The 2022 Formula One World Championship got underway this past weekend in Bahrain and provided the best possible start for Ferrari, which took home a one-two finish.
Charles Leclerc drove brilliantly throughout the weekend, having secured pole position during Saturday’s qualifying and then holding the lead position throughout Sunday’s race to finish in first place ahead of teammate Carlos Sainz. Mercedes-Benz AMG’s Lewis Hamilton rounded out the top three.
It wasn’t a walk in the park for Leclerc, who had to fend off reigning world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing throughout the race. Unfortunately for Verstappen, car trouble in the late stages saw him finally retire in the closing laps while in second place. He first suffered from steering issues and later a power unit failure.
Soon after, fellow Red Bull driver Sergio Perez started to suffer from similar issues with his car. After Verstappen retired, Perez was on track to claim third place but then his own retirement handed the spot to Hamilton.
Mercedes-Benz AMG’s Lewis Hamilton at the 2022 Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix
Further down, Mercedes newcomer George Russell once again showed that he has what it takes to be a top driver by finishing fourth despite starting at ninth, while Kevin Magnussen, who only this month was signed up by Haas to replace Nikita Mazepin, finished fifth.
A worthy mention is F1 newcomer Zhou Guanyu, who drove his Alfa Romeo to tenth place and in the process secured his first points upon his debut.
There weren’t too many dramas, though Pierre Gasly brought out the safety car on lap 46 when his AlphaTauri caught fire.
The action is set to continue this weekend with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix serving as round two.
2022 Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix
Below are the full results from the 2022 Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix:
1) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari2) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari +5.598 seconds3) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-Benz AMG +9.675 seconds4) George Russell, Mercedes-Benz AMG +11.211 seconds5) Kevin Magnussen, Haas +14.754 seconds6) Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo +16.119 seconds7) Esteban Ocon, Alpine +19.423 seconds8) Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri +20.386 seconds9) Fernando Alonso, Alpine +22.390 seconds10) Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo +23.064 seconds11) Mick Schumacher, Haas +32.574 seconds12) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin +45.873 seconds13) Alexander Albon, Williams +53.93214) Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren +54.975 seconds15) Lando Norris, McLaren +56.335 seconds16) Nicholas Latifi, Williams +61.795 seconds17) Nico Hulkenberg (filling in for Sebastian Vettel), Aston Martin +63.829 seconds18) Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing – DNF19) Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing – DNF
20) Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri – DNF
Keyword: One-two finish for Ferrari in 2022 F1 season opener in Bahrain