Three things to look for: F1 Bahrain Grand Prix

Formula 1 returns to action this week with many questions still looming after the opening race. Find out what you need to know before the cars hit the grid for the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Can Nico Rosberg do it again?

Nico Rosberg pulled off the upset win in the opening round at the Australian Grand Prix. How can it be an upset for a driver out of the Mercedes AMG Petronas camp? For starters, the race was dominated by Sebastian Vettel when he led the first 32 of 35 laps. Second, during much of that time attention was focused on Lewis Hamilton as he struggled to find his way back into podium contention.

"Rosberg’s chances of winning this weekend look bleak. Rosberg has never won at Bahrain, posting only two podiums in his career, both coming from his last two starts. That does not mean everything, statistics can lie, but Rosberg has led a grand total of six total laps in Bahrain."

The hope is the momentum carried over from Australia will propel this team during the first stretch of races. Whether or not that momentum is enough to propel this team to another surprising victory is yet to be known.

Lewis Hamilton’s recovery

Was it the clutch on the start? Was it the inability to overtake mired back in the grid? Was it strategy related? Or was it all three? There is no question that there was some difficulty for Hamilton in securing a second place finish in the Australian Grand Prix.

"So how does Hamilton rebound after a challenging first race? By taking his grievances about the series to the media. Hamilton has been outspoken of Formula 1 and the FIA in the weeks following the Australian Grand Prix. That sentiment has not changed once the driver arrived in Bahrain. During his regular pre-event media session with the media, Hamilton echoed his previous comments about his love for racing and standing in solidarity with the rest of the drivers on the basis that the racing needs to improve."

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All of this off-track distraction might just be what Hamilton needs to become more focused for the race. The majority of conversation this weekend has been about the overall performance of F1, not the lackluster performance of Hamilton’s opening race. A second place finish is nothing to be worried about. The worry lies within how the second place finish occurred and that is something Mercedes will need to combat in upcoming races.

Will Haas F1 surprise again?

After Romain Grosjean brought home the Haas F1 car to a sixth place finish in the team’s inaugural grand prix, you would have thought it was a victory. It kind of was and Grosjean even said the same over the team radio. Not even Gene Haas could have predicted his team would score points, let alone more than one in their first race.

Now the question is, can this team do it again? From the looks of their weekly advance, Haas F1 knows there will be weeks where they might underperform. 

Being the first race on the calendar, the Australian Grand Prix is typically known for many retirees through the course of a race due to accidents and mechanical failures. Taking that into consideration makes their debut that much more impressive. But the fact of the matter is, this was one race in the course of a season that will prove to be unpredictable for most, including a team in their inaugural season.

As the season persists, it will be no surprise if Romain Grosjean pilots this car to multiple races inside the top ten and scores points. The only real question is, when will it be considered not a surprise anymore?