Before the 2018 Bahrain Grand Prix weekend began, I posted five prediction polls on the Lights Out twitter account. How many of the questions did you get right? Find out below!
1. Will Kimi Raikkonen finish on the podium?
1. Will Kimi Raikkonen take a ninth #BahrainGP podium this weekend? #LightsOutPredictions #F1
— Lights Out ●●●●● (@LightsOutF1Blog) April 5, 2018
YOUR PREDICTION: YES
CORRECT ANSWER: NO
Kimi looked fast in Practice, and topped two sessions (FP2 and FP3) for the first time this decade. His rapid pace transformed into second on the grid and he was on the pace in the race, too, and likely to take his ninth podium in Bahrain. Sadly, the Finnish driver ended his race in the pit-lane with an injured mechanic and a €50,000 fine to the team for an unsafe pit release.
2. Will Haas score more than fifteen points?
2. Will @HaasF1Team score more than 15 points in the 2018 #BahrainGP? #LightsOutPredictions #F1
— Lights Out ●●●●● (@LightsOutF1Blog) April 5, 2018
YOUR PREDICTION: YES
CORRECT ANSWER: NO
While Romain Grosjean finished fifteenth after a difficult qualifying session, Haas’ points scoring was left to Kevin Magnussen, who finished fifth and scored ten points for the team. The team-mates nearly came together at one point during the Grand Prix, which led to an expletive-laden radio message from Magnussen.
3. Will Carlos Sainz finish the race?
3. Carlos Sainz has never finished the #BahrainGP. Will he see the chequered flag on Sunday? #LightsOutPredictions #F1
— Lights Out ●●●●● (@LightsOutF1Blog) April 5, 2018
YOUR PREDICTION: YES
CORRECT ANSWER: YES
Having competed in every Bahrain Grand Prix since 2015, Carlos Sainz had failed to finish any race in the country to date. But, as 90% of you correctly predicted, the Spaniard finally managed to see the chequered flag in the desert this weekend. After starting from tenth on the grid, Sainz finished just outside the points in eleventh.
4. Will Leclerc beat his team-mate?
4. Will Charles Leclerc beat Marcus Ericsson this weekend? #LightsOutPredictions #BahrainGP #F1
— Lights Out ●●●●● (@LightsOutF1Blog) April 5, 2018
YOUR PREDICTION: YES, IN QUALI AND THE RACE
CORRECT ANSWER: NO
A mistake on his final lap in qualifying left Charles Leclerc unable to beat his team-mate on Saturday for the second race in a row. He put in a strong performance in the race, but so too did his team-mate Marcus Ericsson, who mastered tyre strategy and scored his first points since the 2015 Italian Grand Prix. As 20% of you predicted, Leclerc failed to beat his team-mate in both qualifying and the Grand Prix.
5. Which midfield team will score more points?
5. Which of the following teams will score more points this weekend? #LightsOutPredictions #BahrainGP #F1
— Lights Out ●●●●● (@LightsOutF1Blog) April 5, 2018
YOUR PREDICTION: McLAREN
CORRECT ANSWER: McLAREN
60% of you correctly thought that McLaren would score the most points from the three aforementioned teams. They took ten points, with Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne both finishing in the top ten. Renault scored eight points, with Hulkenberg coming home in sixth, while Force India scored their first point of the season thanks to Esteban Ocon. The result of the Bahrain Grand Prix leaves McLaren in an impressive third place in the championship.
