Lewis Hamilton held off Max Verstappen to take a statement win in the opening Grand Prix of the 2021 Formula 1 season in Bahrain.
Having started second on the grid, the defending champion was involved in a cat-and-mouse tussle with the Red Bull driver throughout. Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas completed the podium.
The Grand Prix started with Sergio Perez experiencing a technical fault with his Red Bull during the formation lap and, after safety cars were deployed for incidents involving Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher, Verstappen led from the front.
Mercedes decided to bring Hamilton into the pits early, while Red Bull hesitation with Verstappen saw the Dutchman eventually fall into second behind the Brit.
The pair fought for first place in a tense few final laps. Verstappen did find a way past Hamilton at one point but was told to concede the lead because he had overtaken illegally, with his car being off the track at the time of passing.
Hamilton held on to secure his first Grand Prix victory of a 2021 season that is sure to involve plenty more battles between Mercedes and Red Bull’s lead drivers.
While Bottas came in third, Carlos Sainz finished eighth in his first Grand Prix for Ferrari. Fernando Alonso, on his return to F1 after two years away, was forced to retire after a brakes problem with his Alpine car in the 34th lap.