2019 Bahrain Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Charles Leclerc looked set for a breakthrough victory at the 2019 Bahrain Grand Prix, only for a late engine problem to hand the win to Lewis Hamilton. Ferrari‘s new arrival still claimed his first Formula 1 podium, while Mercedes left Bahrain International Circuit with another unexpected one-two.

Pole position
Driver	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari
Time	1:27.866
Fastest lap
Driver	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari
Time	1:33.411 on lap 38
Podium
First	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Second	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes
Third	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
29 March 2019	Practice 1	14:00 – 15:30
29 March 2019	Practice 2	18:00 – 19:30
30 March 2019	Practice 3	15:00 – 16:00
30 March 2019	Qualifying	18:00 – 19:00
31 March 2019	Race	18:10

All times are local (UTC+03:00). The race time is the scheduled start.

Championship background

Valtteri Bottas led the championship after his dominant Melbourne victory. Ferrari needed a response to its subdued opening round, and the warmer conditions and different demands of Bahrain offered a fresh test of its car’s potential.

Race entries

The same 20 drivers contested the second round, with no substitute appearances in practice. Attention centred on Charles Leclerc‘s second weekend alongside Sebastian Vettel at Ferrari and Daniel Ricciardo‘s efforts to recover from a difficult Renault debut.

Free Practice

Charles Leclerc led FP1 with a 1:30.354 ahead of Sebastian Vettel, with Valtteri Bottas almost a second away in third. Ferrari immediately looked more competitive than it had in Australia.

Vettel headed FP2 on a 1:28.846, just 0.035 seconds ahead of Leclerc. Lewis Hamilton was third as Ferrari carried its speed into the evening conditions that would be more representative of qualifying and the race.

Leclerc returned to the top in FP3 with a 1:29.569. Vettel again completed a Ferrari one-two, followed by Hamilton, leaving the Italian team well placed for qualifying.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2019 Bahrain Grand Prix FP1, 29 March 2019

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:30.354	20
2	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.263s	21
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.974s	26
4	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+1.247s	23
5	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+1.319s	21
6	10	Pierre Gasly	Red Bull Racing	+1.461s	17
7	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	+1.598s	28
8	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	+1.686s	17
9	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	+1.985s	24
10	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+2.031s	23
11	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	+2.047s	19
12	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+2.248s	21
13	23	Alexander Albon	Toro Rosso	+2.520s	24
14	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	+2.531s	20
15	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+2.591s	29
16	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+2.595s	22
17	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+2.640s	22
18	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	+3.164s	16
19	63	George Russell	Williams	+3.834s	26
20	88	Robert Kubica	Williams	+3.899s	27

Free Practice 2 Classification

2019 Bahrain Grand Prix FP2, 29 March 2019

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:28.846	32
2	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.035s	32
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.603s	33
4	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.711s	36
5	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	+0.823s	32
6	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.879s	34
7	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+1.154s	33
8	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+1.171s	25
9	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+1.222s	34
10	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	+1.247s	36
11	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	+1.346s	33
12	10	Pierre Gasly	Red Bull Racing	+1.583s	31
13	23	Alexander Albon	Toro Rosso	+1.612s	36
14	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	+1.870s	32
15	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	+2.002s	30
16	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+2.242s	6
17	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	+2.283s	31
18	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+2.298s	10
19	63	George Russell	Williams	+3.058s	32
20	88	Robert Kubica	Williams	+4.086s	37

Free Practice 3 Classification

2019 Bahrain Grand Prix FP3, 30 March 2019

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:29.569	15
2	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.169s	16
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.765s	10
4	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.820s	12
5	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+1.249s	14
6	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	+1.341s	12
7	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+1.386s	15
8	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+1.390s	10
9	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	+1.396s	14
10	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	+1.604s	17
11	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.764s	21
12	10	Pierre Gasly	Red Bull Racing	+1.823s	13
13	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+1.971s	13
14	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	+2.049s	16
15	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	+2.069s	9
16	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	+2.074s	11
17	23	Alexander Albon	Toro Rosso	+2.110s	17
18	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+2.563s	21
19	63	George Russell	Williams	+3.818s	14
20	88	Robert Kubica	Williams	+3.956s	13

Qualifying

Charles Leclerc took his first pole position with a 1:27.866, beating Sebastian Vettel by 0.294 seconds. Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas filled the second row, with Max Verstappen fifth and Kevin Magnussen a competitive sixth.

