F1, Verstappen wins the Bahrain GP in Sepang: Antonelli extends his lead in the World Championship

After the start of the race was delayed due to an intense storm, Max Verstappen triumphed in the Bahrain GP, ​​the sixteenth round of the Formula 1 World Championship. On the Sepang circuit in Malaysia, the Red Bull driver achieved the first success of his season, ahead of Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari, who finished second and third respectively. Fourth place for the other Ferrari driver, Charles Leclerc. Isack Hadjar's other Red Bull was fifth. Sixth and seventh place for Oscar Piastri's McLaren and Liam Lawson's Racing Bulls, while Fernardo Alonso's Aston Martin and world champion Lando Norris's McLaren finish eighth and ninth respectively, with Arvid Lindblad closing out the top ten and the points zone.

Antonelli always leader in the world championship

George Russell with the other Mercedes retired, thus allowing Antonelli to further advance in the world championship standings. Now the Italian driver has an advantage of 84 points over his teammate.

The race

Verstappen was able to make his own a race conditioned by rain which caused a delay at the start of an hour and 40 minutes, also due to software problems with the single-seaters which also involved Hamilton's Ferrari and required checks by the FIA. The Dutchman, who started on pole and on soft tyres, was overtaken at the start by the two Mercedes with wet tires but, thanks to the drying track, took the lead on the 14th lap. Antonelli managed to stay behind him while Russell was forced to stop with a power unit problem under the Safety Car with five laps to go. In the final laps the two Ferraris overtook Hadjar's Red Bull, partly compensating for the disappointment of the wrong initial choice to start on dry tyres, immediately losing several positions. Hamilton's is the first podium for a red car since July.

The words of the winner

"It's really very nice to win here after the many problems at the beginning of the season and the progress we made during the World Championship: I'm happy and proud for myself and for all of us." This is Max Verstappen's post-race comment. "Many things happened today. At the beginning I lost power, then at the start I made the right choice regarding the tyres, I reassembled the Mercedes and from then on I was able to make my pace. Even after the last Safety Car I always had everything under control."