Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc won the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix in Formula 1 after world champion Max Verstappen retired with just three laps to go and Lewis Hamilton took a surprise podium.
Verstappen faced technical difficulties in the final moments to push Carlos Sainz into second place when Ferrari made one or two arrivals.
Hamilton moved up to third after Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez lost the lead due to an engine failure on the penultimate lap and ended a dramatic and miserable night for Red Bull. George Russell finished fourth.
Ninety-eight days after last season’s fierce final in Abu Dhabi, where Hamilton’s eighth world title was denied, Formula 1 has embarked on a new season in Bahrain.
Hamilton was largely forced into a supporting role, and Mercedes was struggling to master the sport’s biggest technical overhaul in a generation.
Monegasque Leclerc, 24, who Ferrari says could end the shortage of drivers’ championships dating back to 2007, has taken his place at the top of the pack.
Leclerc deviated from his goals at Turn 1 to keep Verstappen at bay, while Hamilton overtook Perez at Turn 2, moving up one place from fifth. Hamilton was behind Sainz’s Ferrari before the true speed of the Mercedes was revealed.
The Red Bull driver finished fourth on lap 10 when Hamilton fell from the gearbox of Sainz’s Ferrari and fell into the clutches of Perez.
Hamilton stopped for new tires, taking the harder tires two laps later. Most of the pitch ranges from soft to medium.
When Hamilton came out of the pit lane, he looked like a reindeer on ice trying to warm up his tire.
He temporarily fell behind Chinese rookie Zhou Guanyu before returning to the next round. At this point, he was 53 seconds behind the leaders.
At the front, Leclerc and Verstappen were involved in a royal battle. On lap 17, amidst the orange sparks, Verstappen moved to Leclerc’s right and took the lead at Turn 1, but Leclerc managed to get past Turn 4.
On the next lap, Verstappen tried his luck again and did stunts at turn 1, but Leclerc regained the lead at turn four, as he did 90 seconds ago.
Verstappen prepared for a third attempt at the start of the next lap, but his brakes got too hot, too cooked and it seemed his chances of winning were running out.
But Verstappen was presented with another opportunity with just 11 laps to go when Pierre Gasly’s AlphaTauri burst into flames. Gasly got out of his burning car unharmed, but the safety car was activated when his car was parked in a dangerous place.
The safety car stopped with eight laps to go, but Verstappen had to stop Sainz instead of facing Leclerc, then suddenly the Dutchman got in trouble, hitting the field before hitting the stands: his evening was over. .
Leclerc took the finish 5.5 seconds ahead of Sainz and Hamilton was four seconds behind after Perez’s late mistake.
Kevin Magnussen, recalled by Haas after the elimination of Nikita Mazepin, finished fifth with Valtteri Bottas in sixth place in his Alfa Romeo debut.
On a very troubling night for McLaren, Daniel Ricciardo and his English teammate Lando Norris finished 14th and 15th out of 17 classified drivers.
“A big congratulations to Ferrari,” said Hamilton. I am so happy to see them do well again. Nice to see Charles and Carlos there.
βIt was a very tough race and it was the best result we could get.
We did our best and we are grateful for the points. ”
Asked if he expects Mercedes to recover, Hamilton said: βI hope and know they have worked hard.
“There will not be a quick turnaround, but we are keeping our heads down, we will continue to work and we still have a long way to go.”
Source: Herald Scotland
Jason Jack is an experienced technology journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in computer science and engineering, he has a deep understanding of the latest technology trends and developments. He writes about a wide range of technology topics, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, software development, and cybersecurity.