Verstappen storms to Bahrain GP win

It took Max Verstappen 16 races to clinch his first victory of the season.

In a dramatic Bahrain GP at Sepang, Malaysia, on Sunday, that only started on the second attempt 1hr 40min late because of rain, the Red Bull driver overcame an early slippery track and a late safety car when Mercedes’ George Russell stopped trackside with a power unit issue, to record his 72^nd race win, tying Michael Schumacher for the most wins with the same team.

It was also Verstappen’s second win-in-a-row at Sepang, the previous one coming nine years ago. The win marked Red Bull’s first with their own power train.

Russell’s DNF means he is now 84 points behind his teammate Antonelli, who started from 3^rd on the grid, but finished ahead of Lewis Hamilton to round off the podium.

After the initial start behind the safety car was aborted with the track being too wet, an eventual standing start saw the four-time world champion having a slow getaway on intermediate tyres, allowing the Mercedes pair of Antonelli and Russell to pass him easily in the early wet conditions.

A safety car when Valtteri Bottas spun into the gravel on lap nine saw most drivers dive in for new slick tyres to take advantage of a rapidly drying track.

Verstappen took a lead that he would not relinquish when the safety car ended, swooping past Antonelli and Russell and quickly opened a comfortable gap.

Hamilton started on the front row on dry tyres and quickly slid down the field in the wet conditions.

But the seven-time world champion used all his experience to work his way back through the field for a brilliant podium place as the surface dried out.

His teammate Charles Leclerc was fourth with Red Bull's Isack Hadjar in fifth.