Five unforgettable moments from the Bahrain GP from McLaren drivers colliding to Hamilton and Rosberg duel

Follow us on Google Discover

The Bahrain Grand Prix has thrown up some classic moments since it was first held in 2004, so F1 Oversteer has taken a look at some of its best.

Having joined the F1 calendar as the first race in the Middle East, there were several questions over whether it would be too hot to handle for some drivers.

The 2005 race holds the record for the hottest F1 race ever recorded, with the official weather temperature radar hitting 42.5°C.

The Bahrain GP was switched to a night race in 2014 as part of celebrating its tenth anniversary and has stayed like that ever since. Here are five of the best moments from the track over the years.

2004 – Mark Webber vs Fernando Alonso

During the first race at Bahrain, Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso provided the action with a thrilling battle for seventh place.

Webber was in the inferior Jaguar up against Alonso in the Renault, but defended well against the Spaniard. He would later pull off a controversial brake check move on Alonso, causing them to nearly collide.

Alonso would commit to a move into Turn 1 after a mistake from Webber, eventually getting past the Australian and progressing higher up to sixth at the chequered flag.

2010 – Fernando Alonso wins first race for Ferrari

Alonso took his first win for Ferrari at the opening race of the 2010 season, after a mechanical issue prevented leader Sebastian Vettel from winning the race.

Starting from third on the grid, Alonso worked his way up to second after the first round of pit stops and closed the gap to two seconds to Vettel.

The Red Bull driver would later encounter a problem with the spark plugs in his car, causing him to slow down gradually throughout the final laps. Alonso passed him along with Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton, with the Spaniard going on to win the race.

Alonso joined Juan Manuel Fangio, Giancarlo Baghetti, Mario Andretti, Nigel Mansell, and Kimi Raikkonen as the only drivers to win for Ferrari on their debut.

2013 – Sergio Perez and Jenson Button collide

McLaren was always known for letting their drivers race and in 2013 this came to a head between Jenson Button and Sergio Perez.

The Mexican had just joined the team and wanted to show that he was no pushover, but after he leapfrogged Button in the pit stops the 2009 world champion seized an opportunity to overtake him for position heading down the start/finish straight.

Perez would go on to block Button aggressively, before the Briton got past on the following lap heading into Turn 1. The Mexican was eager to take the place back, and as they came through to Turn 4 he went around the outside and cut back to the inside line.

This caused contact between the pair, as Perez hit the rear wheel of Button and broke off his endplate. While Button was lucky not to sustain any puncture, he did come over the radio to request his McLaren team “calm him down” after a few aggressive moves.

2014 – Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg duel

The duel in the desert was the perfect 10th anniversary race for Bahrain, as Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg rolled back the years with a vintage teammate scrap.

Mercedes emerged from the 2014 regulation switch to hybrid power units as the dominant force, winning races by ridiculous margins of over 30 seconds. In Bahrain, this was no different, with Hamilton and Rosberg comfortably controlling the race lead before a Safety Car came out for a crash between Esteban Guiterrez and Pastor Maldonado.

With fuel loads no longer a concern, an all-out battle between the two Mercedes driver ensued. Rosberg attempted a late-braking move into Turn 1, but Hamilton managed to stay ahead after the German ran wide.

Rosberg attempted the same move the following lap, with Hamilton taking the defensive line. The closest he came was a move around the outside of Turn 4 before Hamilton closed the door again, and after a last-ditch effort into Turn 1, Rosberg had effectively taken too much out of the tyres.

The pair would go on to have a mock fight in Parc Ferme, with Hamilton referencing their years karting together during the press conference.

2021 – Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton set the tone for titanic title battle

This race set the tone for what became a titanic battle between Hamilton and Max Verstappen for the 2021 Drivers’ Championship.

Verstappen was leading the race but after a Safety Car restart, Hamilton managed to take the lead. The Red Bull driver would spent the final laps of the race furiously chasing down Hamilton, putting pressure on him for the win.

The Red Bull driver made a move around the outside of Turn 4 but completed it off track, forcing him to hand it back to Hamilton later in the lap. The seven-time world champion went on to win the race, which was the first time he’d won the opening round of a season since 2015.