THE BIG PICTURE: Now that Mercedes knows Ferrari's strategy to beat them, they can keep an eye out for it and counter. It's going to make it more difficult for another upset moving forward.

EVENT: Do we really need to continue to waste our time filling in this section for the useless non-attendant Middle Eastern races?

QUALIFYING: Forget his teammate, Rosberg can't beat Ferrari, Hamilton finally gets his Bahrain pole, Williams gets closer to Ferrari, and McLaren's improvement goes for naught for Button.

RACE: Would have been a lot more exciting if we could see the action up front. What was up with that TV coverage? Oh, this may be why...

TRACK: For some reason, this track is producing some nice wheel-to-wheel action since the new regulations.

START: Ferrari tag teams Rosberg, Sainz is extremely aggressive, Ricciardo got the start he wanted, and Maldonado decided to "steal" a spot.

HAMILTON: Yet another virtual flag-to-flag victory where the theme was managing rather than racing.

ROSBERG: Until his brakes let him down, it was all new Nico making some very impressive passing maneuvers.

RAIKKONEN: The old Kimi was on display -- speed, tire management, aggressive -- all at the right times. One or two more laps, and he may have won the race.

VETTEL: A mistake filled race Sebastian would like to forget.

BOTTAS: Valtteri's back is finally 100%, and it showed, capped by a superb effort to keep Vettel behind for 14 laps.

MASSA: It started by not starting on the recon lap, and it went downhill from there.

RICCIARDO: Colin Chapman always believed that if your car did not fall apart as you took the checkered flag, you overbuilt it. Chapman would be proud of the way Ricciardo's engine was built...

KVYAT: Is Daniil overmatched on the senior team?

GROSJEAN: Nice run for Romain, who has been a bit quiet this year.

NASR: Felipe was very entertaining to watch.

MALDONADO: Pastor was not very well liked by his competitors.

SAINZ: Will Renault publicly rip on Toro Rosso for being incompetent dolts? We didn't think so.

RED BULL: Only Red Bull are the champions of public whining, passing blame, and unprofessional behavior.

MCLAREN: Give them credit. They made huge strides since the last race despite not being able to start Button.

GRID: So much for the entire grid making the start...

ROSSI: Alexander is on his best GP2 team in his career. He no longer has any excuses. He must win races. A podium is a nice start despite using up his tires initially getting the lead. But, he has to win races.

CHILTON: What in the world is a former F1 driver (albeit, a buy-a-rider, but still...) doing in Indy Lights? We don't get it.

WORD OF THE WEEKEND: Brake-by-wire.

STAT OF THE WEEKEND: 0 -- The number of engine changes left for Daniel Ricciardo after Spain before he suffers grid penalties. And the season is only four races old...

HISTORICAL STAT OF THE WEEKEND: Bahrain seems to like back-to-back winners. Fernando Alonso did it in 2005 and 2006. Felipe Massa won the next two years. Vettel won in 2012 and 2013 and Hamilton just won his second in a row.

QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND: Red Bull's team principal Christian Horner actually does have a sense of humor. About Ricciardo's finish, "His engine seemed to join the firework party in the end."

QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND RUNNERUP: Ferrari's team principal Maurizio Arrivabene to Kimi Raikkonen concerning a contract extension, "It depends on your performance."

SCHEDULE: Will Alonso score his first points since his return to McLaren on home soil?

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