Max Verstappen clinched victory in a Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia that exposed the frailties of F1's current regulations, after the race was delayed due to torrential rain and thunderstorms.
It was Verstappen's first win of the campaign, and continues his streak of triumphing at least once every year since his second season in F1, back in 2016.
The Mercedes pair of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell were set to round out the podium at the Sepang International Circuit; however, a suspected power unit issue for the latter behind the late safety car delivered a hammer blow to his dwindling F1 drivers' title hopes.
Therefore, instead of a three-point gain on Russell, Antonelli leaves Malaysia with an 84-point advantage in the standings.
Isack Hadjar appeared to be the main beneficiary, inheriting third and the final podium position, which would have marked back-to-back trips to the rostrum upon his return from injury.
But Lewis Hamilton had other ideas once the race was resumed, seizing the impetus, and the Red Bull driver ultimately finished fifth behind the second Ferrari of Charles Leclerc.
The conditions provoked a farcical level of chaos and confusion, and underlined the inability of these cars to run in wet weather due to a myriad of factors, including the new problem of power unit software issues.
After a 40-minute delay due to the aforementioned conditions, the field started a pair of formation laps behind the safety car, with a standing start planned.
However, the power unit software issues highlighted caused havoc. Hadjar went off, and Hamilton fell to the rear of the pack. The safety car found itself in the middle of the order as pandemonium reigned.
This triggered a red flag stoppage, with the race eventually getting underway 93 minutes after the scheduled start time.
But with a mix of intermediate and dry tyres, and some opting to start from the pit lane, the order was immediately shaken up.
However, those from the top four teams that were initially disadvantaged, namely the Ferraris and McLarens, eventually worked through the slower cars to lock out the top eight positions — only for a lat safety car to throw one last spanner in the works.
Check out the full results from the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia below!
Result Race - Bahrain
| # | Driver | Team | Time | Tyre |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results are being loaded... | ||||
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