First blood to Hamilton but Verstappen runs him close
LEWIS HAMILTON finally has the battle he has craved, the chance to prove who is the boss in a fair fight.
And as the fireworks burst into the night sky over the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain, it was first blood to Hamilton – and a harsh reminder to Max Verstappen that dethroning a seven-time world champion will need more than the fastest car.
Hamilton has enjoyed that advantage in recent years and used it to spectacular effect.
But all the talk in the build-up to this thrilling season opener had centred on how the British racer would handle a challenge to his dominance of Formula One.
The answer was with flying colours. Verstappen had the fastest car and the fresher tyres as he set about hunting Hamilton to the finish line. But as the chequered flag fell, it was the No44 Mercedes at the front… by 0.745 seconds.
For F1 fans it was the nail-biting, nerveshredding finish they have been awaiting for so long.
And it took every ounce of Hamilton’s skill and experience to fend off his pursuer. On lap 53 of 56 when Verstappen finally swooped into the lead, it looked as if the game was up. But in passing Hamilton while exceeding the track limits at Turn 4, Verstappen was ordered to hand the lead back.
Still Verstappen pushed to try and force a mistake from his prey, but if you give a driver of the calibre of Hamilton a second chance there is only going to be one outcome. There are unlikely to be many more gifts to come, however, and thank goodness for that.
It has been up to Mercedes’ rivals to raise their game for the sake of the sport and at long last it seems we have a genuine fight on our hands. Matters did not get off to the best of starts, Red Bull’s new signing Sergio Perez coasting to a halt on the formation lap. And when the 2021 season did get underway, Verstappen on pole and Hamilton second, the first safety car of the season was introduced with the race less than a lap old.
The culprit was Haas new-boy Nikita Mazepin. By the third corner the Russian was in the barriers.
When the race did finally settle into a rhythm it was soon apparent that Verstappen and Hamilton were the class of the field.
Mercedes blinked first and brought Hamilton in for fresh rubber, the plan paying off with their driver promoted to first place afterVerstappen’s first stop.
The Dutchman was quickly carving into Hamilton’s lead, however, so Mercedes applied the same strategy for the second round of stops, bringing their man in first once again.
WhenVerstappen exited the pits for the second time the equation was simple, an 8.5-second gap to Hamilton to overhaul and 16 laps to do it in. Despite thinking for a fleeting moment he had got his man, Verstappen was left to ponder one that had got away.
There was a tough baptism for Mick Schumacher who, after an early spin, trailed his Haas home in 16th.