Charles Leclerc leads home Carlos Sainz in Ferrari 1-2 after Max Verstappen suffers late retirement; Lewis Hamilton third for Mercedes after Sergio Perez spins on final lap in second Red Bull
By Matt Morlidge
Last Updated: 20/03/22 5:15pm
Charles Leclerc claimed a brilliant win for Ferrari at the season-opening Bahrain GP while Red Bull suffered a late reliability failures on both cars as a new era of Formula 1 got off to a pulsating start under the lights in the desert.
Leclerc and Max Verstappen went toe to toe for much of the first race of the year, and had multiple thrilling wheel-to-wheel battles, before a Safety Car preceded last-gasp drama, agony for Red Bull and joy for Ferrari.
Verstappen, the reigning world champion who was running second, saw his race ended with a DNF with just three laps remaining, opening the door for Carlos Sainz to seal a Ferrari one-two.
It was Ferrari’s first win since 2019, ending the second-longest drought in their history in a fast start for the F1 giants after the rules overhaul.
The heartbreak, meanwhile, was not over for Red Bull as Sergio Perez, who Red Bull confirmed also had a fuel pump issue, spun when under pressure from Lewis Hamilton in a battle for third on the final lap.
That completed damage limitation to the extreme for Mercedes as George Russell finished fourth at the end of a race where the sport’s world champions were much slower than their rivals.
But this, undoubtedly, was Ferrari’s day.
Leclerc held his nerve throughout, even during epic head-to-heads with Verstappen over three consecutive laps after the early pit-stops, where he was passed twice into Turn 1 before hitting back immediately.
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Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc have been delighting the crowd with their feisty battle for the lead of the Bahrain Grand Prix.
“It’s incredible to be back at the top,” said Leclerc after the race.
“Ferrari is back and it’s properly back,” added Sainz.
Kevin Magnussen claimed an incredible fifth for Haas, F1’s slowest car last year, on his return to the sport, ahead of Valtteri Bottas who similarly shone against the odds in a Ferrari-powered Alfa Romeo.
Bottas’ rookie team-mate Zhou Guanyu meanwhile enjoyed a point-scoring debut after rising to 10th due to Red Bull’s late issues.
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Pierre Gasly’s car goes up in flames, bringing out the Safety Car as the AlphaTauri driver becomes the first driver out of the race.
Bahrain GP Race Result: Top 10
1) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
2) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
3) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
4) George Russell, Mercedes
5) Kevin Magnussen, Haas
6) Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo
7) Esteban Ocon, Alpine
8) Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri
9) Fernando Alonso, Alpine
10) Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo
More to follow.