Leclerc Leads 1-2 For Ferrari In 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix
Ferrari secured the first triumph in almost three years with Charles Leclerc as the victor and Carlos Sainz taking a 1-2 win. Meanwhile both Red Bulls suffered retirements.
In a spectacular start to the season, Charles Leclerc emerges triumphant at the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix with 26 points as Carlos Sainz backs a Ferrari one-two. The last Ferrari win was also a one-two finish by Sebastian Vettel and Leclerc in the 2019 Singapore Grand Prix.
Leclerc has finished the championship as runner-up in every season since 2017. The Monégasque racing driver missed out on victory in Sakhir in 2019 and waited for 45 Grands Prix to secure his first win. Yesterday, Leclerc and Ferrari had an outstanding performance — fastest lap and a well-deserved victory for Leclerc. At the same time, Spanish racing driver Sainz tied his career-best result.
- READ MORE: Singapore Renews F1 Deal Till 2028
Behind Ferrari were Mercedes’ racers, Lewis Hamilton snatching podium in 3rd and George Russel in 4th also with a career-best result. Following them is Kevin Magnussen for Haas in 5th, back in the sport after Nikita Mazepin’s dismissal. Further down the standings, F1’s first Chinese driver Guanyu Zhou of Alfa Romeo claimed a point on his F1 debut.
After the race, Driver of The Day Leclerc shares his joy about the results to F1. “I’m incredibly happy after the last two years, which have been very difficult for the team, for myself, for Carlos last year. We had to work extremely hard and… to finally prove all the work we did in the last two years is paying off felt amazing.”
In a statement, Leclerc shared how enjoyable it was to battle the reigning champion with the new 2022 machines. Starting P2, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen attempted to undercut pole-sitter Leclerc on Lap 15, which turned into a stirring wheel-to-wheel fight three times from Laps sixteen to nineteen.
Unfortunately, the Belgian-Dutch racing driver was forced to retire during the closing laps due to a safety car period and reliability problems. Verstappen had voiced tyre degradation early on, steering issues and a battery problem. Then, the second Red Bull of Sergio Perez suffered a failure at the first corner of the final lap.
The new rules introduced this year were done to close up the field and make overtaking easier, which has brought a dramatic season-opening. Of the top six cars, four were powered by Ferrari engines, which begs the question of whether the Italian team will be reaching milestones and taking more wins this season. Moreover, Leclerc’s victory was among the best and emphasised his quality as one of the top drivers of the new generation.
Watch the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix race highlights here.
For more F1 reads, click here.
