Two years after engine troubles cost him the Bahrain Grand Prix by only three laps, Charles Leclerc has found redemption in Sakhir.
The very next lap, the Mexican suffered an engine seizure, causing his Red Bull to snap sideways in turn 1. The best the orange squad could manage were 15th and 14th, respectively. A late-race safety car was deployed after Pierre Gasly’s AlphaTauri ground to a halt at the exit of turn 3 with an overheated engine. Leclerc went unchallenged by Max Verstappen off the line, while Sainz maintained his third place spot through the opening leg of the race. I mean, I keep repeating myself, but the last two years have been incredibly difficult for the team,” Leclerc said. Leclerc’s Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz followed him home in second place, with Lewis Hamilton rounding out the podium after both Red Bulls suffered engine failures in the closing laps.
Charles Leclerc won the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday as Ferrari claimed a one-two after a dramatic ending to the first race of the new season.
Ferrari's Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were first and second in the season-opener, with Lewis Hamilton third after the Red Bulls of Verstappen and Pérez had to ...
The fight remained close to the final stages as the teams searched for an edge through the stops. After the first stops the pair went nose to tail and Verstappen flung himself up the inside with DRS on the straight. For Ferrari, their car is, on the form of this opening weekend, one of the best they have produced since they last won the drivers’ title with Kimi Räikkönen in 2007. “This is the best result we could have got, we did the best we could and are grateful for these points,” he said. Verstappen’s duel with Leclerc had been an enthralling, joyous affair but his car’s demise was a moment of bitter disappointment for driver and team, when he retired having lost power with three laps to go. Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez both retired at the very death, allowing Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes to capitalise with an unlikely place on the podium.
The final lap of Charles Leclerc's dominant 2022 Formula 1 season-opening win at Bahrain International Circuit wasn't without a "scare".
So on the final lap of Sunday’s race, just moments after the Red Bulls of Verstappen and Sergio Perez had been forced to retire with mechanical issues themselves, the 24-year-old Monesgasque thought it would be funny to play a little joke on his team and give them a little “scare”, reminiscent of the reality that was the 2019 Bahrain Grand Prix. During pit stops, Sainz led the only two laps not led by Leclerc. The win was also Ferrari’s first victory since 2019.
Charles Leclerc claimed a brilliant victory at the season opening Bahrain Grand Prix, with team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr a superb second.
Starting the season with a 1-2 is the perfect reward for the tireless work they have done over the last two years and congrats to Charles on a solid win. Despite all of this, Sainz Jr made it a 1-2 for the Prancing Horses for the first-time since the 2019 Singapore Grand Prix. Whenever I had a bit of margin behind me, I felt in control of the race and was managing the gap well. I knew I had to do the best restart possible and I am glad I got the job done well. This gap disintegrated however when a late Safety Car was brought out due to a fiery Scuderia AlphaTauri. Pierre Gasly grinded to a halt on the exit of Turn 3, with his AT03 quickly going up in flames. Leclerc held on beautifully though and got back into complete control of the race, opening up a reasonable gap in the process.
Ferrari clinched a 1-2 finish with Charles Leclerc winning the race, almost six seconds ahead of teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. Lewis Hamilton, who lost the title so ...
“It looked like a fuel pump issue, there was no fuel coming to the engine. Then, after the race had restarted with a safety car, Verstappen became increasingly panicky on race radio as he struggled with steering. It was quickly put out and the Frenchman walked away unharmed.