Bahrain Grand Prix as it happened

Time to bring this marathon five hour live text commentary to a close. Thanks for your company and splendid contributions. It's been a blast. Sebastian Vettel finally got himself back on the top step of the podium as well as taking the championship lead - but I'm hopeful there's still plenty of life in this battle yet.

BBC Radio 5 live's pit lane reporter Jennie Gow: "Michael Schumacher critical of Pirelli tyres and says he is not happy not being able to race but constantly having to manage tyres." You can follow Jennie on Twitter.

McLaren driver Jenson Button, who retired: "My final stint was a long one and if I hadn't struck trouble, I reckon things would have got quite interesting in the final laps. Some drivers had pushed harder at the start of that stint, but I'd been looking after my tyres. But in the last few laps, the car sounded really noisy. I think the initial problem was an exhaust failure, then my puncture, and then a differential failure; so I had to retire."

McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton, who finished eighth: "There are good times and bad times in motor racing. I guess this was just one of those days. By rights we should have been fighting to finish in the top four, but it didn't work out like that in the end. The delays in the pits were a big part of that, of course. For the driver sitting in the car, that's always frustrating, because you're just waiting and there's nothing you can do to help."

Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg, who finished fifth: "I had a pretty bad first lap, but after that I was able to recover and get the most of our race. We had a good strategy and the pace of the car was pretty strong compared to the start of the season, although it was difficult to make progress as there were a lot of cars fighting for the same positions.."

Mercedes driver Michael Schumacher, who finished 10th: "Considering where I started the race, it's a positive that I was able to fight up to 10th place, score a point and finish a dry race this season. The tyres obviously played a large part in the race, and in the conditions here, we had to adapt the driving style to keep the tyres together."

Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn: "That was a tough but ultimately rewarding race today. Nico didn't get the best of starts and lost some positions which made the early part of the race difficult, but he had a very good drive to fight his way back up to fifth place. Michael did well to recover a point in 10th place, considering that he started at the back of the grid in 22nd. We saw again today that if you get the car right on the day, it makes a great deal of difference, with Red Bull and Lotus clearly getting their cars in better shape than we did."

There may be three weeks until the F1 season gets back up and running, but there will be no such break for the teams. Aside from their factories working overtime to build new updates for their cars, the teams will have to prepare for a three-day test in Mugello, Italy which runs from 1 to 3 May. McLaren have announced that Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton will not be driving, with test drivers Oliver Turvey and Gary Paffett getting behind the wheel instead.

The sun has set and the moon is shining brightly out in Bahrain but the paddock is still full of activity. It's lit up by red lights which are wrapped around palm trees with teams busy packing equipment into containers ready for the trip back to Europe.

Force India Paul di Resta, who finished sixth: "We had a difficult start to the season but we said if we could pick up any points at the flyaways, that was job done. Given we've finished seventh in Malaysia and sixth here on performance, we can be very happy. Hopefully when we bolt on a bit more downforce in Barcelona, we can finish where we have in Bahrain."

Toro Rosso driver Daniel Ricciardo: "That was not what I was hoping for after starting from sixth on the grid. The opening lap changed my whole race. My initial launch off the line wasn't great and after that I seemed to go backwards, which made for a very frustrating afternoon. I had a good chance to have a strong race, but losing all those places at the start cost me dear. I need to be hard on myself now and find out what I did wrong to make sure I don't do it again. It was a race to forget."

Toro Rosso driver Daniel Ricciardo qualified an impressive sixth for the best result of his career, but he went backwards in the race and finished 15th. Here's what he has to say...

An exciting start to the season has seen four different drivers triumph in the opening four races. When did that last happen, I hear you cry? Well, I can tell you it was 2003. McLaren pair David Coulthard and Kimi Raikkonen won the first two, before Giancarlo Fisichella claimed the third and Michael Schumacher the fourth. The run ended in round five when Schumacher won again.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner: "A great performance from the whole team today, they have managed to get the win. Sebastian did the right things at the right time and made the right calls. Stategy-wise it was absolutely fantastic."

McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh on his team's disappointing performance: "We lost a lot of time and places for Lewis [during the stops]. More of a concern is generally we weren't quick enough. The frustration gets compounded when you don't perform in during the stops. Ultimately, we have got to look at technique and how we do it. These guys volunteer to put themselves in the spotlight. There is an enormous amount of stress on them. We change him for the last stop because he was stressed but it's our job to protect them. Things go wrong and that's life. We need to makes sure we pull together."

Sebastian Vettel has slipped into a T-shirt and some shorts ready for the team victory picture in front of their team motorhome. He hugs his boss Christian Horner and then takes his place as centre of attention with his shiny cup. That is one very happy German. That's one of the first times we've seen him smile all season.

I'm quite excited about the start of the European season, not least because it will see the first appearance of the team's trucks and hospitality units. Will Red Bull still have their sensational Energy Station? Will Ferrari have stepped up their game in terms of their units? Will McLaren still have their spaceship-style motorhome?

We will have live coverage of the Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya which begins on Friday 11 May. First practice starts at 0900 BST and will be live on the Red Button and this very website. I'll be live with a text commentary from 0830 BST.

Is the beginning of another Sebastian Vettel run of victories? Can McLaren fight back after a miserable run of form in Bahrain? Will Mercedes show that Bahrain was a blip and China wasn't a flash in the pan? Well you'll just have to wait until Spain in three weeks time which signals the end of the flyaways and the beginning of the European leg of the season.

We will also have plenty of video on this very website throughout the afternoon, handpicking the best moments, interviews and analysis.

Now if you missed any of the action, may I suggest dipping into Andrew Benson's report which should cover all angles. Then hold tight until 1700 BST when BBC One and BBC One HD will screen a race replay show with plenty of reaction and analysis.

And here's how the constructors' standings look:

1) Red Bull - 101

2) McLaren - 92

3) Lotus - 57

4) Ferrari - 45

5) Mercedes - 37

6) Sauber - 31

7) Williams - 18

8) Force India - 17

9) Toro Rosso - 6

10) Marussia - 0

Here's what the drivers' standings looks like after round four in Bahrain:

1) Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull - 53

2) Lewis Hamilton - McLaren - 49

3) Mark Webber - Red Bull - 48

4) Jenson Button - McLaren - 43

5) Fernando Alonso - Ferrari - 43

6) Nico Rosberg - Mercedes - 35

7) Kimi Raikkonen - Lotus - 34

8) Romain Grosjean - Lotus - 23

9) Sergio Perez - Sauber - 22

10) Paul di Resta - Force India - 15

Crikey, I need a lie down after that. What a cracking race. I can't remember the last time we have had such an unpredictable opening few races. Sebastian Vettel's victory means we have had four different winners - Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso and Nico Rosberg - this season - in three different cars - Red Bull joining McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes.

Kimi Raikkonen admitted his relief at bouncing back from last weekend's Chinese Grand Prix, where he dropped from second to 14th when his tyres 'fell off the cliff'. "At least we got on the podium with both cars," he said. "In the last race we failed and probably people thought we were a bit stupid. But it turned out to be the right direction and the team deserves what it has achieved today."

And a bit more from Sebastian Vettel: "It's a very tight season. The cars are very close to each other. Small things can make a huge difference. We started the season with McLaren as the best car by far but we have seen Sunday can be a different picture. I think they still have one of strongest packages. China was a very good lesson for us, driving two packages. For here we focused on our new package and pushing that forward. I'm just happy for now. I don't care what happens in the next race, at least not today."

Lotus driver Romain Grosjean, who finished third: "It was great. I'm very proud of the team. We knew we had a good car, we were little bit surprised at how quick we were. We tried a different strategy to Kimi and it turned out to be not too bad. I think our car is very competitive. It has been a tight season and every small detail makes a big difference. I'm very happy to get my first podium. The next target is victory."

Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen, who finished second: "I think we gave ourselves a chance but I'm disappointed I didn't manage to win it. I made a small mistake at the beginning, lost one place to Ferrari, and I had to get that place back. In the end we were not fast enough to win. I got one chance to get past Sebastian but I chose the wrong side. That was the only chance really."

