Recently crowned 2020 Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton extended his lead in the current season by taking home the win on Sunday at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The race at the Bahrain International Circuit was stopped for over an hour after a dramatic crash that saw Haas' Romain Grosjean run into the barriers on the first lap. He crashed at Turn 3 after coming into contact with AlphaTauri's Daniil Kvyat, following a quick move across the track. The last recorded speed of his data logger was 137 mph.
The impact was strong enough to split Grosjean's car in two and cause its full fuel tank to burst into flames. Fortunately the Frenchman was able to walk away with only some minor burns on his hands and ankles.
It wasn't the end of the drama, however. On the first lap after the restart, Kvyat came into contact with Racing Point's Lance Stroll in an overtaking attempt at Turn 8. The impact was strong enough to roll Stroll's car, though fortunately he was able to crawl out unhurt. Kvyat was handed a 10-second penalty for the move.
2020 Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix
The rest of the race flowed smoothly, with Hamilton at the front leading Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen and Racing Point's Sergio Perez. Hamilton was the first of the leading cars to pit and the Mercedes-AMG driver moved to medium tires, while Verstappen stopped a lap later to switch to hard tires.
The top order didn't change after the drivers made their second pit stop, but toward the end of the race, Red Bull's Alexander Albon was able to jump into third after Perez suffered power unit trouble. Verstappen and Albon held on to claim second and third on the podium, respectively, handing their team its first double podium since the 2017 Japanese Grand Prix. Behind them were McLaren's Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz, finishing fourth and fifth, respectively.
Following Sunday's action, Hamilton now leads the 2020 Drivers' Championship with 332 points. Fellow Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas is second with 201 points and Verstappen is third with 189 points. In the Constructors' Championship, Mercedes leads with 533 points, versus the 274 of Red Bull and 171 of McLaren.
Teams now stay in Bahrain for a special Sakhir Grand Prix to be held this coming weekend. It will be held on an extended version of the Bahrain International Circuit.
2020 Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix
Below are the full results from the 2020 Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix:
1) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG
2) Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing +1.254 seconds
3) Alexander Albon, Red Bull Racing +8.005 seconds
4) Lando Norris, McLaren +11.337 seconds
5) Carlos Sainz, McLaren +11.787 seconds
6) Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri +11.942 seconds
7) Daniel Ricciardo, Renault +19.368 seconds
8) Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes-AMG +19.680 seconds
9) Esteban Ocon, Renault +22.803 seconds
10) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari +1 lap
11) Daniil Kvyat, AlphaTauri +1 lap
12) George Russell, Williams +1 lap
13) Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari +1 lap
14) Nicholas Latifi, Williams +1 lap
15) Kimi Raikkonen, Alfa Romeo +1 lap
16) Antonio Giovinazzi, Alfa Romeo +1 lap
17) Kevin Magnussen, Haas +1 lap
18) Sergio Perez, Racing Point DNF
NC) Lance Stroll, Racing Point DNF
NC) Romain Grosjean, Haas DNF
