Max Verstappen forced to retire from Bahrain Grand Prix as Charles Leclerc triumphs

Not the start Verstappen and Red Bull were hoping for

Max Verstappen was forced to retire early as Charles Leclerc won the Bahrain Grand Prix to take the first victory of the season. It appeared as though the Dutchman would take second in the race, however, a mechanical issue with just three laps to go saw him drop out of the race. The day was one to forget for Red Bull, with Sergio Pérez also suffering a mechanical failure which saw him drop significantly down the order. On the other hand, Ferrari enjoyed a spectacular opening day - leading every lap of a race for the first time since the Belgian Grand Prix in 2018. Given Red Bull star's mechanical issues, Carlos Sainz was able to move into second and secure a one-two for the Italian team to start the season. https://twitter.com/SkySportsF1/status/1505584965932793858 Despite somewhat of an underwhelming race, seven-time world champions Lewis Hamilton also benefited from Red Bull's misery, securing a surprising podium after a difficult few days for Mercedes. Several drivers suffered from high degradation of tyres, with a number of teams having visit the pits on three occasion, rather than the two which was expected. It comes after the FIA confirmed that the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix's title controversy was caused by "human error" after Verstappen beat Hamilton to the drivers' championship title.