ADVERTISEMENT
  • Who are you backing this weekend? #saudiarabia #formula1 #straighttothegrid
  • Highlights from the opening race of the season 🥳 #bahrain #2023 

📸: F1 live feed
  • Just hours away from the first race of the season!! #bahraingp #straighttothegrid #formula1
  • Follow us on TikTok ahead of the 2023 season #straighttothegrid #linkinbio
  • Verstappen has won the final race of 2022 - marking his 15th win of the season #abudhabi
  • George Russell wins the Brazilian Grand Prix in São Paulo 🏆
  • Max Verstappen has been crowned 2022 world champion after winning the Japanese GP 🏆🏁
  • 🏁 Highlights from Monza 🏁
Straight to the grid
ADVERTISEMENT
  • Home
  • News
    • All
    • Driver News
    • Latest
    • Team News
    Red Bull

    Championship Standings: Red Bull running away with early points as Formula 1 heads to Australia for Round Three

    Perez

    Sergio Perez wins Saudi Arabian GP to lead second Red Bull one-two of the season making team history

    Perez

    Qualifying: Perez in pole position after Verstappen’s shock departure

    Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez

    FP3 Saudi Arabia: Red Bull domination continues with one-two to finish practice

    Verstappen, FP2, Saudi

    FP2 Saudi Arabia: Verstappen remains out front while Hamilton’s struggles magnified

    Verstappen

    FP1 Saudi Arabia: Max Verstappen fastest but Aston Martin showing pace at Jeddah

    saudi arabia

    Everything you need to know ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

    verstappen

    2022 Saudi Arabian GP: Throwback to Max Verstappen securing the win after epic battle with Leclerc

    Toto Wolff, Bahrain

    Big changes confirmed at Mercedes after “one of the worst days in racing”

    • Latest
    • Driver News
    • Team News
  • Features
    • All
    • Interviews
    • Race Reports 2020
    • Race Reports 2021
    Verstappen, FP2, Saudi

    FP2 Saudi Arabia: Verstappen remains out front while Hamilton’s struggles magnified

    Verstappen

    FP1 Saudi Arabia: Max Verstappen fastest but Aston Martin showing pace at Jeddah

    saudi arabia

    Everything you need to know ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

    verstappen

    2022 Saudi Arabian GP: Throwback to Max Verstappen securing the win after epic battle with Leclerc

    • Interviews
    • Race Reports 2020
    • Race Reports 2021
  • Races
    • Race Calendar
    • Championship standings
  • More
    • Quiz
    • Competitions
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • All
    • Driver News
    • Latest
    • Team News
    Red Bull

    Championship Standings: Red Bull running away with early points as Formula 1 heads to Australia for Round Three

    Perez

    Sergio Perez wins Saudi Arabian GP to lead second Red Bull one-two of the season making team history

    Perez

    Qualifying: Perez in pole position after Verstappen’s shock departure

    Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez

    FP3 Saudi Arabia: Red Bull domination continues with one-two to finish practice

    Verstappen, FP2, Saudi

    FP2 Saudi Arabia: Verstappen remains out front while Hamilton’s struggles magnified

    Verstappen

    FP1 Saudi Arabia: Max Verstappen fastest but Aston Martin showing pace at Jeddah

    saudi arabia

    Everything you need to know ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

    verstappen

    2022 Saudi Arabian GP: Throwback to Max Verstappen securing the win after epic battle with Leclerc

    Toto Wolff, Bahrain

    Big changes confirmed at Mercedes after “one of the worst days in racing”

    • Latest
    • Driver News
    • Team News
  • Features
    • All
    • Interviews
    • Race Reports 2020
    • Race Reports 2021
    Verstappen, FP2, Saudi

    FP2 Saudi Arabia: Verstappen remains out front while Hamilton’s struggles magnified

    Verstappen

    FP1 Saudi Arabia: Max Verstappen fastest but Aston Martin showing pace at Jeddah

    saudi arabia

    Everything you need to know ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

    verstappen

    2022 Saudi Arabian GP: Throwback to Max Verstappen securing the win after epic battle with Leclerc

    • Interviews
    • Race Reports 2020
    • Race Reports 2021
  • Races
    • Race Calendar
    • Championship standings
  • More
    • Quiz
    • Competitions
No Result
View All Result
Straight to the grid
No Result
View All Result

Race Report: Lewis Hamilton lands the first win of the 2021 season in Bahrain

Verstappen’s RB16B tore across the line just .7s behind Hamilton.

Hamilton

Sophie Collins

Lewis Hamilton has taken the first win of the 2021 season in Bahrain after a gripping battle with the Red Bull of Max Verstappen right until the checkered flag.