More from Sebastian Vettel: "The strategy, everything seemed to work. I can only say a big thank you to the team. They did an incredible job. The amount of work they had to do which we have given them because we were weren't happy with the car. Little tweaks here and there. It was tough. We were trying to get the car to our liking. We got it right this weekend, I was very happy in qualifying and the race to be fair."

Sebastian Vettel sprays the fizzy rosewater - we don't have champagne here - and enjoys the moment with Red Bull team boss Christian Horner. He takes some time to pose for pictures with his boss on the podium - I suspect they might frame one of those for motivation in the office.

The German national anthem rings out around Bahrain with Sebastian Vettel closing his eyes and taking it all in. That's his 22nd career victory, equalling Damon Hill's record of victories and 11th in the all-time win standings.

That's Romain Grosjean's first podium in 11 starts. The Franco-Swiss has looked quick all season, but not quite managed to make it all happen until now. Lotus will be chuffed.

"It's a great comeback for Kimi Raikkonen. He's not a man to say too much out of the car - he does his talking on the track."

Sebastian Vettel grabs a bottle of water as they wait to go onto the podium. Red Bull boss Christian Horner congratulates Kimi Raikkonen saying: "You had a pretty strong race, huh?" Raikkonen replied: "Not strong enough!"

"Sebastian Vettel, the double world champion, has drove absolutely beautifully here all weekend long. It's the first Red Bull win of 2012."

"I think the top three is going to stay as it is - unless something remarkable happens."

"I suspect that was an engineering call. They would have said 'Jenson you've got to come in because there is an unsafe pressure in your tyre levels'."

"Paul di Resta has done a great job this afternoon - he's the only man on two stops to make it work. Once more Force India and Paul di Resta are making good use of that alternative strategy."

"Raikkonen is being fended off by Vettel - there's litle to choose between them. But Vettel is just about controlling things."

"How many good stories can we have in Formula 1 in terms of the racing? We're only four races in and we've had such a mix of winners."

"It's looking great for Lotus to have a double podium this afternoon."

"For me, if I was running Kimi Raikkonen, I would have had him in two laps ago. I think he would have picked up his time."

"Lewis Hamilton is really struggling here. Could he be nursing a problem we're not aware of?"

"Kimi Raikkonen is catching Sebastian Vettel. He could win this race. The soft tyres are lasting on that Lotus."

"This is a side to Nico Rosberg we haven't seen before. It steely and over the top."

"Lotus are very happy. Romain Grosjean says he's really happy with the tyre performance. They were working on a completely different strategy in practice and it seems to be paying off."

"McLaren obviously have to change something with Hamilton. I imagine their Plan B was to stretch out to two stops - but it's going to be very difficult for them."

"Lewis Hamilton had exactly the same problem as Button had in China. It was six seconds lost. It was one of those situations where the left rear guy has got a problem of some sort."

"What is going on with McLaren's pit stops? They have analysed their pit stops so closely, yet something has gone wrong again."

"Lewis Hamilton is struggling on his rear tyres - I can see them. He's been pushing so much in the last sector."

"That dust is beginning to clear now. The grip is beginning to get better but the problem is now the tyres are getting hotter and hotter."

"Fernando Alonso was the big winner at the start - he's currently in fifth place. Vettel has gone clear at the front. The gap has already grown to 2.9 seconds."

The cars have filed into position on the grid. Now it's time for FIA race director Charlie Whiting to, in the words of the Sugababes, Push The Button and get this race under way.

So this is it. The 24 drivers are setting off on the formation lap. Next time we see them, it'll be five lights, four lights, three lights, two lights, one light, go! You know the drill. Nerve-wracking moments.

"It's a very interesting race because there is a lot going on with tyres and a lot going on with strategy. I think any of the top five cars can win."

We're hearing that everyone apart from Kamui Kobayashi, who is P12, is starting on the less durable but faster option tyre. The Japanese has gone for the medium compound.

Here's a quick rundown of the grid before we get going.

