- Seven-times champion and Mercedes pull off strategic coup
- Verstappen and Red Bull settle for second after securing pole
Lewis Hamilton won the Bahrain Grand Prix in the opening round of the new Formula One season. He and his Mercedes team executed perfectly for a gripping and unlikely victory, beating the Red Bull of Max Verstappen into second place, with Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas in third.
Related: Lewis Hamilton’s genius faces fresh test as he aims for record eighth title
