer Time 16 April 2017
How much involvement do you think Bernie Ecclestone should have in Formula 1? Is his time done or is his experience useful?
Let us know #bbcf1, external
Postpublished at 15:06 British Summer Time 16 April 2017
Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in BahrainEx-Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone says the sport’s new owners do not want him to have any involvement in the running of the business.
The 86-year-old, ousted as chief executive when US group Liberty Media took over F1 in January, said the new owners “believe I haven’t done a very good job”.
“The last thing they need is me to have any input because they want to change things,” Ecclestone told BBC Sport.
“They know I would have changed them before if I thought they needed changing.”
Ecclestone, who is this weekend in Bahrain attending a race for the first time this season, has been kept on by the F1 Group in a new role as chairman emeritus, in which he can be consulted for advice if needed.
Tom's prediction...published at 15:05 British Summer Time 16 April 2017
Tom Clarkson
BBC Radio 5 live commentator
Image source, .I think Mercedes are looking really strong and I do think Bottas could get his first win. I think if I were Lewis Hamilton I would be wary of that Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel.
My prediction? Bottas in first, Vettel second and Hamilton third but anything can happen.
'I was a bit down to be honest'published at 15:01 British Summer Time 16 April 2017
Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in BahrainFerrari were confused as to where their pace had gone after qualifying. Sebastian Vettel was separated from Valtteri Bottas by thousandths in the first two races, so to be nearly half a second back was something of a rude shock.
“I was very happy with my first lap,” the German said. “I crossed the line, looked up and saw both of them were ahead and then when I got the time, yeah, I was a bit down to be honest because four tenths was a lot more than I expected, also given how good the lap felt. Then, on the next run I just tried a little bit too hard everywhere but equally I had nothing to lose.”
Vettel feels he has a good car for the race and is expecting to challenge the Mercedes. Kimi Raikkonen was suffering with his dread understeer and was 0.3secs off his team-mate.