Verstappen had taken control of the race early on after starting from the fourth pole position of his career, but he lost advantage when Hamilton took the lead in the first round of pit stops.
Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time world champion, won the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday, triumphing over Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in a thrilling fight in the desert that went down to the final lap.
Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes completed the podium. Verstappen had taken control of the race early on after starting from the fourth pole position of his career, but he lost his lead when Hamilton was able to undercut the Dutchman into the lead during the first round of pit stops.
A exciting conclusion was set up following a second pit stop for both drivers – Verstappen’s arriving 10 laps after Hamilton’s – with Verstappen eating into Hamilton’s lead before attempting a pass on Lap 53 but running too wide and losing the position.
That would be Verstappen’s only chance, as Hamilton held on until the checkered flag to win his 96th career race by less than a second, passing Michael Schumacher’s record of 5,111 laps led in Formula One history.
Bottas finished a distant third behind the dueling leaders following a late pit stop to earn the fastest lap bonus point, while Lando Norris equaled his result from the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix with a spectacular drive to fourth for McLaren.
Sergio Perez placed fifth overall. Sergio Perez finished fifth on his Red Bull debut, ahead of the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc and the second McLaren of Daniel Ricciardo, after a formation lap issue forced him to start from the pit lane.
Carlos Sainz, driving the second Ferrari, finished eighth, ahead of rookie Yuki Tsunoda in ninth, and Lance Stroll, driving the Aston Martin, finished tenth.
So, in round one, it was disappointment for Verstappen and glory for reigning champion Hamilton – but after a great battle, it appears that we’ll have a tight contest for supremacy between Red Bull and Mercedes in 2021.
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