Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes secured an incredible first win of the Formula One season at the opening Bahrain Grand Prix by coming out on top in a fierce battle with Max Verstappen of Red Bull over the final laps.
Polesitter Verstappen held position after a race start that saw one safety car in the first lap and a virtual safety car before five laps completed.
But an intense pit stop strategy made Hamilton and Verstappen alternate turns at the front through the entire race, dpa reported.
With only three laps to go, Verstappen cruised around the outside at Turn 4 to grab the lead but went outside track limits and had to return the position to Hamilton, who held on to win by less than 8 tenths of a second.