Jenson Button (GBR) McLaren celebrates his 250th Grand Prix start. Formula One World Championship, Rd3, Bahrain Grand Prix, Race, Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain, Sunday, 6 April 2014
With victory in Bahrain, Mercedes became the first team since Renault in 2006 to win three consecutive races to start a season. The Silver Arrows also became the first team since McLaren in 2010 to score consecutive one-two finishes. Coincidentally, the winner of those races for McLaren was Lewis Hamilton - and that was also the last time the Briton won back-to-back races. Hamilton now has as many race wins as legendary five-time world champion Juan Manuel Fangio - 24.
Behind Mercedes, Force India scored their first podium since the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix, and only their second since Vijay Mallya assumed control of the team and changed their name from Spyker. Sergio Perez scored his fourth F1 podium finish and is now just three podiums behind Pedro Rodriguez for most rostrums by a Mexican driver.
Sunday’s race in Bahrain - the tenth in the desert - was a milestone Grand Prix for Rosberg and McLaren’s Jenson Button, though they enjoyed contrasting fortunes. The German came home second in what was his 150th Grand Prix start, whilst Button was robbed of a points finish in his landmark 250th race after clutch problems. He was eventually classified 17th.
The next stop on the F1 calendar is China - the country in which Rosberg scored his first Grand Prix win back in 2012…