BEVERLY HILLS, March 28, (THEWILL) – In a continuation of where he stopped before being sidelined by the ravages of the coronavirus, British racing driver, Sir Lewis Hamilton, held on for a dramatic victory in the first race of the F1 season. The record-equalling Mercedes Benz ace therefore denied Red Bull lead Max Verstappen the win after an exhilarating finale in Bahrain.
It appeared Red Bull was set to begin the season with a Mercedes upset because the Dutchman had been in impervious form during testing and practice. Verstappen clinched pole position in the Saturday qualifiers, but Hamilton was the expert at managing his tyres. That helped and, for the first time since 2015, the Brit won the opening race of the season.
The race was a thrilling encounter and a series of pit stops saw Verstappen chase down Hamilton over the final 16 laps. Red Bull seemed to have overtaken the world champion coming out of turn two with only a few laps remaining, but Verstappen was forced to give Hamilton the position back having passed the Mercedes off the track, violating track limits.
That was all Hamilton needed because hereafter, Verstappen was unable to draw close enough to the seven-times world champion to get another shot. Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas finished on the podium while Lando Norris crossed the line in fourth and Sergio Perez in fifth after the Mexican fought through the field having started the race from the pit lane behind.
The season opener entertained with a number of standout drives. McLaren’s Norris and Red Bull’s Perez deserve of a mention here. However, Hamilton illustrated why he is the one to beat in the circuit again this season. His efficient tyre management is one big reason.
Although Mercedes burned through their tyres quicker than the Red Bull team, the seven-time world champion managed to pull out a lengthy 27-lap stint on a worn-out set of hard compounds to finish the race to earn this victory after much doubt about Mercedes’ pace and reliability throughout pre-season. And, it is back to regular programming with another Hamilton victory to start things off.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
