Bahrain Grand Prix 2014 – The Grid: Mercedes Engines Dominate

After the qualifying sessions that took place on Saturday, you can read the summary on Motorsinside.com, the editorial team offers you a recap of the starting grid, updated with the penalties given to Daniel Ricciardo and Adrian Sutil.

The Australian suffers a double penalty after the problem that occurred during his pit stop in Malaysia, while Adrian Sutil pays for his dangerous maneuver on Romain Grosjean at the end of Q1 during the qualifying session.

Les pneus

The first 9 drivers on the grid (Sebastian Vettel having qualified 11th) will start with the soft tires used during their fastest lap in Q2, with the choice being free for the rest of the field. This is the first time this rule is applied: the two previous qualifying sessions having taken place on a wet track.

The forces at play

The top of the grid is dominated by the Mercedes power unit, which powers 7 of the top 8 drivers. In qualifying, there was a 70% rate of Mercedes engines in the top 10: only the Ferrari drivers and Daniel Ricciardo managed to make it to Q3 without the German engine.

The midfield is tighter and more heterogeneous, mixing Red Bull, Toro Rosso drivers, and Nico Hülkenberg. This group is ahead of Esteban Gutierrez and his overweight Sauber, in front of the underperforming teams: Lotus, Caterham, and Marussia.

Starting grid of the Bahrain Grand Prix /f1/news/17293-bahrain-qualifications-rosberg-puts-out-hamilton-mercedes-crushes-the-competition.html