Vettel takes pole at Bahrain GP

Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull has taken the pole position for Formula One's season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, while Michael Schumacher will begin his comeback from a disappointing seventh-place finish.

Fernando Alonso win delights Ferrari

• Spaniard leads Felipe Massa in team 1-2 on debut• Sebastian Vettel loses out to exhaust problemA sweeping one-two victory for the Ferraris of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa in the Bahrain grand prix could not obscure the overall dullness of a contest in which, for the first time since 1993, the drivers were not allowed to refuel their cars. A processional race was brought to life only when the Red Bull-Renault of Sebastian Vettel, a convincing leader for the first hour, developed an exhaust problem which reduced the power from his engine, allowing the Italian cars to pass and relegating the young German driver to an eventual fourth place behind the McLaren-Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton.Even the new lightning-fast pit stops to change tyres failed to add to the excitement, partly because they were too brief to provoke much in the way of incident. Most of the drivers made only one mid-race stop and spent most of the time on their radios, talking to their race engineers about the best way to achieve a safe balance between tyre wear and fuel consumption.Add the unwelcome addition of fiddly new corners which turn the Sakhir circuit into a giant go-kart track and this was the recipe for an unsatisfactory start to the most eagerly anticipated season for years. Apart from the Scuderia Ferrari, overjoyed by their success after the travails of 2009, the team gaining most pleasure from their afternoon's work were probably Lotus, rewarded for their Malaysian-backed efforts to revive a famous name by having their two cars classified as finishers, albeit at the tail of the field in 15th and 17th places. The other new low-budget teams, Hispania and Virgin, saw their cars retire.For the McLarens, which finished third and seventh in the hands of Hamilton and Jenson Button, and the new Mercedes outfit, for which Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher finished fifth and sixth, there will be some head-scratching among the engineers after their failure to match the leaders' pace. Hamilton found encouragement in his podium place but Button was unable to get past Schumacher over the last 15 laps which he spent on the tail of the seven-times champion.Nothing, however, could dim the excitement in the Ferrari pit, where a new regime came under severe criticism after suffering disaster after disaster last season. Following the example set so successfully 12 months earlier by their former technical director Ross Brawn, they abandoned last year's hopeless car midway through the season and concentrated their efforts on preparing for 2010. Today their new F10 showed the kind of reliability that underpinned five of Schumacher's championships and enough speed to be in the right place when Vettel faltered and the Red Bull's 4sec cushion started to shrink.For Alonso, watched from the grandstand by the King of Spain, this was the best possible start to his career with his new team, making him the sixth driver – after Juan Manuel Fangio, Giancarlo Baghetti, Mario Andretti, Nigel Mansell and Kimi Raikkonen – to win his maiden race for Ferrari. Starting from the third slot on the grid, behind Vettel and Massa, he slipped past his team-mate between turns one and two on the opening lap and was in position to take advantage of the pole man's misfortune with 15 laps to go."It's even more special because of the history of the team and the expectations of those who drive for this team," he declared, articulating a sentiment guaranteed to endear him to the numberless fans of the Scuderia around the world. "The guys here at the track and back at the factory in Maranello worked day and night to make this car and we've arrived here very well prepared."There was an extra surge of emotion inside and outside the cockpit of the second Ferrari as Massa crossed the line 16sec behind his team-mate on his return to racing after the accident that almost took his life in Hungary last July. "It's fantastic to be here," the little Brazilian said. "I didn't get a good start and lost a position to Fernando but the race was great and the car was perfect."The day's biggest disappointment was endured by Vettel, whose pole position had been achieved with a lap that won praise from his rivals. "It seems something broke," he said, "but luckily we could continue and finish fourth, but we should have won today. It was positive all weekend, except for the exhaust failure."What became clear today was that Formula One is the new Premier League, with a Big Four whose cars finished in the top eight positions followed by a group of worthy midfield runners (Force India, Renault, Williams and Sauber are the equivalents of Spurs, Aston Villa, Manchester City and Everton) and a sweaty bunch of relegation contenders. Despite spinning his Force India on the opening lap while blinded by a cloud of oil smoke from Mark Webber's Red Bull, Adrian Sutil looked the most likely to disturb the established order.The last time Ferrari opened a series with a 1-2 win was with Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello in Australia in 2004, prefacing the most crushing of the German's championship seasons. Vettel will win races this season and so will Massa and Hamilton but the intelligent and consistent Alonso, with 25 points to his name under the new scoring system against Massa's 18 and Hamilton's 15, must be feeling optimistic about the prospect of a third title.Formula OneFerrariMotor sportRichard Williamsguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

