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Hamilton fends off Ferrari to bag Bahrain

There were fireworks behind him throughout this spectacular Bahrain Grand Prix, but, as he took the chequered flag, the pyrotechnics were all for Lewis Hamilton.

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton after winning the Bahrain Grand Prix in Sakhir on Sunday. PHOTO: AP

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton after winning the Bahrain Grand Prix in Sakhir on Sunday. PHOTO: AP

There were fireworks behind him throughout this spectacular Bahrain Grand Prix, but, as he took the chequered flag, the pyrotechnics were all for Lewis Hamilton.

Celebrating his third victory of the year, the sparkling sky a fitting backdrop, Hamilton stood on top of his Mercedes, threw an imaginary ball in the air and knocked it out of this lustrous park.

That about summed up another serene performance, the world champion keeping calm as bedlam broke out in his wake. It was fitting that Sir Jackie Stewart, Great Britain’s only three-time-champion, conducted proceedings on the podium, as Hamilton’s relentless march towards that record continues apace.

“I’m gunning for it,” the Englishman said, his smile as wide as we have seen since he took a second world title six months ago in Abu Dhabi.

After just four rounds, Hamilton’s lead is a commanding 27 points over Nico Rosberg, his Mercedes team-mate. The German showed flashes of brilliance but eventually fell short, losing out to Kimi Raikkonen for second place. Ferrari are coming, but Hamilton, still in the ascendancy, will plan to control this championship from the front.

There is nothing Hamilton does not have in his arsenal as he plots his way to greatness over the next 15 races. Qualifying is back to top form. With still the best car underneath him, race pace has not been an issue. And should anyone manage to muster an overtaking move, the 30-year-old’s race craft, the best in the sport, will see him through.

On the opposite side of the garage it was yet another chequered affair. In patches, Rosberg displayed some of the finest overtaking we have seen from the German in Formula 1. One move on Sebastian Vettel, who finished fifth, was a sight to behold, sparks flying as Rosberg dove down the inside of turn one.

In the end, however, a poor start coupled with Rosberg’s lack of the ultimate speed cost the Mercedes driver, until a brake failure two laps from the finish allowed a charging Raikkonen to take second.

While Hamilton was largely untested, managing his lead expertly from start to finish, Raikkonen and Ferrari underlined their return to form. The oldest driver in the sport used all his experience to cannily manage his race and take his first podium since Korea in 2013.

Perhaps becoming a father has made all the difference. Sadly it seems to have done nothing to improve his monosyllabic celebrations. Maurizio Arrivabene, Raikkonen’s team principal, accompanied every overtaking move with an expletive-laden shout, but the “Iceman” seemed distinctly underwhelmed with second.

Some things never change. But Ferrari have, in the space of one winter. How they have turned it around from their worst season in 21 years is beyond many in the paddock, particularly the Mercedes top brass who seem astonished at the rate of the Scuderia’s progress.

The biggest test for Ferrari comes in Spain, nearly three weeks from now, the traditional venue for major car upgrades. If Vettel and Raikkonen can cause Hamilton trouble there, the Briton’s safe passage to equalling Ayrton Senna just might come under serious threat.

Even if Ferrari could not trouble Hamilton here, denying us the sort of duel in the desert we witnessed 12 months ago, they made life difficult for Rosberg in an almighty, race-long scrap for the final podium slots.

When darkness descended on Sakhir, and the five red lights went out, it was actually Rosberg who had the superior launch. He traced Vettel off the line, before opting for the inside.

It was a mistake. As the Mercedes driver became bunched up behind his compatriot into the tight right-hander, Raikkonen swept round the outside to take third place.

Rosberg’s misjudgment allowed Hamilton to ease ahead. But it was not long before the German was showing exactly the kind of spirit required. Two brave lunges into turn one dispatched the Ferraris in a matter of a few laps.

Frustratingly, Rosberg and Mercedes were then outfoxed by Ferrari’s strategy. The Scuderia pitted Vettel a lap earlier — after 13 — allowing him to close the gap. Combined with a slow stop for Rosberg, Vettel was back into second. It was not the last time Rosberg had to find a way past the four-time champion on the road.

Again, though, Rosberg reacted superbly. On lap 16, with Hamilton exiting the pits, narrowly in the lead, the German pulled off yet another do or die move down the inside into the tight turn one.

The view in Hamilton’s mirrors, with Rosberg and Vettel almost touching, a shower of sparks behind them, must have been astonishing and alarming in equal measure. Hamilton just about had the lead, and set about extending it.

After Vettel damaged his front wing, forcing an unscheduled stop, Raikkonen was now the main threat to Mercedes. He chose the harder tyres for his middle stint and was keeping pace, albeit much further down the road.

After pitting for the final time on lap 40, more than 20 seconds behind Hamilton, it seemed for a moment as if he might do the unthinkable, taking huge chunks out of the lead. While Hamilton quickly moved to defuse the threat, Rosberg was still in danger. Two laps from the end, a brake failure gifted Raikkonen second place.

A similar issue afflicted Hamilton’s car but it was not enough to disturb his path to victory. Daniel Ricciardo’s Red Bull blew up as he went across the line, but the trails of smoke in the sky were for Hamilton. THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

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