Verstappen’s RB16B tore across the line just .7s behind Hamilton, with the second Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas 37s off the lead in third.

The first points of the season have been divided out among the top performers this afternoon in Bahrain, so if you missed the action, here are the highlights after a stellar opening race.

Highlights

Lights out was postponed after Sergio Perez stopped by the side of the track towards the end of the formation lap, with a complete power outage.

After getting the car going ahead of lights out, the incident meant the Mexican’s first race for the charging bulls would begin from the pit lane.

A second formation lap then ensued, and it was finally lights out at the Bahrain International Circuit.

Verstappen held onto the lead off the start today, closely followed by the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc who overtook the second Mercedes to land in third.

Seconds after lights out, the Haas of Nikita Mazepin took a spin between turn two and three sending him into the barriers and out of the race – bringing about the first yellow flag of today’s proceedings.

LAP 1/56

Safety Car is out after Mazepin hits the barriers on the opening lap! 💥

He is out of the car and unharmed 👍#BahrainGP 🇧🇭 #F1 pic.twitter.com/Q4MJILmXct

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 28, 2021

Minutes later, the second Haas of Mick Schumacher went for a non-fatal spin, with the 22-year-old rejoining the track, all the while a virtual safety car was summoned after Pierre Gasly lost the front wing of his AT02, leaving debris on the track.

When racing resumed, Bottas was ahead of Leclerc after the Monegasque driver held the advantage on the Finnish Mercedes driver from lap one. At this point, Verstappen remained out in front of the world champion by 1.5 seconds.

After a trying start for Sergio Perez, the Mexican managed to lift the Red Bull, up from 20th to 13th and was now attacking Esteban Ocon, getting closer and closer to the points.

After entering the pits, Max Verstappen rejoined the track 7s behind Hamilton, however, the Dutch driver would resume his position in front as the British champion entered the pits for a fresh set of Pirellis.

The next casualty of today’s race was Fernando Alonso on his debut for the Alpine team this season.
After entering the pits with brake problems, the Spaniard was made to retire from the race – not the comeback the two-time world champion would have hoped for.

LAP 34/56 – ALO OUT

Frustration for Fernando Alonso in his first Grand Prix back in F1

He's out of the race after reporting brake issues 😬#BahrainGP 🇧🇭 #F1 pic.twitter.com/wTUPrO8sZI

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 28, 2021

With just ten laps to go, Esteban Ocon and Sebastian Vettel made contact at Turn One, with the Alpine spinning around.

Footage following the incident showed that Vettel had been caught out under braking and hit the back of the Frenchman’s Alpine.

Nine laps to go, and with Hamilton in front, it was clear the battle was on between the Mercedes and the Red Bull for the top step on today’s podium.

Verstappen managed to close the gap to 2.9s between himself and Hamilton, while the Mercedes team forecast a striking distance of just 5 laps.

In a gripping battle, Verstappen re-took the lead, but after exceeding track limits during the overtake, the 23-year-old had to let Hamilton by, as the nail-biting action towards the flag continued.

Managing to just barely hold Verstappen off in the approach to the finish line, Hamilton took the win at the Bahrain Grand Prix, followed ever-so-closely by a devastated Verstappen, who gave it everything up until the very last second.

HAMILTON WINS IN BAHRAIN!!

Verstappen chases him all the way to the line!

What. A. Duel. ⚔️#BahrainGP 🇧🇭 #F1 pic.twitter.com/TCtD3AYAjV

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 28, 2021

Coming in third was the second Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas followed by the McLaren of Lando Norris in fourth and the second Red Bull of Perez in fifth.

59 seconds off the lead, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc crossed the line in sixth, closely followed by the second McLaren of Daniel Ricciardo, and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz in P7 and P8 respectively.

Closing out today’s top ten was the AlphaTauri of Yuki Tsunoda, following a stellar debut in Formula One, and marking his first points in Formula One, followed by the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll in tenth.

Following the race, seven-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton said;

Not bad for an old man. 😉 pic.twitter.com/UJC4uNtEmG

— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) March 28, 2021

“Wow, what a difficult race that was!

“Definitely stopping early we knew it was going to be difficult, but we had to cover Max. They have had an amazing performance all weekend, so it was going to take something really special.

“We stopped for that last stint and trying to find the right balance between not pushing too much and having the tyres at the end of the race.

“It was difficult and Max was all over me right at the end, but I just about managed to hold him off. It was one of the hardest races I’ve had for a while.”

