“It has not been easy” – From pole position to winning the race alongside the fastest lap and driver of the day, Charles Leclerc wins the Bahrain Grand Prix

Janmeyjay Shukla
|Published Mar 20, 2022 06:29PM UTC

Ferrari is back at the top as Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz lock the first and second podium places in Bahrain.

Charles Leclerc wins the Bahrain Grand Prix. Engine reliability issue helped Carlos Sainz move a place ahead of Max Verstappen who did not finish with just two laps to go.

Today was the first time since the Belgian Grand Prix of 2018 where Ferrari led every lap of the race. A proud winner, this was Monaco international’s third career win.

Return of the incredible Ferrari with Charles Leclerc

Speaking post-race, Leclerc expressed the two years challenges that the Italian team faced. He also explained how the 2022 regulation changes were a big opportunity for the team.

Also Read: Lewis Hamilton praises Ferrari on their redemption win in Bahrain

“I’m so happy. The last two years have been incredibly difficult for the team,” he said.

“We knew this was going to be a big opportunity for the team. The guys have done such an incredible job building this amazing car,” he added appreciating the factory staff.

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Ticked all the checkbox

Leclerc checked all the points at the Bahrain International Circuit. Yesterday, he took the pole position. He became the first winner of the new era. Not only that, he had the fastest lap and was voted the driver of the day as well.

Speaking about this, the number 16 said: “We are starting in the best way possible. Pole position, fastest lap, victory, and a 1-2 with Carlos, we couldn’t have hoped for better!”

Also Read: Charles Leclerc accepts the Max Verstappen challenge before the race

“Thank you to all of the guys who kept supporting us for the past two years, it has not been easy but it is incredible to be back on the top,” said a happy Leclerc.

Virtual Safety Car and Max Verstappen’s speed

There were instances in the race when Max Verstappen was surely going to take the lead after outperforming Leclerc. However, due to a virtual safety car incident caused by Gasly’s engine failure, this didn’t happen.

Secondly, Verstappen himself slowed down and could not finish the race due to an engine failure. Talking about how he avoided Verstappen’s charging RB18, he said: “I was trying to be as clever as possible using the DRS.”

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“I was trying to break early in turn one just to behind him at the DRS detection and twice it worked out. So I took back my first position and was incredibly happy.”

Post the green flag, Leclerc took a 1.6 seconds lead and also drove at his best of the ability to take the additional points home with the fastest lap.

“I did not want it now, I did a great restart and yeah that gave me a little bit of margin to manage my race until the end,” he concluded.

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About the author

Janmeyjay Shukla

Janmeyjay Shukla is an artist who contributes his expressions through words as an F1 writer and editor at The SportsRush. He is an F1 historian who has been watching the sport since he was a baby. Passed on from generation to generation, he has seen the prime of Michael Schumacher to the rise of Max Verstappen. A Mercedes fan from the days of the Brawn GP era, the sport runs in his blood. Besides Formula One, Janmeyjay is a Marketing Head and a musician who loves to sing and play Rock & Pop songs on guitar. His love for sports will never die as he is a loyal Liverpool Football Club fan as well!