Five times world champion Lewis Hamilton took a lucky Bahrain Grand Prix win for Mercedes on Sunday after engine trouble in the dying stages denied Charles Leclerc a first Formula One victory.

The 21-year-old Monegasque, who had started from pole position and finished third, had been set to become Ferrari’s youngest winner in just his second race for the Italian team when his car started losing power.

Hamilton and team mate Valtteri Bottas, both as much as four seconds a lap faster than the stricken Ferrari, reeled him in and breezed past to secure the team's second one-two finish in as many races.

"That was extremely unfortunate for Charles,” said Hamilton as he crossed the line, with the race finishing behind the safety car which was deployed to clear away Daniel Ricciardo’s stranded Renault.

"He drove such a great race. We’ve got work to do to keep these guys off our tails,” added the Briton, who hugged Leclerc after they stepped out of their cars.

Leclerc’s problems capped an already difficult day for Ferrari, who had swept the front row in qualifying, with Sebastian Vettel’s race having already unravelled.

The German, who finished fifth, spun while defending second place from Hamilton and then lost his front wing in a spectacular shower of sparks.

The only consolation for Leclerc, on the podium for the first time in his F1 career, was an extra point for setting the fastest lap of the race.

"It's a very hard one to take,” said the youngster. "It's a shame to only finish third, but it's part of racing and we'll come back stronger."

Hamilton’s win in Bahrain was the 74th of his career but first this season.

The Briton stayed second in the championship but is now just one point shy of overall leader Bottas, who won and scored the extra point for fastest lap in Australia.

Max Verstappen finished fourth for Red Bull ahead of Vettel.

British rookie Lando Norris put in a fine drive for McLaren to finish sixth ahead of Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Raikkonen, Leclerc's predecessor at Ferrari.

Frenchman Pierre Gasly brought his Red Bull home in eighth ahead of Toro Rosso’s Thai driver Alexander Albon and Mexican Sergio Perez, who rounded out the top 10 for Racing Point.

Hamilton is now 17 wins short of Michael Schumacher's all-time record of 91.

Five times world champion Lewis Hamilton took a lucky Bahrain Grand Prix win for Mercedes on Sunday after engine trouble in the dying stages denied Charles Leclerc a first Formula One victory.

Five times world champion Lewis Hamilton took a lucky Bahrain Grand Prix win for Mercedes on Sunday after engine trouble in the dying stages denied Charles Leclerc a first Formula One victory. The 21-year-old Monegasque, who had started from pole position and finished third, had been set to become Ferrari’s youngest winner in just his second race for the Italian team when his car started losing power. Hamilton and team mate Valtteri Bottas, both as much as four seconds a lap faster than the stricken Ferrari, reeled him in and breezed past to secure the team's second one-two finish in as many races. "That was extremely unfortunate for Charles,” said Hamilton as he crossed the line, with the race finishing behind the safety car which was deployed to clear away Daniel Ricciardo’s stranded Renault. "He drove such a great race. We’ve got work to do to keep these guys off our tails,” added the Briton, who hugged Leclerc after they stepped out of their cars. Leclerc’s problems capped an already difficult day for Ferrari, who had swept the front row in qualifying, with Sebastian Vettel’s race having already unravelled. The German, who finished fifth, spun while defending second place from Hamilton and then lost his front wing in a spectacular shower of sparks. The only consolation for Leclerc, on the podium for the first time in his F1 career, was an extra point for setting the fastest lap of the race. "It's a very hard one to take,” said the youngster. "It's a shame to only finish third, but it's part of racing and we'll come back stronger." Hamilton’s win in Bahrain was the 74th of his career but first this season. The Briton stayed second in the championship but is now just one point shy of overall leader Bottas, who won and scored the extra point for fastest lap in Australia. Max Verstappen finished fourth for Red Bull ahead of Vettel. British rookie Lando Norris put in a fine drive for McLaren to finish sixth ahead of Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Raikkonen, Leclerc's predecessor at Ferrari. Frenchman Pierre Gasly brought his Red Bull home in eighth ahead of Toro Rosso’s Thai driver Alexander Albon and Mexican Sergio Perez, who rounded out the top 10 for Racing Point. Hamilton is now 17 wins short of Michael Schumacher's all-time record of 91.

Formula one: Heartbreak for Charles Leclerc as Lewis Hamilton wins in Bahrain

German Nico Rosberg steered clear of the chaos unfolding behind him and cruised to an unchallenged win in a disrupted Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday. 
 
His Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton, the world championship leader, finished third from the back row of the grid, behind Red Bull&#39;s Daniel Ricciardo. 
 