Racing resumes on April 18 for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Related

Tags: BahrainFormula OneLewis HamiltonRace ReportWinner
Previous Post

Drivers React to the electric battle on track following this afternoon’s Qualifying session in Bahrain

Next Post

Alfa Romeo are “optimistic for the future” after finishing outside the points in Bahrain

Related Posts

Hamilton
Features

Declan Quigley: ‘The top two drivers are heading to a final race shoot out level on points – and that’s exactly as it should be’

Verstappen
Race Reports 2021

Race Report: A tense battle sees Max Verstappen land a vital win at the US Grand Prix

Bottas
Race Reports 2021

Race Report: Valtteri Bottas sails to first season win at the Turkish Grand Prix

Hamilton
Race Reports 2021

Lewis Hamilton secures his 100th win at the Russian Grand Prix

verstappen
Race Reports 2021

Verstappen leads the 2021 Driver’s Championship after impeccable home race

lap OCon
Race Reports 2021

Race Report: Lap one carnage brings podium shake up in Hungary

Next Post
Red Bull, Max Verstappen in Bahrain

Verstappen gives major RB19 update in Bahrain which may raise concern among other teams in the paddock

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
30 years ago Jordan Grand Prix made its Formula One debut

30 years ago Jordan Grand Prix made its Formula One debut

Latest figures show F1 to be the second fastest growing major sports league on the planet

Latest figures show F1 to be the second fastest growing major sports league on the planet

Jordan

INTERVIEW: Eddie Jordan is an ‘irrepressible character’ who ‘ducked and dived’ to make it in F1

standings

Championship Standings: Max Verstappen leads as we head to Texas

Red Bull, Max Verstappen in Bahrain

Verstappen gives major RB19 update in Bahrain which may raise concern among other teams in the paddock

Aston Martin, FP2, Bahrain

Fernando Alonso shocks spectators as he places his Aston Martin at the top of the FP2 timesheet in Bahrain

Mercedes, George Russell, Bahrain

Issues persist for Mercedes as George Russell complains about floor and a ‘disturbance aerodynamically’

Aston Martin, FP2

Friday, Bahrain: Here are the full results from FP1 and FP2 as Aston Martin impress

Red Bull

Championship Standings: Red Bull running away with early points as Formula 1 heads to Australia for Round Three

Perez

Sergio Perez wins Saudi Arabian GP to lead second Red Bull one-two of the season making team history

Perez

Qualifying: Perez in pole position after Verstappen’s shock departure

Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez

FP3 Saudi Arabia: Red Bull domination continues with one-two to finish practice

Recent News

Red Bull

Championship Standings: Red Bull running away with early points as Formula 1 heads to Australia for Round Three

Perez

Sergio Perez wins Saudi Arabian GP to lead second Red Bull one-two of the season making team history

Perez

Qualifying: Perez in pole position after Verstappen’s shock departure

Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez

FP3 Saudi Arabia: Red Bull domination continues with one-two to finish practice

Popular Stories

  • Aston Martin, FP2

    Friday, Bahrain: Here are the full results from FP1 and FP2 as Aston Martin impress

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • FP2 Saudi Arabia: Verstappen remains out front while Hamilton’s struggles magnified

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Issues persist for Mercedes as George Russell complains about floor and a ‘disturbance aerodynamically’

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Fernando Alonso hints at when he plans to leave Formula 1

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Straight to the Grid

Straight to the Grid

Straight to the Grid is Ireland's first exclusive Formula One news source, bringing fans all of the latest
news, results, interviews, features and much more!

Navigation

  • Catch up
  • Competitions
  • Driver News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Irish F1
  • Latest
  • News
  • Quiz
  • Race Reports 2020
  • Race Reports 2021
  • Race Reports 2022
  • Team News
  • Uncategorized

Instagram

  • Who are you backing this weekend? #saudiarabia #formula1 #straighttothegrid
  • Highlights from the opening race of the season 🥳 #bahrain #2023 

📸: F1 live feed
  • Just hours away from the first race of the season!! #bahraingp #straighttothegrid #formula1
  • Follow us on TikTok ahead of the 2023 season #straighttothegrid #linkinbio
  • Verstappen has won the final race of 2022 - marking his 15th win of the season #abudhabi
  • George Russell wins the Brazilian Grand Prix in São Paulo 🏆
  • Max Verstappen has been crowned 2022 world champion after winning the Japanese GP 🏆🏁
  • 🏁 Highlights from Monza 🏁
  • Max Verstappen has won the Dutch GP 🏁
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Latest
    • Driver News
    • Team News
  • Features
    • Interviews
    • Race Reports 2020
    • Race Reports 2021
    • Race Reports 2022
  • Races
    • Championship standings
    • Race Calendar
  • More
    • Quiz
    • Competitions

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.