Leclerc takes Bahrain as F1 returns

Charles Leclerc won the opening race of the new Formula One season, a dominant victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix that indicated Ferrari are back. Although he fought with reigning world champion Max Verstappen, the lead changing hands at multiple points, Leclerc always looked in charge – his driving, coupled with a second-place finish from teammate Carlos Sainz, marked the team’s first win since Singapore 2019.

Leclerc was on pole, and held off Verstappen in the opening corners. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton managed to pass Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and climb into fourth, but the car’s pace issues meant Perez soon retook the place with DRS on lap 10. Hamilton was first to pit, taking hard tyres on lap 12, and the Ferraris and Red Bulls followed him into the pits a few laps later.

Cue a battle between Leclerc and Verstappen, beginning on lap 17. The world champion pulled ahead, but Leclerc retook the lead after a wheel-to-wheel race. In the next two laps, the lead changed hands four times, but Leclerc soon moved out of DRS and opened a gap of more than three seconds. They both pitted again on laps 28 (Verstappen) and 31 (Leclerc), and at this point, the Ferraris and Red Bulls were in a race of their own, the fifth- and sixth-placed Mercedes of Hamilton and new teammate George Russell far behind.

Red Bull knew they needed something to challenge, so they brought Verstappen into the pits for new tyres with fewer than 15 laps to go. A virtual safety car was declared on lap 46, as Pierre Gasly’s AlphaTauri caught fire. And this effectively gave Leclerc a free pit stop of his own, getting new tyres and still holding the lead when he emerged.

Then, it was tragedy for Red Bull when the race restarted (which, according to many commentators, had an almost karmic quality after the way the 2021 season ended). Leclerc held his lead, and Verstappen barely kept in front of Sainz. Verstappen had been complaining of difficulties with the car, and a power problem three laps from the end took him out of the race. The Ferrari drivers had a clean run to the finish, Leclerc also picking up the bonus point for fastest lap. Hamilton closed in on Perez, and his engine also died on the final lap, giving the Mercedes driver a very unexpected podium finish. Russell came fourth, and Kevin Magnussen – returning to F1 to replace Nikita Mazepin at Haas – rounded out the top five.

Valtteri Bottas, in his first drive for Alfa Romeo, came sixth – it was a solid drive after a poor start to the race. His teammate Guanyu Zhou came tenth – it was his F1 debut as the first driver Chinese driver in the sport, and he’ll be very happy with that result. As well as Mercedes, it appears that McLaren have also been hit hard by the new rule changes this season – Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris struggled to a 14^th– and 15^th-place finish respectively, an unexpectedly weak start.

2021 was clearly a two-horse race almost from the first Grand Prix – this time round, things look like they’ll be much more exciting

After the race, Leclerc said: “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 in building this amazing car.

“Starting in best way possible. Pole position, victory, fastest lap, one two with Carlos, we couldn’t have hoped for any better. I was trying to be as clever as possible, brake early in Turn One and twice it worked out. I took back my first position and I am incredibly happy to make it work.”

Sainz said: “Well first congrats Charles and Ferrari. Ferrari are properly back with a 1-2, where the team should be. The hard work is paying off and we are there. For me it’s been a very tricky weekend I’m not going to lie. I didn’t have the pace today but I managed to hold it and bring the 1-2 for the team. I have some homework to do over the next few days and I’m sure I’ll come back stronger.”

Hamilton said: “Firstly a big congratulations to Ferrari. I am so happy to see them doing well again. It is such a historic, epic team. It is so great to see Charles and Carlos up there as well – I am so happy for them. It was such a difficult race. We have struggled throughout practice and this is the best result we could have got. We did the best we could and are grateful for these points.

“The guys are working hard back at the factory. It is not going to be a quick turnaround. I do 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.”

Next weekend, we’ll head to Saudi Arabia for the second race of the season. The maiden race on the Jeddah circuit last year was a dramatic one, and you can already anticipate similarly exciting scenes this time round. Ferrari will want to keep the momentum going, Red Bull will be desperate to win some points after proving they have a strong car, and the other teams are showing themselves to be in interesting places. 2021 was clearly a two-horse race almost from the first Grand Prix – this time round, things look like they’ll be much more exciting, and we might actually see some new names at the top.

Drivers’ Championship

1. Charles Leclerc – Ferrari (26)
2. Carlos Sainz – Ferrari (18)
3. Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes (15)
4. George Russell – Mercedes (12)
5. Kevin Magnussen – Haas (10)

Constructors’ Championship

1. Ferrari (44)
2. Mercedes (27)
3. Haas (10)