Vettel and Leclerc will 'work together' at start of Bahrain GP

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Ferrari drivers Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc both agree that they should work together at the start of Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix.

Vettel was outpaced by Leclerc in qualifying on Saturday as the Scuderia continued its dominance of the weekend's proceedings, but the German driver will unite with his team mate to try and keep the opposition at bay when the lights go off this evening.

"We have a very, very tough race ahead of us tomorrow," said Vettel.

"We need to work as a team and try to make sure we stay first and second. We'll see how it goes.

"I think it is pretty clear, Charles starts ahead. He has the advantage of pole position."

Pole man Leclerc 'very happy to be ahead' of Vettel!

While team orders were issued in Melbourne in the closing stages of the race, with Leclerc told to hold position behind Vettel, Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto said in Bahrain that the Monegasque was currently under no restraints.

Indeed, Leclerc said he had every intention of defending his pole advantage at the start on Sunday although without undue risk.

"To be completely honest we haven't done the pre-race meeting yet, so at the moment I don't know," he said.

"If you ask me I will do absolutely everything to keep my first place but, as you say, we're a team also and we need to work together."

Ferrari's performance in Bahrain saw the Scuderia return to the form it displayed in pre-season testing and which had strangely gone missing in Australia.

Vettel praised the crews at Maranello for recapturing the Italian squad's pace.

"We are both much happier with the car this weekend," said the four-time world champion.

"The credit really goes to the team because it is a team effort. Both of us didn't feel happy with the car in Melbourne, and team did very, very hard work trying to understand why.

"We had some answers coming here proving today we are capable of running at the front and fighting for pole, locking out the front row for Ferrari.

"It is a great testament of their work."

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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.