Bahrain Grand Prix result: Leclerc and Sainz qualify 1-2, Verstappen withdraws due to technical issues in the final stage

Charles Leclerc won his first Grand Prix of the year. He managed to keep his teammate Carlos Sainz behind in Bahrain, and crossed the finish line in second place. The podium at the Bahrain International Circuit was completed by third seed Lewis Hamilton. Max Verstappen pulled out in the absolute final stage after trouble.

Verstappen had a good chance of winning the season opener but everything went wrong for Red Bull in the final stage. The world champion came on the radio after his last disappointed layover and complained of trouble. It was not clear what was wrong, but it was clear that the problems were very serious. In the final laps, the safety car entered the track and Verstappen stopped shortly after the safety car stage. To make matters worse, Perez also fell silent after touring.

Begins

The race started very well for the Dutch player. He got off to a good start, and so did first custodian Charles Leclerc. Monegask maintained the lead from the start as not much happened. Valtteri Bottas backed off after a disastrous start and Esteban Ocon took advantage of Mick Schumacher. Leclerc maintained the lead and didn’t give it up after the first pit-stop lap.

strategy

After that, the audience had an old-fashioned fighting round. Verstappen and Leclerc dueled wheel by wheel and the Dutchman came back from afar every time. However, it was of no use, as the clever Leclerc maintained his composure and regained the lead each time. Verstappen had to wave the white flag and Red Bull is counting on their strategic prowess.

Problems

All plans were then pursued as the safety car entered the track. The AlphaTauri of Pierre Gasly caught fire and the field collapsed again. After the wraparound cars passed the safety car and rejoined, the crowd was treated to a sprint to the finish line. Verstappen panicked, and the problems worsened. At the beginning of the second half he tried again but to no avail. The race broke out at Red Bull as Verstappen lost pace. The world champion was limping in the pits like a snail and the disappointment was huge. All hopes were pinned on Sergio Perez, but here too there were problems. The Mexican gnaws at problems and the Austrians lick their wounds.