Charles Leclerc wins in Bahrain as Max Verstappen and Red Bull suffer late disaster in Formula 1 opener

In a Bahrain Grand Prix that was full of drama, Charles Leclerc led home a Ferrari one-two after Max Verstappen retired just three laps from the end.

Verstappen was complaining about a steering issue during a late safety car period that Red Bull could not find, but when the race got back underway, a very frustrated Dutchman came over the radio shouting "there's a problem with the battery!"

It was a similar fate that also ruined his team-mate Sergio Perez's chances of getting onto the podium, after his engine seized and he spun on the apex on turn one of the final lap. Lewis Hamilton benefited from Red Bull's issues to secure a podium for a Mercedes on a weekend where their struggles continued.

Leclerc got away from pole position well and sailed into an early comfortable lead as the drivers sailed into the unknown. With tyre wear high, pit-stops soon came and three stops became the preferred strategy amongst the front-runners.

Pitting a lap earlier than Leclerc, Verstappen found himself on the gearbox of the Ferrari as the Monegasque driver exited the pits. The duo swapped places for the next three laps before the Red Bull driver's brakes started to overheat, perhaps brought on by a lock-up going into turn one.

The Ferrari opened up a two-second margin to the Red Bull driver which he maintained by the time the second round of pit-stops came just after half-race distance

After complaining about having dead tyres earlier on in the previous stint, Red Bull requested Verstappen to have a slower out-lap, knowing how high tyre degradation was around the Bahrain International Circuit. Verstappen was left feeling frustrated and angry by that, and was soon given permission to push. A one-second quicker out-lap from Leclerc put him in a prime position to win the race.

However, Red Bull threw the dice once more and pitted both of their cars, leaving Verstappen 10 seconds behind Sainz and 28 behind the race-leading Leclerc. Sainz pitted a lap later to cover off Perez and came out ahead while Verstappen was setting fastest overall sector times as he attempted to chase down Leclerc.

Just a lap later however, the safety car was deployed after Pierre Gasly's engine caught fire and he parked his AlphaTauri on the inside of the exit of turn three.

Leclerc and Ferrari took this opportunity to box and put on a set of used softs, anticipating a big fight to the finish.

Verstappen was complaining about an apparent steering issue and that seemed to hamper him on the restart. Sainz was piling the pressure on the Red Bull and just three laps later, dived up the inside of Verstappen going into turn 11, having used the aid of DRS. It would soon go from bad to worse for the Dutchman, who was complaining about a battery issue.

He slowed coming out of turn 13 and pulled into the pits, retiring from the race.

On the penultimate lap of the race, whilst coming under extreme pressure from Hamilton, it was Perez's turn to come over the radio with a problem.

"I'm losing power," screamed Perez who was in turn told to get his "elbows out".

On the final lap of the race, the Mexican's engine seized and he spun - gifting Mercedes and Hamilton a dream podium from out of nowhere.

Meanwhile, Leclerc led home his team-mate in a memorable Ferrari one-two under the lights of Bahrain, while Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff said that his Mercedes team were "punching above their weight" with a third and fourth-place finish after George Russell put in an impressive drive, making up five places from a rather lowly qualifying on Saturday.

The Monegasque driver held off Verstappen at the start of the race and after the first pit-stop exchange, pulling off some brilliant overtakes in a titanic battle between the duo. He knew when to push and when to save tyres, and whilst the Red Bull driver was getting very hot and flustered, the Ferrari driver remained cool, calm and collected. Many have viewed Leclerc as the first driver to bring Ferrari a World Championship since Kimi Raikkonen in 2007 - and with a showing like that, he could very well be on course to do that.

Lap 19/57 - VERSTAPPEN LOCKS UP! The straight-line speed of the Red Bull was there for all to see, but a lock-up going into turn one allowed Leclerc to reclaim the lead for the third time in as many laps. That acted as a catalyst for the Red Bull driver's poor tyre wear, prompting him to pit early again and take a much slower out-lap after the second round of pit-stops.

Lap 54/57 - VERSTAPPEN RETIRES! When the safety car came out, many people predicted another grandstand finish like we saw in Abu Dhabi last year. However, a technical issue for Verstappen allowed Leclerc and Ferrari a much more comfortable run to the finish.

Verstappen swore at his team as his race collapsed in dramatic circumstances. As Leclerc pulled away on lap 54, Verstappen asked his Red Bull team: “What’s wrong with my battery?”

His team replied that there was no problem with the battery, before his car started to rapidly lose pace. That prompted Verstappen to exclaim: “What the f*** is this? What do you want me to do?” The team could only ask him to nurse his car back to the pits, as he was passed by one car after the other.

In what was an awesome battle between Leclerc and Verstappen after the first round of pit-stops, a dive up the inside of the Dutchman going into turn four was perhaps the pick of the bunch. He didn't run out too wide on the exit, as is so easy to do as that corner, and covered off Verstappen going into turns five and six. It was a move that arguably put Leclerc on his way to the race win.