SAKHIR, Bahrain -- There was little doubt Mercedes had the fastest car two weeks ago in Melbourne, but on Saturday night in Bahrain it was a different story. In warmer conditions on a different style of circuit and with a much more abrasive track surface, Ferrari emerged as the team to beat and Mercedes were the team left scrabbling for answers.
After the swings in performance at various races last season, the change at the front of the grid probably shouldn't have come as a surprise. But there was still an expectation ahead of qualifying that Mercedes would pull something out of the bag in Q3 to propel Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas ahead of the Ferraris.