Charles Leclerc was denied his first Formula 1 victory in Bahrain after an engine problem saw him fall from the lead to third in the dying stages.
Starting from pole position, Leclerc lost out to Ferrari team-mate Sebastian Vettel and Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas on the first lap.
With more pace than either Bottas and Vettel, he quickly found his way back to the lead and had a commanding lead before the first round of pitstops.
Leading for much of the race, a MGU-H failure saw his straight line speed
reduced by 30kph, allowing both Lewis Hamilton and Bottas ahead.
A late safety car for the double Renault retirement at the end of the race allowed him to retain third-place, which looked in doubt with an advancing Max Verstappen.
With the Red Bull close with just a couple of laps remaining, Leclerc knew the even finishing would have been difficult, confirming after the race: “We
were very lucky in an unlucky situation because we had the safety car at the end, otherwise I don’t think with the fuel it would have been
OK.
“Yeah, I had a bad start really. I was determined to get these positions
back.
“I think that we showed that we were the strongest in the race.
“Unfortunately today was not our day. I’m extremely disappointed like the
whole of the team. It’s part of racing and I’m sure we will come back stronger. I’m very happy anyway.”
Although little consolation, Leclerc still took the point for the fastest lap
and jumps ahead of Vettel in the drivers’ championship by four points in third-place.
