Max Verstappen claimed his first victory of the season with a dominant drive at a dramatic Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, while Kimi Antonelli strengthened his grip on the Formula 1 drivers’ championship.
The Red Bull driver led home Mercedes’ Antonelli, who extended his lead over team-mate George Russell to 84 points after the Briton retired with a power unit failure five laps from the finish.
Lewis Hamilton completed the podium after producing a remarkable recovery from an early tyre strategy error.
The race was delayed by an hour and a half following heavy rain and a series of technical problems that left several cars struggling to complete their formation laps behind the safety car. The FIA also faced questions over how the starting order was determined.
When the race finally began, Antonelli and Russell made strong starts to move ahead of Verstappen and Hamilton, who had started on the front row.
Hamilton’s decision to begin on soft slick tyres proved costly on the wet track, forcing him towards the back of the field and leaving him almost a minute behind the leaders.
Verstappen, meanwhile, recovered to second before the first safety car period and took the lead from Antonelli after the restart on lap 13.
The Dutchman then controlled the race, while Antonelli passed Russell on lap 21 to move into second.
A late safety car, triggered by Alex Albon’s stranded Williams, set up a four-lap sprint to the finish. Verstappen remained unchallenged, while Hamilton fought his way through the field and passed Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar for third with three laps remaining.
Russell’s retirement further damaged his title hopes, leaving Antonelli with a commanding advantage with six or seven races remaining.
The result marked Verstappen and Red Bull’s first win of the year, while Antonelli took another significant step towards his maiden world title.