Both McLaren drivers reached Q3, with Carlos Sainz seventh and Lando Norris tenth. Romain Grosjean qualified eighth but received a three-place penalty for impeding Norris. Nico Hülkenberg was eliminated in Q1, while Pierre Gasly again missed the final session.

Qualifying Classification

2019 Bahrain Grand Prix Qualifying, 30 March 2019

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:28.495	1:28.046	1:27.866	14
2	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:28.733	1:28.356	1:28.160	14
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:29.262	1:28.578	1:28.190	16
4	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:29.498	1:28.830	1:28.256	15
5	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:29.579	1:29.109	1:28.752	12
6	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	1:29.532	1:29.017	1:28.757	15
7	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	1:29.528	1:29.055	1:28.813	17
8	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	1:29.688	1:29.249	1:29.015	17
9	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:29.959	1:29.471	1:29.022	18
10	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:29.381	1:29.258	1:29.043	18
11	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	1:29.859	1:29.488	—	12
12	23	Alexander Albon	Toro Rosso	1:29.514	1:29.513	—	15
13	10	Pierre Gasly	Red Bull Racing	1:29.900	1:29.526	—	12
14	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	1:29.893	1:29.756	—	12
15	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	1:29.876	1:29.854	—	10
16	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:30.026	—	—	6
17	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	1:30.034	—	—	6
18	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	1:30.217	—	—	6
19	63	George Russell	Williams	1:31.759	—	—	8
20	88	Robert Kubica	Williams	1:31.799	—	—	8

Romain Grosjean was given a three place grid penalty for impeding Lando Norris during qualifying.

What happened in the 2019 Bahrain Grand Prix?

Lewis Hamilton won ahead of Valtteri Bottas, but Charles Leclerc supplied the defining story. The Ferrari driver recovered from a poor start, established a convincing lead and then lost his chance of victory through a late loss of engine power.

Sebastian Vettel initially led, with Bottas also passing Leclerc. Leclerc quickly recovered second and overtook Vettel for the lead on lap six. Once in front, he began to show the pace that had made him the weekend’s standout performer.

Carlos Sainz‘s promising start ended in contact while attacking Max Verstappen, leaving the McLaren with a puncture. Further back, Grosjean’s race was compromised by opening-lap contact with Lance Stroll before he retired.

Hamilton closed on Vettel and challenged around the outside of Turn 4. Vettel spun as they battled, damaging his tyres; the resulting vibration was followed by a front-wing failure. An additional stop left the Ferrari driver facing a recovery drive.

Leclerc appeared to have the race under control until his engine began running with reduced power. Hamilton passed him for the lead, and Bottas subsequently took second. Verstappen was closing as well, threatening to push Leclerc off the podium altogether.

The two Renaults then retired within moments of one another, bringing out the safety car. It stayed out to the finish and preserved third for Leclerc, who also earned the fastest-lap point. Vettel recovered to fifth behind Verstappen.

Lando Norris scored his first Formula 1 points in sixth, followed by Kimi Räikkönen, Gasly, Alexander Albon and Sergio Perez. Albon also opened his points account. Bottas retained the championship lead by a single point, while Leclerc left with a podium and clear evidence that he could challenge at the front.

2019 Bahrain Grand Prix race results

The 2019 Bahrain Grand Prix was held on 31 March 2019, with a scheduled start of 18:10 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	57	1:34:21.295	25
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	57	+2.980s	18
3	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	57	+6.131s	16
4	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	57	+6.408s	12
5	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	57	+36.068s	10
6	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	57	+45.754s	8
7	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	57	+47.470s	6
8	10	Pierre Gasly	Red Bull Racing	57	+58.094s	4
9	23	Alexander Albon	Toro Rosso	57	+62.697s	2
10	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	57	+63.696s	1
11	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	57	+64.599s	0
12	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	56	+1 lap	0
13	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	56	+1 lap	0
14	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	56	+1 lap	0
15	63	George Russell	Williams	56	+1 lap	0
16	88	Robert Kubica	Williams	55	+2 laps	0
17	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	53	Power unit	0
18	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	53	Power loss	0
19	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	53	Gearbox	0
Ret	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	16	Collision damage	0

Charles Leclerc earned the additional point for fastest lap.