1) Sebastian Vettel 2) Lewis Hamilton 3) Mark Webber 4) Jenson Button 5) Nico Rosberg 6) Daniel Ricciardo 7) Romain Grosjean 8) Sergio Perez 9) Fernando Alonso 10) Paul di Resta

11) Kimi Raikkonen 12) Kamui Kobayashi 13) Nico Hulkenberg 14) Felipe Massa 15) Bruno Senna 16) Heikki Kovalainen 17) Jean-Eric Vergne 18) Vitaly Petrov 19) Charles Pic 20) Pedro de la Rosa 21) Pastor Maldonado 22) Michael Schumacher 23) Timo Glock 24) Narain Karthikeyan.

The balconies of the iconic control tower at the end of the pit straight are rammed. I reckon those are the best seats in the house as you can pretty much see the whole circuit from up there. The buzzer has just gone, which means anyone who is not relevant to getting the car moving must now clear off the grid.

Lewis Hamilton has rolled his earplug in his fingers, placed them carefully into his ears and then slid his yellow helmet on. He steps into the car, keeping his eyes looking forward as his team strap him in. The Brit is on the dirty side of the grid, so may struggle for grip of the start. But he knows what he has to do.

Sauber's Sergio Perez has been arguably the revelation of the season in 2012, narrowly missing out on victory in the Malaysian Grand Prix last month. The Mexican has been in inspired form this season but admits "a podium doesn't look realistic at all". Instead, the 22-year-old said "we will go for points" from eighth on the grid as "this track isn't an easy one for us anyway."

"Some of the teams are predicting pit stops as early as laps six or seven - which will force other drivers to react to stop themselves being jumped, as happened after Mark Webber's early stop on China last weekend. But drivers stopping early will then have to be careful of tyre wear later on. According to the teams' information, drivers doing two-stop races will probably be in front by the time the pit stops are over, but will be vulnerable to those attacking from behind on fresher tyres - and to a much greater extent than in China last weekend."

The grandstand opposite the pit straight is almost full now with a real mix of flags and driver/team allegiances. Only 30 minutes ago it was empty. Finally, this is beginning to feel like a Formula 1 grand prix. Let 'race fever' commence.

McLaren's Jenson Button is deep in conversation with his race engineer, but he seems agitated. "The ice vest is digging into my chest a bit," he says. Ah, that'll be why.

"The prediction by most engineers is that this will probably be a three-stop race, with some trying to hold on despite the high thermal tyre degradation to do two, and others trying for four, despite the traffic issues involved. Most predict Red Bull and McLaren will battle hard for the win, and Mercedes might join them - although Mercedes' race pace was not as strong in the simulation runs on Friday."

McLaren driver Jenson Button: "Most people will be on three-stop strategies. Some are saying there will be people doing four-stop strategies. Ours is complicated. I don't really know what I'm doing yet."

Paul Hembery added: "We can expect three stops for most of the leading runners, although some may try two depending on which compound they favour." At the other end of the scale, HRT are expecting between three and four stops.

"One of the best performances in qualifying has to be Toro Rosso's Daniel Ricciardo ending up sixth on the grid. The sunny Australian was helped by Fernando Alonso and Paul di Resta not doing laps in the final qualifying session but, with team-mate Jean-Eric Vergne a somewhat bemused 18th, it's still a remarkable achievement, which earned a 'good effort' from fellow countryman Mark Webber. But Ricciardo is keeping his feet on the ground in terms of expectations. 'I have to focus on points, as this is the best chance we have had so far,' he said."

F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone and FIA President Jean Todt are on the grid with an assortment of VIP guests with a trail of snappers following in their wake. Meanwhile, all around them the teams are making the final tweaks on their machines and the drivers having final chats with their engineers.

And here's 1-12...

1) Sebastian Vettel 2) Lewis Hamilton 3) Mark Webber 4) Jenson Button 5) Nico Rosberg 6) Daniel Ricciardo 7) Romain Grosjean 8) Sergio Perez 9) Fernando Alonso* 10) Paul di Resta* 11) Kimi Raikkonen 12) Kamui Kobayashi.

* Both Alonso and Di Resta failed to set a time in Q3 which saved a set of tyre and allows them free choice on the rubber they start the race on.

