VIDEO: Hamilton's gesture to Leclerc in Bahrain overtake

Lewis Hamilton offered a waved hand by way of apology or commiseration to Charles Leclerc as he overtook the stricken Ferrari for the lead of the Bahrain Grand Prix. Leclerc looked to be cruising to a certain victory until he was denied by engine failure.

Pole-sitter Leclerc overcame an early fight with team-mate Sebastian Vettel and was just a handful of laps away from his first race win when a cylinder issue left him lacking top-line speed.

Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas soon overtook him, and perhaps only a late safety car kept him on the podium at the expense of Max Verstappen.

On-board footage of Hamilton shows he acknowledged Leclerc as he eased by him for P1.

The move that put @LewisHamilton in a winning position 🔀

And the wave that acknowledged Charles Leclerc's amazing effort 👋#BahrainGP 🇧🇭 #F1 pic.twitter.com/2jDC3jFNI4

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 31, 2019

Hamilton credited Leclerc's performance across his post-race media commitments, but wasn't shy of telling the Monegasque exactly how impressed he was in the cool-down room.

"You drove fantastically... you've got a long future ahead of you"👌

Big respect for @Charles_Leclerc from the race winner 👏#BahrainGP 🇧🇭 #F1 pic.twitter.com/QHiuz3uoPZ

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 31, 2019

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