Rosberg started on pole and kept the lead after his main rivals, fellow front-row starter Max Verstappen and the Ferrari pair of Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel, collided at the first corner. 
 
That allowed Rosberg to run away at the front and he crossed the line 14.1 seconds ahead of Ricciardo. 
 
The race was briefly halted with nine of the 44 laps completed after a massive crash for Kevin Magnussen, who lost control of his Renault as he crested the fearsome Eau Rouge. 
 
The Dane, who was taken to hospital for routine checks after suffering a cut to his left ankle, slammed violently into the barriers, prompting officials to first deploy the safety car and then the red flag as marshals worked to repair the damage. 
 
&ldquo;In general, yes, I had everything under control,&rdquo; Rosberg told reporters. &ldquo;I just had an awesome car and Lewis wasn&rsquo;t there to battle it out, which made it a less difficult weekend.&rdquo; 
 
Sunday&rsquo;s win was the 20th of the Rosberg&rsquo;s career and sixth of the season. 
 
But it was the 31-year-old&rsquo;s first since June&rsquo;s European Grand Prix, reigniting his title challenge after a run of lacklustre races in which he steadily lost ground to Hamilton. 
 
The Briton, winner of six of the last seven races leading up to the Belgian round, still leads the championship but by a narrower nine-point margin with eight of a record 21 races still to run. 
 
The triple champion, who had gone into the weekend gunning to become only the third ever driver to score 50 career wins, was happy to come away with a podium finish. 
 
&ldquo;I honestly didn&rsquo;t know what was going to happen in the race,&rdquo; said Hamilton, whose rise up the order was helped by the opening lap collisions and race disruptions. 
 
&ldquo;I really can&rsquo;t believe we came so far up to be honest.&rdquo; Nico Hulkenberg, who ran as high as second at one stage, finished fourth for Force India. 
 
Team mate Sergio Perez was fifth, on a strong day for the Silverstone-based team that took them ahead of Williams into fourth in the constructors&rsquo; standings. 
 
Vettel fought back to finish sixth ahead of Fernando Alonso who also enjoyed a strong race having started dead last. 
 
Ferrari&rsquo;s Kimi Raikkonen, who had fallen one lap behind the leaders after the opening lap tangle, was ninth with Red Bull&#39;s Verstappen finishing a disappointing 11th.&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

World championship leader Lewis Hamilton finished third after starting from the back row; Riccardio came in second

German Nico Rosberg steered clear of the chaos unfolding behind him and cruised to an unchallenged win in a disrupted Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday. His Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton, the world championship leader, finished third from the back row of the grid, behind Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo. Rosberg started on pole and kept the lead after his main rivals, fellow front-row starter Max Verstappen and the Ferrari pair of Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel, collided at the first corner. That allowed Rosberg to run away at the front and he crossed the line 14.1 seconds ahead of Ricciardo. The race was briefly halted with nine of the 44 laps completed after a massive crash for Kevin Magnussen, who lost control of his Renault as he crested the fearsome Eau Rouge. The Dane, who was taken to hospital for routine checks after suffering a cut to his left ankle, slammed violently into the barriers, prompting officials to first deploy the safety car and then the red flag as marshals worked to repair the damage. “In general, yes, I had everything under control,” Rosberg told reporters. “I just had an awesome car and Lewis wasn’t there to battle it out, which made it a less difficult weekend.” Sunday’s win was the 20th of the Rosberg’s career and sixth of the season. But it was the 31-year-old’s first since June’s European Grand Prix, reigniting his title challenge after a run of lacklustre races in which he steadily lost ground to Hamilton. The Briton, winner of six of the last seven races leading up to the Belgian round, still leads the championship but by a narrower nine-point margin with eight of a record 21 races still to run. The triple champion, who had gone into the weekend gunning to become only the third ever driver to score 50 career wins, was happy to come away with a podium finish. “I honestly didn’t know what was going to happen in the race,” said Hamilton, whose rise up the order was helped by the opening lap collisions and race disruptions. “I really can’t believe we came so far up to be honest.” Nico Hulkenberg, who ran as high as second at one stage, finished fourth for Force India. Team mate Sergio Perez was fifth, on a strong day for the Silverstone-based team that took them ahead of Williams into fourth in the constructors’ standings. Vettel fought back to finish sixth ahead of Fernando Alonso who also enjoyed a strong race having started dead last. Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen, who had fallen one lap behind the leaders after the opening lap tangle, was ninth with Red Bull's Verstappen finishing a disappointing 11th. (Reuters)

Rosberg eases to victory in chaotic Belgian GP

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Formula one: Heartbreak for Charles Leclerc as Lewis Hamilton wins in Bahrain

Rosberg eases to victory in chaotic Belgian GP