Max Verstappen, Kimi Antonelli and Lewis Hamilton have spoken out after a chaotic Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, where rain and a late retirement reshaped the race.
Verstappen secured his first win of the season and Red Bull’s first with their own power unit, ending a 10-month wait for victory in the process.
He controlled proceedings after a scrappy opening, beating Mercedes’ Antonelli and Ferrari’s Hamilton to secure glory.
“It’s a really nice one [win] after the year we’ve had and the progression we have made. I’m incredibly proud of everyone. Just super nice to win here. It’s incredible. To win our first race in our first year with our own power unit is pretty impressive,” Verstappen said.
The start was delayed 90 minutes by rain.
Verstappen and Mercedes chose intermediates, while Hamilton’s slicks left him almost a minute behind.
After an early Safety Car and a switch to slicks, Verstappen passed Antonelli at the restart to take control.
Reflecting on the opening laps, Verstappen said: “It was very hectic with a lot of different things at the start – no power [on the first formation lap in the rain] because you have to wait for the power to kick in.
Max Verstappen, Kimi Antonelli and Lewis Hamilton have spoken out after a chaotic Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, where rain and a late retirement reshaped the race
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“We made the right call with the intermediates. After that, step by step we moved our way forward.
“From there, once we could do our own race then we had the Safety Car but we kept it all under control.”
Antonelli finished second after team-mate George Russell retired with five laps remaining because of a suspected engine problem.
The result stretched the Italian’s championship lead over Russell to 84 points, with the Mercedes driver acknowledging his team had struggled more than usual.
Kimi Antonelli has strengthened his grip on the F1 title after finishing second in Bahrain
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“Today was the maximum we could have done. Massive congrats to Max and Red Bull for the incredible weekend. On our side, a lot of work to do. We have been struggling more than usual but I’m still happy to come away with P2,” Antonelli said.
Hamilton’s recovery from almost a minute behind earned him third. He passed Isack Hadjar in the closing laps after his early tyre choice sent him tumbling towards the back of the field.
“Big congratulations to Max. What a tough race that was,” he said.
“Obviously we had the wrong call at the beginning, which was so difficult. I could see everyone pulling away and I could see on the screen that I was a minute down, and I thought that was kind of race over for us.
Lewis Hamilton was pleased to finish third amid difficult conditions at the Bahrain Grand Prix
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“But I just kept my head down. The guys did a great job with the pit stops. Obviously, lots of tyre changes, lots of chasing.
“And honestly, of all the years I’ve been here, this is the best race we’ve had here, but particularly because of this crowd. So, a big thank you to everyone.”
A second Safety Car after Alex Albon stopped triggered a four-lap sprint, with everyone switching to fresh tyres for the finish.
The F1 title is Antonelli’s to lose, though the day belongs to Verstappen, who has finally ended an agonising wait for glory 10 months on from his last.
