Lewis Hamilton wins the 2019 Bahrain GP

Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton has won the 2019 Bahrain grand prix after Ferrari's Charles Leclerc suffered an engine issue. The Ferrari driver lead most of the race and looked set to take victory but technical issues saw him drop back just 10 laps before the checkered flag. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) overtook the slow moving Ferrari to finish second.

Leclerc's troubles gave Red Bull's Max Verstappen some hope of finishing on the podium, however a safety car in the dying moments of the race meant Verstappen had to settle for fourth place.

Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) started on the front row and went into the lead as his pole sitting team mate struggled for traction. But, Leclerc fought back later. Vettel then had to fend off Hamilton after the first round of pit stops. Eventually, the Mercedes driver found his way past the Ferrari as Vettel spun and destroyed his front wing. Vettel finished in fifth place.

Lando Norris finished in sixth place for McLaren ahead of Alfa Romeo's Kimi Raikkonen. Pierre Gasly (Red Bull) finished eighth, while Alexander Albon in the Torro Rosso finished in the ninth place. Sergio Perez (Racing Point) finished 10th.

Carlos Sainz (McLaren) and Romain Grosjean (Haas) failed to finish the race. Both Renault cars of Nico Hulkenberg and Daniel Ricciardo suffered a technical failure during the closing laps of the race and therefore the race finished under safety car conditions. 

Valtteri Bottas leads the championship with 44 points. Charles Leclerc set the fastest lap of the race and is on 26 points. The next race will be held in China on April 14, 2019.

World Drivers' Championship standings:

Valtteri Bottas - 44

Lewis Hamilton - 43

Max Verstappen - 27

World Constructors' Championship standings:

Mercedes - 87

Ferrari - 48

Red Bull - 31