Hamilton breaks yet more F1 records as Ferrari pain ends
Hamilton breaks yet more F1 records as Ferrari pain ends
Charles Leclerc triumphed for Ferrari after an enthralling Bahrain Grand Prix that saw drama to the very end as F1 returned to action to begin the 2022 season.
It looked for all the world that the Monegasque would lead home Max Verstappen after a stunning midrace battle, only for the Dutchman to suffer a reliability issue.
More drama was to follow, however, with Sergio Perez's last-lap retirement in the second Red Bull further promoting Lewis Hamilton to an unlikely podium to kick the year off.
GPFans brings you all the best stats and facts from the weekend.
Leclerc ends Ferrari pain
Leclerc brought an end to Ferrari's pain in more ways than one over the weekend.
His pole lap was a first for Ferrari in a season-opening race since 2007 when eventual champion Kimi Raikkonen secured the position for the Scuderia in Australia.
It was also the first time this decade that both Ferraris qualified in the top three.
But F1 provides championship warning
Leclerc led every lap of the race to take the team's first victory since Singapore 2019, 45 races ago, which was also a one-two finish.
The win ended Ferrari's second-longest winless streak in its history, with the record remaining 59 in a row between Spain 1990 and Germany 1994.
The last time the team secured a lights-to-flag victory was the Belgian Grand Prix in 2018 and through his success, Leclerc has become the first driver from Monaco to lead the F1 world championship.
However, the winner of the opening race in F1 has finished runner-up every season since 2017.
Hamilton breaks another record
Hamilton's podium ensured he became the first driver ever to finish a race in the top three in 16 consecutive seasons, with the previous record held by Michael Schumacher.
That came after starting fifth on the grid, his joint-lowest starting spot in Bahrain having started from the same position with McLaren in 2009.
The Briton is also the first driver to have scored points in 250 races, with Schumacher second on 221.
Red Bull's disaster
The late drama saw both Red Bulls retire from a grand prix for the first time since Austria in 2020.
Verstappen and Alex Albon both suffered electrical failures on that day.
F1's longest wait continues
With Pierre Gasly, Verstappen and Perez all retiring in the closing stages, F1 retains its record for never having every competitor complete the opening round of a world championship.
Zhou adds his name to history
Guanyu Zhou became the first Chinese driver to compete in F1 by making his debut for Alfa Romeo.
By finishing 10th, Zhou also became the 66th F1 debutant to score points. The last to do so was Yuki Tsunoda in last year's Bahrain Grand Prix.
The return of 1
Whilst reigning champion Verstappen endured a miserable end to a promising weekend, by running the number one he became the first to do so since Sebastian Vettel in 2014.
Hamilton elected to retain 44 when winning his titles, whilst Nico Rosberg immediately retired when becoming champion.
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F1 Race Calendar
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GP BAHRAIN
29 Feb - 2 Mar
Max Verstappen
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GP SAUDI ARABIA
7 - 9 Mar
Max Verstappen
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GP AUSTRALIA
22 - 24 Mar
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- GP JAPAN 5 - 7 Apr
- GP CHINA 19 - 21 Apr
- GP USA 3 - 6 May
- GP ITALY 17 - 19 May
- GP MONACO 24 - 26 May
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F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
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