With a little over 20 minutes until the start of the race, let me give you a rundown of the grid, starting with 13-24...

13) Nico Hulkenberg 14) Felipe Massa 15) Bruno Senna 16) Heikki Kovalainen 17) Jean-Eric Vergne 18) Vitaly Petrov 19) Charles Pic 20) Pedro de la Rosa 21) Pastor Maldonado* 22) Michael Schumacher* 23) Timo Glock 24) Narain Karthikeyan.

*Maldonado and Schumacher qualified 17th and 18th respectively, but both were given a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change.

"Michael Schumacher's chances of taking his first victory since China 2006 surely evaporated with the DRS failure that ensured he was knocked out of first qualifying. He can still hope for a strong race, though - he has lots of sets of new tyres, and could charge through the field in the way Red Bull's Mark Webber did in China last year. 'That is obviously the only upside to a non-working DRS in the final sector that put us out,' Schumacher said. 'It is going to be interesting, entertaining for all of us.' He had a further blow on Sunday morning when it emerged the team were taking the opportunity to change his gearbox - which drops him to 22nd on the grid."

On the other side of the Mercedes garage, the weekend has gone from bad to darn right terrible for Michael Schumacher...

Nico Rosberg has looked in good shape all weekend, but he was found wanting in qualifying on Saturday, managing just the fifth fastest time after his pole position heroics in China. The Mercedes driver was far from unhappy, though, and admitted the team had compromised their qualifying set-up to focus on race pace. "I am the only driver in the top five who has a set of new option tyres which can be very useful at this circuit," he said.

"Ferrari's Fernando Alonso was an impressive fifth fastest in second qualifying on Saturday but then did not do a timed lap in the top-10 shoot-out - the reason being he had used all his new sets of 'soft' tyres to get that far. He is hoping the freedom to choose the tyres on which he starts the race, and having three new sets of 'medium' tyres will help him. "The aim?" Alonso said. "To finish in the points, around sixth or seventh place. I know, it's not brilliant, but that's what we can do with the car we have."

BBC sports news correspondent Dan Roan says there is a real possibility of protests during the race adding that while security is tighter than it ever has been, all it takes is for someone to get into the venue, seemingly as a fan, and unfurl a banner or get on to the track.

The pit-lane is now open, which means drivers are free to drive their cars round to the grid where they will meet their mechanics for final preparations. Pole-sitter Sebastian Vettel pulls on his gloves, the team fire up his engine ready and away he goes.

"If Lewis Hamilton is going to challenge Sebastian Vettel for victory, a lot will depend on the start - preventing Vettel leading the first lap could be crucial as it would stop him employing the tactic he used to win 11 races last year; namely blitz the first two laps, get out of DRS range, and then control the race from there. The problem for Hamilton is he is starting on the even-numbered side of the grid where there is less grip because it is off the racing line. Hamilton said: 'Each year I have started on the dirty side, and here I am again. (But) we have much better launches this year so fingers crossed I'll be able to challenge them down into Turn One.'"

"Lewis Hamilton, second on the grid behind Vettel, suspects that one of the reasons behind Vettel's transformed qualifying pace is the subject that has been on everyone's lips all year - tyre temperature. The new Pirellis are proving difficult to handle, and getting them in the right temperature range can have a dramatic effect on the car's pace. But McLaren have looked consistently strong in all conditions this year and Hamilton is confident of giving Vettel a run for his money."

Constructors' standings after three rounds:

1) McLaren - 88

2) Red Bull - 64

3) Ferrari - 37

4) Sauber - 31

5) Mercedes - 26

6) Lotus - 24

7) Williams - 18

8) Force India - 9

Drivers' standings after three rounds:

1) Lewis Hamilton - McLaren - 45

2) Jenson Button - McLaren - 43

3) Fernando Alonso - Ferrari - 37

4) Mark Webber - Red Bull - 36

5) Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull - 28

6) Nico Rosberg - Mercedes - 25

7) Sergio Perez - Sauber - 22

8) Kimi Raikkonen - Lotus - 16

It's been quite some season already, with three different winners driving for three different constructors. Jenson Button got his season off to a fine start with victory down under in Melbourne before Fernando Alonso masters the wet conditions to secure a shock victory in Malaysia. Then last weekend in China, Nico Rosberg secured the first win of his career - and Mercedes' first victory since the 1955 Italian Grand Prix. And despite not winning a single race, Lewis Hamilton leads the World Championship.

