Ferrari wins 1-2 as Leclerc wins ahead of Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton

 

Bahrain International Circuit

Charles Leclerc led a Ferrari 1-2 in Formula 1’s 2022 Bahrain season opener, having beaten Max Verstappen in a thrilling race-long battle before Red Bull’s efforts backfired. Leclerc and Verstappen shot off the line in unison. With two laps to go Verstappen complaining about a steering problem to reporting a battery problem suddenly dropped back in the penultimate straight and crawled back to the pits to retire. Hamilton’s Mercedes finished third 9.6s behind Leclerc, with George Russell fourth having quickly risen up the order from his ninth-place grid spot during the early stages and been tracking his team-mate at 14s behind before the safety car period.