Monaco’s Charles Leclerc recovered from last place to finish fourth at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia on Sunday, overcoming Ferrari’s costly opening tyre gamble and collision damage to salvage 12 points before Formula 1 heads to Singapore this week.
The Monégasque finished behind team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who completed the podium alongside race winner Max Verstappen and runner-up Kimi Antonelli. Leclerc crossed the line 7.258 seconds behind Verstappen, with Ferrari’s combined 27 points consolidating second place in the Constructors’ Championship.
Held at Sepang under the official Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia title, the race began 90 minutes late after heavy rain and a software problem disrupted preparations. For Leclerc, starting fourth, the difficulties continued almost immediately.
An opening gamble goes wrong
Ferrari chose Soft slick tyres for both drivers as the rain eased, but the circuit remained too wet for the decision to pay off. Both cars slipped backwards against rivals running Intermediates.
Leclerc’s situation worsened following first-lap contact with Nico Hülkenberg, which damaged his front wing and caused a puncture. A stop for repairs and Intermediate tyres left him at the back of the field.
“It was an eventful race. A lot of things went wrong in the first part, and everything that could have gone right did in the second part, so I would say P4 is a good result today all things considered,” Leclerc said in Ferrari’s post-race statement.
“I collided with Nico on lap 1 as I started on slicks and the track turned out to still be very wet. It was a close call which tyres to start on, with a mixed grid, and we will learn from today to be prepared should these conditions come up again.”
A Safety Car intervention brought the field back together, giving Ferrari an opportunity to recover. As conditions improved, Leclerc and Hamilton worked their way into contention, reaching sixth and fifth respectively by around two-thirds distance.
A late move secures fourth
The closing stages brought another opportunity when Alex Albon stopped on track, triggering a further Safety Car. Ferrari brought both drivers in for fresh Soft tyres, while George Russell’s retirement moved them closer to the podium.
Hamilton passed Isack Hadjar after the restart to take third, with Leclerc following him past the Red Bull driver to secure fourth.
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur acknowledged that the opening tyre decision had been wrong, but praised the recovery.
“Charles’ race was made even more difficult by the need to stop after the first lap to replace the front wing following a collision, which makes his recovery to fourth place particularly impressive,” he said.
Hamilton’s third place delivered Ferrari’s tenth podium of the season and his sixth.
Final race results
Singapore brings another chance this weekend
Leclerc will have little time to dwell on Sepang, with the Singapore Grand Prix taking place from Friday 9th to Sunday 11th October.
Marina Bay will host its first Formula 1 Sprint weekend, adding another points-scoring opportunity. Sprint qualifying takes place on Friday, followed by the Sprint and Grand Prix qualifying on Saturday. Sunday’s race starts at 8pm in Singapore, or 2pm in Monaco and France.
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Photo source: Scuderia Ferrari Media Centre