Bahrain Grand Prix LIVE: Latest F1 updates as Charles Leclerc loses victory to Lewis Hamilton after late drama
Follow the latest from the Bahrain Grand Prix
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Your support makes all the difference.Follow the latest updates live from the Bahrain Grand Prix as Charles Leclerc starts from pole position for the first time in his career.
The Ferrari new boy stunned teammate Sebastian Vettel on Saturday with a new lap record around the Bahrain International Circuit, leading a Ferrari one-two as they locked out the front row. That left Lewis Hamilton to contend with third place at a track that he has not won at for the last three years, and with both he and Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas off the pace, it could be a painful day for Mercedes.
Max Verstappen leads the best of the rest in his Red Bull, while McLaren got both their cars into Q3 for the first time since Malaysia 2017 in what could be a successful weekend for Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris. Follow the live action below.
When is it?
The Bahrain Grand Prix takes place across the weekend of 29-31 March, with the race itself on Sunday 31 March.
What time does it start?
Lights out is scheduled for 4:10pm BST (6:10pm local).
Where can I watch it?
The race will be shown live on Sky Sports F1 from 2:30pm. Highlights will be shown on Channel 4 from 9pm.
Sky Sports F1 will also be showing every practice session as well as qualifying live throughout the weekend.
Times
First practice: Friday 11am-12:30pm
Second practice: Friday 3pm-4.30pm
Third practice: Saturday 12pm-1pm
Qualifying: Saturday 3pm-4pm
Race: 4:10pm-6:10pm
Grid
1 Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari 1min 27.866secs
2 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Ferrari 1:28.160
3 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:28.190
4 Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Mercedes GP 1:28.256
5 Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull 1:28.752
6 Kevin Magnussen (Den) Haas F1 1:28.757
7 Carlos Sainz (Spa) McLaren 1:28.813
8 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Alfa Romeo Racing 1:29.022
9 Lando Norris (Gbr) McLaren 1:29.043
10 Daniel Ricciardo (Aus) Renault 1:29.488
11 Romain Grosjean (Fra) Haas F1 1:29.015 + three-place grid penalty for blocking
12 Alexander Albon (Tha) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:29.513
13 Pierre Gasly (Fra) Red Bull 1:29.526
14 Sergio Perez (Mex) Racing Point 1:29.756
15 Daniil Kvyat (Rus) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:29.854
16 Antonio Giovinazzi (Ita) Alfa Romeo Racing 1:30.026
17 Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Renault 1:30.034
18 Lance Stroll (Can) Racing Point 1:30.217
19 George Russell (Gbr) Williams 1:31.759
20 Robert Kubica (Pol) Williams 1:31.799
Leclerc brings the field round the final corner and takes his place in slot No 1 to begin the long wait for the rest of the field. Here we go...
Lap one: Vettel jumps Leclerc straight off the start as he wins the drag race off the line. Leclerc attempts to slot in behind, but through turn four the Mercedes of Bottas comes charging through and takes second. Hamilton tries to follow through, but the struggling Ferrari youngster just gets in front to shut the door and resume in third.
Behind, there's chaos. A damaged front wing for the Haas of Grosjean causes sparks to fly and cars to spread out to avoid what they think is a crash, and he pits at the end of the lap.
Lap two: Here comes Leclerc! Bottas locks up going into turn one and it allows the pole-sitter to slide through and take second. Hamilton is straight onto Bottas' gearbox, and despite fighting for the place the reigning champion has the line and takes third. A huge error for Bottas, as it's not only cost hi two places but has also released the Ferraris out of the Mercedes grasps. At the end of the lap, they're already more than two seconds clear of Hamilton.
Lap four: Disaster for McLaren! Sainz has a run at Verstappen, who is struggling, but the Dutchman fights to hold on for fifth and the two touch. Is there damage? Yes! Sainz is off and has a right-front puncture and front wing damage, and he plummets down the order on his way to the pits. Behind Verstappen, Magnussed, Ricciardo, Raikkonen and Hulkenberg are in an almighty fight, with Perez, Gasly and Norris all in close company.
Lap five:
1. Vettel
2. Leclerc
3. Hamilton
4. Bottas
5. Verstappen
6. Magnussen
7. Ricciardo
8. Raikkonen
9. Hulkenberg
10. Perez
Lap six: Here comes Leclerc! he radios in that he believes he's faster than Vettel, and with silence on the airwaves he decides he's going for it. Vettel shows him the outside into turn one, and Leclerc duly takes it to sweep around the outside and take the lead! Vettel fights back, but it's no use and the pole-sitter is back into the lead.
Lap seven: So Vettel has already fallen out of DRS range, trailing the leader by more than 1.4s, but the Mercedes of Hamilton is 3.2s off the lead and Bottas is a further 4s behind.
Lap 10: This race is far from over folks. Hamilton is keeping the gap at just three seconds between the top three, and now thoughts of the undercut will come to mind. Perez, Albon, Gasly and Raikkonen all pit, and Mercedes will be looking at this as a chance to take at least Vettel on the undercut.
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