A chaotic and rain-hit Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia has ended with Max Verstappen claiming his first victory of the season for Red Bull.
The race was delayed by about an hour and a half after heavy rain and a series of technical problems affected the formation lap, leaving several cars struggling to make their way around the wet circuit.
When the race finally got underway, Verstappen and Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell started on intermediate tyres, while Lewis Hamilton took a gamble on slick tyres.
Hamilton’s decision backfired in the early stages as he dropped towards the back of the field, losing almost a minute to the leaders.
Verstappen later passed Russell for second before overtaking Antonelli after a safety-car period, and from there he built a comfortable lead.
Antonelli eventually finished second, strengthening his championship position after Russell retired from third with five laps remaining because of a suspected engine problem.
Hamilton then produced a remarkable recovery, passing Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar with three laps to go to secure third place.
Antonelli now leads Russell by 84 points, with six or seven races remaining in the season.