SAKHIR (BAHRAIN) – Charles Leclerc of Ferrari won a dramatic Formula One season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday after reigning champion Max Verstappen limped out with an electrical issue two laps before the end.
Carlos Sainz made it a Ferrari one-two while Sergio Perez completed a disastrous day for Verstappen’s Red Bull by spinning out of the race on the last lap with a mechanical problem, handing third place to Lewis Hamilton.
George Russell, in his first race since joining Hamilton at Mercedes to replace Valtteri Bottas, took fourth place to give Mercedes a score of 27 points that they could not have dreamed of in the middle of the race.
For Leclerc, who kept his cool when he and Verstappen exchanged the lead five…
