Formula 1 | Charles Leclerc wins the first Grand Prix of the season

A Ferrari double. An abandonment of Max Verstappen. An unexpected podium for Lewis Hamilton. The first Grand Prix of the season in Formula 1 gave rise to quite a spectacle on Sunday afternoon.

Katherine Harvey Pinard
The Press

Everything was decided in the last eight rounds on the international circuit of Sakhir, in Bahrain. At 49^and, the rear of Pierre Gasly’s AlphaTauri caught fire, forcing the exit of the safety car. Monegasque Charles Leclerc, who led throughout the race, saw his main rival Max Verstappen take advantage of the neutralization to close the significant gap which separated him from him.

We then believed in a hot fight between Ferrari and Red Bull for the last laps, a bit like what happened in the final of the 2021 season between Red Bull and Mercedes. Well no. To everyone’s surprise, the defending champion, who had been experiencing steering problems for a few laps, was forced to retire at 55^and tower. The Spaniard Carlos Sainz, well installed in third place throughout the race, had already taken advantage of the slowdown of the Dutchman to overtake him and take second place, behind his teammate.

Things continued to fall apart for the Red Bull team. His last driver on track, Sergio Perez, who was third on the very last lap, also lost power before spinning. The seven-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton, was quick to take third place and get on the podium.

It was a first victory since the Italian Grand Prix in 2019 for Leclerc, who also set the fastest lap. A remarkable day.

” I am so happy ! he said, all smiles, at the F1 microphone after the race. I keep saying it, but the last two years have been incredibly difficult for the team and we knew it would be a great opportunity. [cette année]. The guys have done such a great job building this amazing car. »

Quebecer Lance Stroll, who started at 19^and rank, finished the race in 12^and position. As for the Torontonian Nicholas Latifi, he took the 16^and row behind the wheel of his Williams.

Unexpected podium

This is an unexpected podium finish for Mercedes, which has not had it easy over the past few weeks. In the last days, Lewis Hamilton had openly admitted that the team was not “at the top”.

In qualifying on Saturday, the Briton had a disappointing 5^and place on the starting grid, while his teammate George Russell was placed at 9^and rank. They will have finally concluded in 3^and and 4^and square.

“It was such a tough race,” Hamilton said. We had difficulties during the tests. This is the best result we could have hoped for. It’s unfortunate for the other two pilots [Verstappen et Perez], but we did the best we could and we are grateful for these ranking points. »

“Congratulations to Ferrari, he also mentioned. I’m so happy to see them doing well again. This is a historic and epic team. It’s good to see them dominating again. »