Formula One: Bahrain Grand Prix - Leclerc engine trouble gives Hamilton victory

Mercedes once again took the top two spots on the podium after runaway leader Charles Leclerc suffered an engine problem while on course for his maiden victory.

Photo from BBC Sport

Leclerc had a poor start and dominated after re-taking the lead in Bahrain, but a hybrid system failure proved to be his downfall.
The component in question cost him 40 km/h on the straights, leaving him defenceless to the advances of Mercedes.
Lewis Hamilton closed the eight-second advantage that the Monegasque had built, and overtook with nine laps to go.
A late race safety car meant that Leclerc finished on the podium instead of finishing fourth after Bottas and Verstappen.

Having destroyed his teammate and four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, Leclerc then saw victory slip from his grasp.
The German was not without problems either, spinning his car with 20 laps to go in a battle for second place with Hamilton.
Following Vettel's spin his Ferrari suffered a huge vibration before the front wing shattered and forced the car up into the air

Photo from BBC Sport

Another mistake cast doubt over Vettel's ability in high-pressure situations, after last year's early collapse due to individual errors which cost him his title hopes.
The cause of the front wing breakage is as yet unknown, but the changing dynamics within Ferrari will be fascinating to see over the course of the season.
Vettel had started the season as their leader but Leclerc has now staked his claim and proved he will be a major force.

Both Renault cars failed with three laps to go, their retirement bringing out the safety car to preserve Leclerc's podium finish.
In sixth was Lando Norris, who performed well for McLaren, beating Alfa Romeo's Kimi Raikkonen, Red Bull's Pierre Gasly and Toro Rosso Alexander Albon, the Anglo-Thai scoring points in only his second grand prix.
The Chinese Grand Prix in a fortnight will be the 1,000th F1 race, and after differing form for Mercedes and Ferrari in Australia and Bahrain, it is wide open.

Photo from BBC Sport

2019 Bahrain Grand Prix Results

#		DRIVER	team	LAPS	TIME/RETIRED	PTS
C		L Hamilton	MERCEDES	57	1:34:21.295	25
2		V Bottas	MERCEDES	57	+2.980s	18
3		C Leclerc	FERRARI	57	+6.131s	16
4		M Verstappen	RED BULL	57	+6.408s	12
5		S Vettel	FERRARI	57	+36.068s	10
6		L Norris	MCLAREN	57	+45.754s	8
7		K Räikkönen	ALFA ROMEO	57	+47.470s	6
8		P Gasly	RED BULL	57	+58.094s	4
9		A Albon	TORO ROSSO	57	+62.697s	2
10		S Perez	RACING POINT	57	+63.696s	1
11		A Giovinazzi	ALFA ROMEO	57	+64.599s	0
12		D Kvyat	TORO ROSSO	56	+1 lap	0
13		K Magnussen	HAAS	56	+1 lap	0
14		L Stroll	RACING POINT	56	+1 lap	0
15		G Russell	WILLIAMS	56	+1 lap	0
16		R Kubica	WILLIAMS	55	+2 laps	0
17		N Hulkenberg	RENAULT	53	DNF	0
18		D Ricciardo	RENAULT	53	DNF	0
19		C Sainz Jr.	MCLAREN	53	DNF	0
NC		R Grosjean	HAAS	16	DNF	0

Formula One Driver's Championship Standings
#/Driver/Team/Points/Wins/Podiums
1/V Bottas/Mercedes/44/1/2
2/L Hamilton/Mercedes/43/1/2
3/M Verstappen/Red Bull/27/0/1
4/C Leclerc/Ferrari/26/0/1
5/S Vettel/Ferrari/22/0/0
6/K Räikkönen/Alfa Romeo/10/0/0
7/L Norris/McLaren/8/0/0
8/K Magnussen/Haas/8/0/0
9/N Hülkenberg/Renault/6/0/0
10/P Gasly/Red Bull/4/0/0
11/L Stroll/Racing Point/2/0/0
12/A Albon/Toro Rosso/2/0/0
13/D Kvyat/Toro Rosso/1/0/0
14/S Pérez/Racing Point/1/0/0
15/A Giovinazzi/Alfa Romeo/0/0/0
16/G Russell/Williams/0/0/0
17/R Kubica/Williams/0/0/0
18/D Ricciardo/Renault/0/0/0
19/R Grosjean/Haas/0/0/0
20/C Sainz Jr./McLaren/0/0/0

2019 Races and Results
Australian Grand Prix
Melbourne, 15-17 March
1. Bottas, 2. Hamilton, 3. Verstappen

Bahrain Grand Prix
Sakhir, 29-31 March
1. Hamilton, 2. Bottas, 3. Leclerc

Chinese Grand Prix
Shanghai, 12-14 April

Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Baku, 26-28 April

Spanish Grand Prix
Barcelona, 10-12 May

Monaco Grand Prix
Monte Carlo, 23, 25-26 May

Canadian Grand Prix
Montreal, 7-9 June

French Grand Prix
Le Castellet, 21-23 June

Austrian Grand Prix
Spielberg, 28-30 June

British Grand Prix
Silverstone, 12-14 July

German Grand Prix
Hockenheim, 26-28 July

Hungarian Grand Prix
Budapest, 2-4 August

Belgian Grand Prix
Spa-Francorchamps, 30 August-1 September

Italian Grand Prix
Monza, 6-8 September

Singapore Grand Prix
Marina Bay, 20-22 September

Russian Grand Prix
Sochi, 27-29 September

Japanese Grand Prix
Suzuka, 11-13 October

Mexican Grand Prix
Mexico City, 25-27 October

United States Grand Prix
Austin, 1-3 November

Brazilian Grand Prix
Sao Paulo, 15-17 November

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Yas Marina, 29 November-1 December

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