Red Bull’s Verstappen wins rain-delayed Bahrain GP F1 race in Sepang

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has finally won his first race of the Formula One season amid chaotic scenes at the Bahrain Grand Prix, which was held in Malaysia an hour and 40 minutes late due to heavy rain.

Verstappen gained the lead on Sunday after an early safety car and led home the Mercedes of championship leader Kimi Antonelli in second and the Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton in third at the Sepang International Circuit.

But there was agony for George Russell, who had to retire from third place in the second Mercedes with five laps to go when his power unit appeared to fail under a late safety car.

Verstappen was the last driver to win in Sepang in 2017 before it was taken off the F1 calendar, and the Dutchman, who had also taken pole, gave Red ‌‌Bull a huge boost despite an early setback when he lost the lead before turn one.

An eventual standing start saw four-time world champion Verstappen start from pole for the first time this season after dominating practice and qualifying.

But he had a slow getaway on intermediate tyres, allowing the Mercedes pair of Antonelli and Russell to pass him easily in the wet early conditions.

A safety car came out when Valtteri Bottas spun into the gravel on lap nine, and most drivers opted for new slick tyres to take advantage of a rapidly drying track.

Verstappen took a lead that he would not relinquish when the safety car ended, swooping past Antonelli and Russell and quickly opening a comfortable gap.

Hamilton started on the front row on dry tyres and quickly slid down the field in the wet conditions.

But the seven-time world champion used all his experience to work his way back through the field for a brilliant podium place as the surface dried out.

His teammate Charles Leclerc was fourth with Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar in fifth.

The Bahrain Grand Prix was raced in Malaysia due to the United States-Israel war on Iran, which has caused disruptions to the international sports calendar.

Formula One moves on to nearby Singapore for a night race and sprint next weekend.