The shock weather has not stopped the Bahrainis putting on a show for the handful of fans sitting in the main grandstand, though. We've got men in stilts riding bicyles - which is quite a sight I assure you - others playing bagpipes and a lovely marching band to round it all off. Not a touch on the Chinese Westlife wannabes from last weekend I grant you, but a nice job nonetheless.

"Now race day has arrived, with no-one from F1 hurt in any protests, the remaining concern is whether a protestor will somehow be able to disrupt the race - throwing an even bigger spotlight on those calling for greater human rights and democracy in Bahrain. FIA president Jean Todt has admitted officials cannot necessarily stop it. 'How can I say it cannot happen?' he told BBC Sport on Saturday. The Bahraini authorities say they are confident they can prevent any protests affecting the race."

We've got 57 laps coming up for you on 5.412km circuit located in the middle of the desert. That's a total race distance of 308.238km with drivers expecting to be on full throttle for 59% of the lap. The circuit features 15 corners (six left and nine right if you were wondering), which will require 52 gear changes per lap, and two long straights with drivers reaching a top speed of 310kph. And breathe.

"Sebastian Vettel has been unhappy with the handling of his Red Bull all year, and even drove the launch-spec car in China last weekend. But in Bahrain he is back in the latest spec, and the car's qualifying pace and Vettel's satisfaction with it have been transformed. 'We've got a lot of parts of different specifications and we have been trying very hard to get the car back to the front,' he said. '. We knew if we got everything together we should have a better qualifying session than previous races. We should be very competitive.'"

"Before this season started, almost no-one within the sport would have predicted that it would be the fourth race before world champion Sebastian Vettel scored a pole position in his Red Bull. Now he has, there is a strong chance he will convert it into his first win since Korea last year. As Lewis Hamilton pointed out on Saturday, Red Bull have had the strongest race pace most of this season."

Sebastian Vettel may well be on pole, but Lewis Hamilton was within a tenth of the German, and Mark Webber and Jenson Button are lurking on the second row. Watch out for Nico Rosberg who starts fifth - more from him in a bit - and Mercedes team-mate Michael Schumacher who is back in 17th after a qualifying nightmare.

As Andrew says, this has indeed been one of the most controversial races in living memory so here's a quick round up of what has happened. On Wednesday, four Force India members of staff had petrol bombs thrown over the top of their car. On Thursday, Sauber staff saw masked men running towards them. On Friday, Force India missed second practice so they could get back to the hotel before dark. On Saturday, an activist was found dead. Later in the day, FIA boss Jean Todt defended the decision to race.

"The final day one of the most tense and controversial grand prix weekends for many years has finally arrived. The focus both inside Bahrain and on it from outside has almost exclusively been on the decision to hold the grand prix itself. Security is tight on the way into the track. But as Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn put it on Saturday: 'We're here now, and we're having a race.' He went on to say that a 'proper judgement' needed to be taken on the fall-out of the decision to press ahead with this event, but for the next few hours at least the focus will be on what happens on the track and expectations are high for another cracking race."

Welcome, one and all, to the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir. The build-up was dominated by debate over whether the race should go ahead, but we're here now - a mere hour away from the lights going out - and boy is it shaping up to be a battle royale.

OK, maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself, but there's no denying the fact that Sebastian Vettel, the cucumber-wielding German, is back to form having failed to qualify higher than fifth all season. This is the form of a man who started on pole 15 times in 19 races last season on his way to the title.

The finger strikes back. Sebastian Vettel, the reigning world champion who has been a mere supporting actor in the F1 show so far this season, showed why he's box office with a blockbuster lap in qualifying on Saturday. Is this the beginning of the end for the rest of the field's title chances?