Vettel spinning after getting passed by Hamilton was all driver skill. Him shaking his front wing off was bad, but a freak accident, methinks. LeClerc had the pole, led most of the race, and then had engine issues. I guess testing for reliability is better than showing top speed in pre season testings. There was absolutely nothing he could have done as Hamilton and Bottas lazily passed him with laps to spare. Had the safety car not come out he may not have made the podium, as Max was closing quickly. The youngster showed great pace and poise, but whether Ferrari has bigger problems with their car is going to be the storyline for the next few races (early talk seems to think there may be cooling issues, which won't be an easy fix or bode well for them at most races).

As fast as Ferrari was today (and they clearly were faster in the straights) you get an idea what kind of driver Lewis is after his second pit stop. Battling Vettel out of the pits on fresh boots Lewis kept at him and didn't blink, unlike Sebastian. Even if it shakes out that Ferrari is quicker (like last year) I still have confidence in Hamilton fighting for #6. LeClerc should not be apologizing to the Tifosi for this one.

The battle in the midfield was fantastic. Plenty of passes and close racing. Whether having more DRS zones is better or worse for the sport can be debated, but it did give us an exciting race. It will be interesting to see what happens on a hotter track with more grip (instead of the cool, dusty track at Bahrain)

Other thoughts:

- Verstappen is making that Honda engine work. Gasley is not. If this keeps up, RB won't make 3rd in the constructors
- Renault, WTF? Both cars DNF on the same lap, and pretty much same corner? This is not how to jump to the big leagues or stick it to Ferrari. Still, Ricciardo shouldn't be too worried. Hamilton's first year with Mercedes wasn't great, and we see how that worked out
- Bottas really wasn't in it today (though there were some great moves in the early laps of the race and a nice fight with Hamilton). Signs of things to come? As long as they get the constructors again
- Just want to laugh at Pornstache again, because screw him. Whether the pressure is getting to him or not will be a discussion in the coming weeks
- Lando Norris in 6th? Go head rookie!