Heartbreak for Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc as Lewis Hamilton wins Bahrain GP

Hamilton and team mate Valtteri Bottas, lapping far faster than the stricken Ferrari, reeled him in and breezed past to secure the team’s second one-two finish in as many races and against the odds.

“That was extremely unfortunate for Charles,” said Hamilton after starting in third place and behind the Ferraris.

“He drove such a great race. We’ve got work to do to keep these guys off our tails,” added the Briton, who embraced Leclerc after they stepped out of their cars and offered commiserations.

The race finished with the field following the safety car, deployed as marshals removed Daniel Ricciardo’s stranded Renault.

“I was not expecting that result,” added Hamilton, who had complained earlier of feeling like a sitting duck with his fading tyres.

Hamilton’s win was the 74th of his career but first this season. He is now 17 wins short of Michael Schumacher’s all-time record of 91.

The Briton stayed second in the championship but is now just one point shy of overall leader Bottas, who won and scored the extra point for fastest lap in the season-opener in Australia two weeks ago.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said it was always a balance between performance and reliability.

“Charles was very unfortunate today,” he agreed. “He was the quickest guy and should have won the race but then things swing in the other direction.”

Third place was still a first Formula One podium for Leclerc, and he also took an extra point for setting the fastest lap of the race, but that was scant consolation considering how much more he could have had.

“It’s a very hard one to take,” said the youngster, in only his second race for Ferrari. “It’s a shame to only finish third, but it’s part of racing and we’ll come back stronger.”

VETTEL SPINS
Leclerc’s problems capped an already difficult day for Ferrari, with team mate Sebastian Vettel having a nightmare of his own.

The German, who led initially but finished fifth, spun while defending second place from Hamilton and then lost his front wing in a spectacular shower of sparks.

“I really struggled at the beginning of the race,” said a downcast Vettel. “Overall, there was not the pace I wanted to have today. Then obviously on top I had the mistake with the spin, so not a good evening”.

“I lost the car very suddenly and once I spun it was too late. (It was) unfortunate that we had so much damage with the tyres that it caused the front wing to fail.”

Dutch 21-year-old Max Verstappen finished fourth for Red Bull ahead of Vettel.

British rookie Lando Norris put in a fine drive for McLaren to finish sixth, and score his first points in Formula One, ahead of Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Raikkonen.

“Just the whole race today was a lot more fun than Australia,” said Norris.

“I could do a bit of overtaking… I could enjoy the experience of Formula One much more here. We just had better pace than we thought we were going to have.”

Frenchman Pierre Gasly brought his Red Bull home in eighth ahead of Toro Rosso’s Thai driver Alexander Albon and Mexican Sergio Perez, who rounded out the top 10 for Racing Point.

Canadian Lance Stroll made contact with the Haas of Romain Grosjean at the start, pitting for a new front wing, while McLaren’s Carlos Sainz and Verstappen came together early. Grosjean and Sainz both retired.

Lucky Mercedes recognise they have work to do

Lewis Hamilton won the Bahrain Grand Prix after a late power unit problem cost Charles Leclerc a win. (Source: Reuters)

“It’s a bit subdued because we are all racers and the emotional winner today was (Ferrari’s) Charles (Leclerc),” team boss Toto Wolff told reporters.

Hamilton agreed: “He deserved the win today. He’s done the job all weekend.”

Leclerc, Ferrari’s 21-year-old Monegasque newcomer, had been heading for his first grand prix win after becoming the Italian team’s youngest driver to start from pole position.

A late safety car deployment at least enabled Leclerc to hang on for third place and a first career podium.

“He was the quickest car, or the quickest guy, and he should have won the race. Then things swing in the other direction,” said Wolff.

Wolff indicated there needed to be a dose of realism. “You have to take the one and two, celebrate, but take it with humility and a knowledge that there is work to be done and not think that this was the performance ranking of the Sunday,” he said. “It wasn’t.”

We will come back stronger, says luckless Leclerc

Charles Leclerc had become Ferrari’s youngest driver to start from pole position. (Source: Reuters)

Charles Leclerc put a brave face on disappointment and vowed to come back stronger after engine problems late in the race denied the Ferrari driver a first Formula One victory in Bahrain on Sunday.

The 21-year-old Monegasque could count himself lucky to finish third, behind the Mercedes pair of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, after the safety car was deployed in the final laps and kept fast-approaching rivals behind.

That was a first grand prix podium for the 2017 Formula Two champion, who also earned an extra point for setting the fastest race lap.

“Of course I’m extremely disappointed, like the whole team, but it happens… I think we made the best out of it,” Leclerc told reporters.

Heartbreak is too strong a word for a young man whose career has been tinged by tragedy, with the death of his father Herve in 2017 after that of his godfather, friend and fellow racer Jules Bianchi in 2015.

He said Sunday was not even the cruellest race of his career, that being Monaco in Formula Two when he had to retire after dominating in front of his home crowd.

Leclerc has plenty of time on his side as the youngest Ferrari driver since 1961, the youngest to take a pole position for the Italian team and undoubtedly soon to become their youngest ever race winner.

But he is also a man in a hurry, and one not intimidated by being team mate to a four-times world champion in Sebastian Vettel.

The Monegasque passed Vettel for the lead, rather than playing a subservient role, and left no doubt that he was quicker.

“Today was not our day. It’s sad, because obviously I was so close of realising a dream that you have since childhood, which is your first win in Formula One — but hopefully this day will come one day in the future,” said Leclerc.

“I’ll work for that, and I’m pretty sure the team will work for this but they should be proud about what they’ve done this weekend, and we’ll come back stronger.”

Hamilton, a five-times world champion now with 74 grand prix wins, raised his hand to Leclerc in salute and sympathy as he went past for the lead and was quick to commiserate and offer praise later.

“I just had to see Charles because he did such a great job,” said the Briton. “I’m sure this is a devastating result for him as he had done the job to win the race.

“This guy has lots more wins coming in the future so congratulations to him.

“Today he still got some great points even though he had that problem… he was so much faster than his team mate all weekend, so he has so many positives to take from it and we have a lot of work to do to try and keep up with him.”