Vettel wins Bahrain thriller

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel drove a masterful race to fend off Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas to win a nail-biting Bahrain Grand Prix. Vettel hung on ahead of the charging Mercedes on the final lap to take his second win in two races this season and one of the best of his illustrious career. 

In a dramatic, strategic and unpredictable race, a Ferrari mechanic appears to have been injured after being run over by Vettel’s team-mate Kimi Raikkonen at a pit stop. 

And Lewis Hamilton recovered to third place after starting ninth, including one stunning moment when he passed three cars in effectively one move early in the race.

Vettel whooped in delight after crossing the line, his glee at winning a race he arguably should have lost clear. “These tyres were done, done, in the last 10 laps,” Vettel told his team over the radio. 

Bottas had closed five seconds in five laps and was right on Vettel’s tail as they entered the final lap – but a half-hearted move into the first corner was not enough and Vettel was able to hang on. 

The German looked in total control of the race in the opening laps as he led away from pole position, after Bottas passed Raikkonen into the first corner. (BBC Sport)