I was bored in Bahrain, says Rosberg

• Michael Schumacher's team-mate sums up opening F1 race• Pressure on at Australian GP to produce more of a spectacleAmid a soothing chorus of claims that everything is fine in the grand prix garden, a lone voice stuck out today. For all his four seasons in Formula One, it seems that Nico Rosberg has yet to absorb the media training intended to smooth away a tendency among young drivers to tell it like it is."I was pretty bored in Bahrain," Rosberg said in the Melbourne paddock. And this from a 24-year-old who was one of the stars of the opening race of the season, overshadowing the comeback of Michael Schumacher by outqualifying and outracing his new Mercedes team-mate.Realising what he had said, Rosberg grinned and tried to execute a rather scruffy verbal U-turn. "Perhaps I should say that I didn't find it very exciting," he said. But the truth had been told about a lamentable race that brought almost as much discredit to Formula One as its accumulated scandals of the past three years.Now the world is waiting to see whether the 24 drivers can redeem the sport by producing a more gripping spectacle in Sunday's Australian grand prix, or whether new technical and sporting regulations really have made it harder than ever for them to fight against each other.Older drivers were either more optimistic or, like Fernando Alonso, more pragmatic in their assessments. "We need to be calm and wait for some races to really see if the new rules have some impact on the show," said the Spaniard, the winner in Bahrain in his first race for Ferrari. "I don't think we have any change. Last year in the first seven races Jenson [Button] won six. It was boring? Maybe yes, maybe no. Michael [Schumacher] won five consecutive championships. It was boring? Maybe yes, maybe no. This is Formula One."Bahrain was only one race. Here [in Melbourne] we have seen many very special races and there will be circuits soon with high overtaking possibilities in Malaysia and China. But this is about knowledge, about the precision of the drivers, the engineering, everything. If people want extra show, maybe they need to reconsider if they want to watch Formula One."For Button, Bahrain proved that the new Saturday qualifying format is "a lot more fun to watch and to take part in". The race, however, was different. "For sure it wasn't exciting. I was stuck behind Michael and I couldn't overtake. But it's one race out of 19. If they're all the same, we'll have to do something about it."The new world champion confidently anticipates a more stimulating race this weekend. "I think there's going to be a lot of different situations and different ideas of strategy. And the safety car is always a possibility here. That mixes it up a bit, although it helps the guys at the back more than the ones at the front."His team-mate Lewis Hamilton reacted with exaggerated surprise when told of Rosberg's claim. "I've never had a boring day in a Formula One car," he said. "It can be a bit tedious if you're doing a long day of testing. But it's never boring. As soon as you drive out of the pit lane you get a smile on your face."It's always been difficult to overtake in Bahrain, and the circuit changes may have made it harder. But it doesn't reflect the whole season."If Sunday proves Hamilton wrong in that particular claim, Formula One might as well step on to the highest window ledge in the cluster of high-rise blocks in Melbourne's adjacent business district and prepare to jump off.Formula OneMercedes GPMotor sportRichard Williamsguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Vettel outshines the rest in Melbourne

