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Lewis Hamilton holds off Max Verstappen to win tense F1 season-opener
Updated On: 29 March, 2021 10:22 AM IST | Sakhir (Bahrain) | AP
Verstappen caught him on Lap 53 and passed him at the second attempt on Turn 4 " but the joy was short-lived. "I knew I had run off the track limits," Verstappen said afterward. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner explained to him that race control had given the order to let Hamilton back in front as per regulations.
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Mercedes` British driver Lewis Hamilton raises his first-place trophy on the podium after winning the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit in the city of Sakhir. Pic/AFP
World champion Lewis Hamilton just managed to hold off Max Verstappen to win the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix and clinch the 96th Formula One win of his career on Sunday. The race was effectively decided when Verstappen overtook Hamilton on Lap 53 of 56 but went too wide on a turn and off track limits. He was told by his team to give Hamilton the position back, as he risked a time penalty. "It`s a shame but you also have to see the positives," Verstappen said. "We are really taking the fight to them, and I think that`s great to start the year like that."
Verstappen still had a few laps to catch Hamilton and he almost did, finishing .74 seconds behind the Mercedes driver. "What a difficult race that was. Max was all over me at the end and I was just about able to hold him off," Hamilton said. "I knew he was going to catch me and I thought it was going to be impossible to keep him behind ... That was one of the hardest races I`ve had for a while. I love the challenge." With 22 races still to come, F1 fans could be in for a treat this season if Verstappen takes the title challenge to Hamilton.
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