Nico Hülkenberg, Daniel Ricciardo and Carlos Sainz were classified as they completed more than 90% race distance.

2019 Bahrain Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	38	19:15:24	1:33.411	208.575
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	36	19:12:22	1:33.528	208.314
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	42	19:22:19	1:34.209	206.808
4	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	43	19:24:28	1:34.895	205.313
5	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	40	19:20:26	1:34.934	205.228
6	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	14	18:36:54	1:35.215	204.623
7	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	42	19:23:29	1:35.237	204.575
8	10	Pierre Gasly	Red Bull Racing	42	19:23:08	1:35.291	204.460
9	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	47	19:30:24	1:35.311	204.417
10	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	42	19:24:19	1:35.586	203.829
11	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	45	19:27:45	1:35.589	203.822
12	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	14	18:36:55	1:35.777	203.422
13	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	41	19:22:00	1:35.892	203.178
14	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	51	19:37:46	1:36.330	202.254
15	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	42	19:22:55	1:36.697	201.487
16	23	Alexander Albon	Toro Rosso	39	19:18:14	1:36.752	201.372
17	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	31	19:05:57	1:37.037	200.781
18	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	3	18:19:33	1:37.262	200.316
19	63	George Russell	Williams	14	18:37:25	1:37.313	200.211
20	88	Robert Kubica	Williams	13	18:35:42	1:37.903	199.005

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear in this table. Time of Day is local time; average speeds are in km/h.

2019 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings for drivers and teams after the 2019 Bahrain Grand Prix.

2019 Post-Race F1 Drivers’ Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Valtteri Bottas	FIN	Mercedes	44
2	Lewis Hamilton	GBR	Mercedes	43
3	Max Verstappen	NED	Red Bull Racing	27
4	Charles Leclerc	MON	Ferrari	26
5	Sebastian Vettel	GER	Ferrari	22
6	Kimi Räikkönen	FIN	Alfa Romeo Racing	10
7	Lando Norris	GBR	McLaren	8
8	Kevin Magnussen	DEN	Haas	8
9	Nico Hulkenberg	GER	Renault	6
10	Pierre Gasly	FRA	Red Bull Racing	4
11	Alexander Albon	THA	Toro Rosso	2
12	Lance Stroll	CAN	Racing Point	2
13	Daniil Kvyat	RUS	Toro Rosso	1
14	Sergio Perez	MEX	Racing Point	1
15	Antonio Giovinazzi	ITA	Alfa Romeo Racing	0
16	George Russell	GBR	Williams	0
17	Robert Kubica	POL	Williams	0
18	Daniel Ricciardo	AUS	Renault	0
19	Carlos Sainz	ESP	McLaren	0
20	Romain Grosjean	FRA	Haas	0

2019 Post-Race F1 Constructors’ Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Mercedes	87
2	Ferrari	48
3	Red Bull Racing	31
4	Alfa Romeo Racing	10
5	McLaren	8
6	Haas	8
7	Renault	6
8	Toro Rosso	3
9	Racing Point	3
10	Williams	0

2019 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2019 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit , Melbourne	17 March
2	2019 Bahrain Grand Prix	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir	31 March
3	2019 Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai	14 April
4	2019 Azerbaijan Grand Prix	Baku City Circuit, Baku	28 April
5	2019 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Montmeló	12 May
6	2019 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco , Monte Carlo	26 May
7	2019 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles Villeneuve , Montréal	9 June
8	2019 French Grand Prix	Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet	23 June
9	2019 Austrian Grand Prix	Red Bull Ring, Spielberg	30 June
10	2019 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit , Silverstone	14 July
11	2019 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	28 July
12	2019 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring , Mogyoród	4 August
13	2019 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	1 September
14	2019 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza , Monza	8 September
15	2019 Singapore Grand Prix	Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore	22 September
16	2019 Russian Grand Prix	Sochi Autodrom, Sochi	29 September
17	2019 Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka	13 October
18	2019 Mexican Grand Prix	Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City	27 October
19	2019 United States Grand Prix	Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas	3 November
20	2019 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace , São Paulo	17 November
21	2019 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix	Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi	1 December