Bahrain GP ends with nightmare double DNF for Red Bull!

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Red Bull Racing's evening at the races ended with a catastrophic double DNF, with Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen retiring in the first five laps of Sunday's event.

The Dutchman launched his race from P15 and rocketed up the field on the opening lap only to collide with Lewis Hamilton as the pair battled for position.

While the Mercedes driver emerged unscathed from the squabble, Verstappen picked up a puncture but managed to limp back to the pits. The subsequent damage halted the RB14 as he left the pitlane however putting a premature end to Verstappen's race.

In the interim, drama hit team mate Daniel Ricciardo up front when the Aussie's engine suddenly cut out, forcing the Red Bull driver to park his car and return to base on foot.

Ricciardo hinted at an electrical issue as the culprit of his painful demise.

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"It’s hard, hard when it happens so early," he said after his retirement.

"I was fired up, when it’s a night race you’ve got the whole day to think about the race, trying to hold everything in for race time, and after two minutes it’s over.

"I lost all power, seemed like a battery or electrical power – everything switched off, couldn’t do anything.

"No reason at the moment, but a harsh reality of our sport sometimes, I love it, then I hate it."

Ricciardo insisted there had been no warning of his car's sudden failure.

"There was no warning, first thing I felt into Turn 8 was the brake pedal, the BBW, you lose the power, brake goes long and I looked at the screen and everything went off.

"I knew straight away, I couldn’t change gears, yeah..."

"Frustrating for everyone because we genuinely felt like we had a good car coming into the race; really believe our race car was better," he added.

"Only did a lap and half, could see Kimi in front, looked like he was already sliding on the rears, felt like we were in with a chance."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.