• Hamilton 11th on grid, Jenson Button fourth• Vettel alongside Mark Webber on front rowThe trials of Friday night, when he was apprehended by local police for "over-exuberant driving" on his way out of the Albert Park circuit, continued for Lewis Hamilton today when he failed to make it into the final qualifying session for tomorrow's Australian Grand Prix."Where do I need to find time?" Hamilton asked his engineers over the radio as he prepared for a last desperate effort, but at the end of the Q2 session a margin of 0.062sec separated his McLaren-Mercedes from the car with the 10th fastest lap time, Robert Kubica's Renault."I struggled to get time in the last sector," he said afterwards, "and when I put new tyres on I couldn't get more out of them."Occupying pole position in today's race will be Sebastian Vettel, whose Red Bull-Renault was fastest in all three sessions and whose final lap, on a bumpy and slippery track, provided a demonstration of the 22-year-old's virtuosity and natural aggression. Next to him on the grid will be his team-mate Mark Webber, the local hero, with the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso, the winner in Bahrain two weeks ago, and the McLaren of Jenson Button on the second row, ahead of the second Ferrari of Felipe Massa. Once again Nico Rosberg's Mercedes was faster than the similar car of Michael Schumacher, the two German cars starting in sixth and seventh places.Vettel started from pole in Bahrain and led the race with apparent ease until a spark-plug failure reduced his engine power and dropped him to an eventual fourth place. As Hamilton licked his wounds he could at least point to the accuracy of his suggestion earlier in the week that the Red Bulls are "insanely quick".The sessions were all held in dry conditions but rain is forecast for tomorrow and Vettel and Alonso both predicted a race in which accidents and the appearance the safety car will make life complicated for the drivers. As in Bahrain, the three new Cosworth-engined teams - Lotus, Virgin and Hispania - were eliminated in the first part of qualifying, along with the Renault of the Russian driver Vitaly Petrov. As well as Hamilton, Q2 saw the elimination of the Williams of Nico Hulkenberg, the Toro Rossos of Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastien Buemi, the Saubers of Pedro de la Rosa and Kamui Kobayashi and the Force India of Tonio Liuzzi. Joining seven cars from the current big four teams in the final shoot-out were the Williams of Rubens Barrichello, Kubica's Renault and the Force India of Adrian Sutil.Leading positions after qualifying:1. Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull 1min 23.919secs2. Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull 1:24.0353. Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari 1:24.1114. Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren 1:24.6755. Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari 1:24.8376. Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes GP 1:24.8847. Michael Schumacher (Ger) Mercedes GP 1:24.9278. Rubens Barrichello (Bra) Williams 1:25.2179. Robert Kubica (Pol) Renault 1:25.37210. Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India 1:26.03611. Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren 1:25.18412. Sebastien Buemi (Swi) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:25.63813. Vitantonio Liuzzi (Ita) Force India 1:25.74314. Pedro de la Rosa (Spa) BMW Sauber 1:25.74715. Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Williams 1:25.74816. Kamui Kobayashi (Jpn) BMW Sauber 1:25.77717. Jaime Alguersuari (Spa) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:26.08918. Vitaly Petrov (Rus) Renault 1:26.47119. Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) Lotus F1 1:28.79720. Jarno Trulli (Ita) Lotus F1 1:29.11121. Timo Glock (Ger) Virgin Racing 1:29.59222. Lucas di Grassi (Bra) Virgin Racing 1:30.18523. Bruno Senna (Bra) HRT-F1 1:30.52624. Karun Chandhok (Ind) HRT-F1 1:30.613Lewis HamiltonFormula OneJenson ButtonSebastian VettelRichard Williamsguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Schumacher shines as old guard set standard

It was a day of differing but equally satisfactory comebacks, with Felipe Massa and Michael Schumacher setting the pace as the first Formula One test of the season got under way in Valencia yesterday. The Brazilian demonstrated convincingly that he has lost none of his speed since the accident that befell him in Hungary last July, by setting the fastest time for Ferrari, while Schumacher laid down a marker with third fastest time, driving for the newly renamed Mercedes team.

Hamilton in the mood to reclaim crown

Lewis Hamilton looked uncharacteristically awkward on stage on Friday, as he and new team-mate Jenson Button pulled the wraps off McLaren's startling new car. While the current champion lapped up the limelight with an easy smile, his predecessor looked uncomfortable. But face to face, his own easygoing manner was unchanged as he spoke of the challenge of a returning Michael Schumacher and his old adversary Fernando Alonso, now at Ferrari.