F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain results, standings: Ferrari sweeps top spots and Charles Leclerc wins as Red Bull cars missing

1. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) — 26
2. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) — 18
3. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) — 15
4. George Russell (Mercedes) — 12
5. Kevin Magnussen (Haas Ferrari) — 10

Notably absent: As noted previously, Max Verstappen likely is second in points here if his car doesn’t fail him at the end of the race, causing a non-finish. Same story for his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez. With 10 minutes left it’s likely they are sitting at two and four respectively in the points race. Instead, both are at zero. The stakes in Saudi Arabia have already been raised.

Ferarri team principal Mattia Binotto admits he was feeling tense on the restart caused by Pierre Gasly’s car catching on fire late in the race.

“(It was) a heart attack for me,” he told Sky Sports.

The 1-2 result for Ferarri was “a relief,” Binotto said as the iconic team has struggled in recent years.

“It’s fantastic,” he said. “It’s a big boost.”

Binotto added that he “was expecting Red Bull to be even stronger.”

Defending champion Max Verstappen’s frustration boiled over on race radio after his car failed in the final laps. After the race, he said there were “a lot of different issues we had to deal with.”

While it’s not the start they had hoped for, Verstappen said he and the Red Bull team are focused on figuring out what went wrong for him and teammate Sergio Perez.

“A lot of things to analyze, to be honest,” he told Sky Sports.

“We already lost a lot of points in one race weekend so that’s not really good,” he added.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner says he doesn’t know what caused drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez to have mechanical issues in the final laps.

“It looks like a similar issue on both cars,” he told Sky Sports. “We don’t know what it is yet. We’ve got to get into it and understand what’s caused it.”

Horner said Verstappen was “disappointed” with the result.

“Of course he’s disappointed when you’re looking at a comfortable second place,” said Horner.

He said Ferrari “just had a quicker car today.

“So congrats to them on a 1-2 finish.”

He’s looking ahead to next week.

“We’ve got to get on top of these issues quickly,” Horner said. “It’s a long season.”

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said a 3-4 finish at this time last year would have been a disappointment but considering the challenges the team is facing this season, he’s satisfied.

He told Sky Sports that Mercedes is “punching above our weight class” in comparison to the Red Bull cars.

Wolff said the team made a mistake switching to hard throws, likening the decision to “putting a hand in the toilet.”

“Lesson learned,” he added.

With the chaos at the top it’s easy to lose track of Kevin Magnussen finishing fifth for Haas. Magnussen scores 10 points after Haas totaled three points in the last two years. Fifth place is the second-best finish for Haas in its seven-year existence.

The broadcast cut to Carlos Sainz’s radio after being told he finished P2. Carlos did not sing “Smooth Operator” as he was his custom at McLaren after a big result. And I’m sad for this, but wow what a day for Ferrari. It’s sometimes easy to forget, because of their struggles, how mega-talented Charles Leclerc is as a driver. He’s a proven F1 winner already and just 24 years old.

Lewis Hamilton had downplayed the team’s expectations after qualifying on Saturday so he was happy to finish up on the podium Sunday.

“Best result we could have got,” he told Sky Sports after the race.

“Of course it was unfortunate for the other two drivers,” he added, referencing his Red Bull rivals.

On Ferrari’s 1-2 finish, he said he was “so happy to see them doing well again.”

“They’re such a historic, epic team,” he added.

Charles Leclerc wins in 1-2 finish for Ferrari. Carlos Sainz is second.

Mercedes gets a 3-4 while Red Bull gets zero points. Mercedes has to get a lot better, but this race result is far from bad. The cars are likely to undergo a lot of changes so early in the cycle.

Disaster for Red Bull, Sergio Perez spins out… Lewis Hamilton will get on the podium. Wow, both Red Bulls will fail to score points.

Max Verstappen out of the race means a Ferrari 1-2 is likely to happen. And can Lewis Hamilton pass Sergio Perez to get the podium? So many possibilities for the finish. If Ferrari gets a 1-2 will Carlos Sainz sing “Smooth Operator”?

Holy cow! A shocking development for Max Verstappen sees his day end in a mechanical failure instead of a second-place finish. Stunning to see him drop out of the points. This world championship is going to be fascinating.

Seven laps to go and BOTH Haas cars are in the points. We need the camera to pan to team principal Guenther Steiner. They were a punchline a year ago but they definitely seemed to be competitive to start the season.

A late safety car when the leader was in control and Max Verstappen in second place is now back in the mix? Anyone else getting flashbacks to Abu Dhabi? Oh, and this time the lapped cars are unlapping themselves…

We have a safety car with 10 laps to go and the top six is ​​all on soft tires. This should set up for an exciting finish. The broadcast is touting Verstappen’s straight-line speed vs. the Ferraris, but Leclerc has been faster all day. That being said, Max is about as aggressive a driver as there is on the field. He’ll go for it big time.

1. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
3. Carlos Sainz Jr. (Ferrari)
4. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
5. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

Just when you thought it was going to be a straightforward race, Red Bull pits both of their drivers, Ferrari responds with Sainz and suddenly Pierre Gasly’s car catches on fire to bring out a safety car. Now race leader Leclerc can pit, but how will this shake up the finishing order after the restart?

Pierre Gasly’s car caught fire with 11 laps remaining, and we have the first appearance of a virtual safety car is here. The big news out of that: Lead gaps will clear, and it creates a situation where the fastest cars have a clear edge.