Car issues doom Red Bull, while the two Mercedes finish 3-4.
SAKHIR, Bahrain– After many seasons without a major championship and disappointing their fans, the Tifosi is back. On Sunday evening, Charles Leclerc took pole position, had the fastest lap of the race, and won the 57-lap Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix. Teammate Carlos Sainz, Jr. took second place, and Lewis Hamilton finished third in his Mercedes.
Another storyline Sunday was Red Bull’s surprising exit from the race. Both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez retired just laps from the end of the race.
Charles Leclerc: Yes, so happy. The last two years have been incredibly difficult for the team. We knew it would be a big opportunity for us, and the guys have done such an incredible job building this amazing car. We are starting in the best way possible. Pole position. Victory. Fastest lap. A one-two with Carlos. We couldn’t have hoped for any better.
Leclerc began the race well out in front of Verstappen, who started from second but ended up passing the Monegasque on lap 16. Leclerc fought off the defending world champion immediately and then regained the lead as Verstappen wore out his tires early due to overaggressive driving.
By lap 42, Leclerc had nearly a four-second lead over the Dutchman. Then, incidents began happening. Alpha Tauri’s Pierre Gasly overheated his car and retired from the race. The smoky and flaming vehicle brought out the only safety car of the evening, which gave Verstappen a chance to catch his Ferrari rival.
As the safety car period ended, Verstappen made his final pit stop. But when he returned to the track, the Red Bull suffered from tight steering, and the battery began affecting the car. The Red Bull garage informed Verstappen that the battery problem was nothing they could fix and that he would have to cope with the problem for the remainder of the race. As fate would have it, Verstappen’s night ended before the finish line: his car expired two laps from the end.
Verstappen’s teammate, Sergio Perez, would soon experience the same end. Perez, Sainz Jr., Hamilton, and George Russell, all passed Verstappen as the Dutchman pulled into the pits. Then, without warning, Perez’s engine locked up and spun with one lap to go.
Those issues allowed Hamilton to grab the third position. “It was such a difficult race.” said a relieved Hamilton. “We have struggled throughout practice, and this is the best result we could have had. We did the best we could and are grateful for the points. The guys are working hard at the factory. It is not going to be a quick turnaround. I feel like we have been the best, most unified team for so long. We all know to keep our heads down and keep working as there is a long way to go.”
Ferrari’s Sainz, Jr. was equally relieved and hopeful. “I saw flashing red lights at the back of Max’s car, and I thought, ‘OK, now’s my chance,’ and I went for it. He was driving well enough to get for P2, but I had a good run on him. I didn’t have the pace today but managed to hold it and bring the 1-2 for the team.”
While Ferrari claimed the 1-2 finish, Mercedes took 3-4 with Russell in fourth. Kevin Magnussen continued his fine driving with a fifth-place finish, giving the Haas F1 Team newly found competitive life.
Formula One will not rest after spending the last two weeks in Bahrain, first for testing and then for the season’s first race. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will take place next weekend in the capital city of Jeddah.
