Lewis Hamilton big loser after slick tyre disaster at start of Bahrain GP

Lewis Hamilton was amongst the big losers at the start of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia after a slick tyre gamble backfired badly on the seven-time F1 champion.

The race at the Sepang International Circuit started an hour and 40 minutes after its original time slot due to a thunderstorm and then a suspended start procedure after several cars, including Hamilton, suffered issues on an initial formation lap.

Once the race got underway, the majority of the drivers opted for intermediates for a track that was drying but was clearly good enough for the green-striped Pirelli rubber.

After just a couple of laps, all the slick tyre runners had dropped to the rear, with the 14 on intermediates having scythed their way past.

Hamilton had been joined on soft tyres by Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc, Alpine duo Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto, Haas driver Oliver Bearman, and Cadillac's Valtteri Bottas. McLaren's Lando Norris and Fernando Alonso in his Aston Martin were on the mediums.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who had started on the softs like Hamilton, pitted for inters, and such was his pace on that tyre, he went on to later pass Hamilton despite the time lost in the pit lane.

After eight laps, Hamilton was down in 18th place. Out front, Max Verstappen, who was swallowed up off the line by Mercedes pair Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, was running second behind the Italian after making his way past the Briton.

On lap nine, Valtteri Bottas in his Cadillac spun off into the gravel, sparking a safety car and the opportunity for a tyre change for the majority.

At one point, a lowly Hamilton had dropped to 100 seconds behind Antonelli, but the safety car brought him closer, albeit many places down as he opted not to pit and was running 15th.