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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Daniel Moxon

Charles Leclerc out of Bahrain GP and groans over radio as Ferrari engine dies

Charles Leclerc was clearly gutted as his engine failed while he was pushing for a podium in the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Leclerc was running in third with just 17 laps to go in the first race of the season. The two Red Bulls were a long way ahead and probably would not be caught, but a place on the podium and a strong haul of points was on offer for the Monegasque.

But it was not to be for the Ferrari man. Suddenly, he was forced to pull over at the side of the track as he suffered mechanical problems. Replays appeared to show that his engine died as he attempted to go around a corner.

The disappointment in his voice was obvious as he spoke over the radio as he parked his car at the side of the track. "Oh no, come on," Leclerc moaned before he asked: "What happened? No power!"

It meant team-mate Carlos Sainz inherited third place, but it was not guaranteed. Fernando Alonso showed incredible pace throughout the race in his Aston Martin, and it wasn't long before the 41-year-old was ahead of his fellow Spaniard and into the points positions.

And there was no stopping Alonso after that. By the time he crossed the finish line, he was almost 10 second ahead of Sainz and had made it clear that Aston Martin have the second quickest car on the grid at the start of this new season, behind only Red Bull.

Charles Leclerc pulled over on the side of the track (Sky Sports)

Max Verstappen cruised to victory, winning in Bahrain for the first time in his F1 career. Sergio Perez crossed the line second, though he was some way behind his team-mate and miles ahead of Alonso.

Sainz could manage only fourth as Ferrari didn't get the start to their season that they wanted. Lewis Hamilton managed fifth place ahead of Lance Stroll in sixth, who got the better of the other Mercedes driver George Russell.

Valtteri Bottas started the season by driving his Alfa Romeo to eighth place. Pierre Gasly finished ninth on his Alpine debut despite starting dead last, while Alex Albon rounded off the top 10 to secure a valuable point for Williams.

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