Lewis Hamilton wins the Bahrain GP ahead of Kimi Raikkonen and Nico Rosberg to extend his lead in battle for F1 championship

• e-mail

Fireworks lit up the desert night and sparks glowed from under the cars, but nothing shone brighter in the Bahrain Grand Prix than the luminous talent of Lewis Hamilton.

Such is his form at the start of the season that we could easily mistake the extraordinary for the routine.

The hard facts are that Hamilton’s third win in four races extends his lead in the championship to 27 points over his Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg. But the British driver’s performances are almost certainly the most complete of his startling career. 

Lewis Hamilton celebrates winning the Bahrain Grand Prix ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg (right)  

Kimi Raikkonen, who finished second, applauds Hamilton after the Briton claimed his third victory in four races so far this season  

Hamilton extended his lead the Formula One world championship with yet another flawless victory in Bahrain

PROVISIONAL CLASSIFICATION: BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX  

1. Lewis Hamilton (Britain) Mercedes 1:35:05.809

2. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Ferrari +00:03.380

3. Nico Rosberg (Germany) Mercedes 00:06.033

4. Valtteri Bottas (Finland) Williams-Mercedes 00:42.957

5. Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Ferrari 00:43.989

6. Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) Red Bull - Renault 01:01.751

7. Romain Grosjean (France) Lotus - Mercedes 01:24.763

8. Sergio Perez (Mexico) Force India - Mercedes 1 lap

9. Daniil Kvyat (Russia) RedBull - Renault 1 lap

10. Felipe Massa (Brazil) Williams-Mercedes 1 lap

11. Fernando Alonso (Spain) McLaren 1 lap

12. Felipe Nasr (Brazil) Sauber - Ferrari 1 lap

13. Nico Hulkenberg (Germany) Force India - Mercedes 1 lap

14. Marcus Ericsson (Sweden) Sauber - Ferrari 1 lap

15. Pastor Maldonado (Venezuela) Lotus - Mercedes 1 lap

16. Will Stevens (Britain) Marussia - Ferrari 2 laps

17. Roberto Merhi (Spain) Marussia - Ferrari 3 laps

r. Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Toro Rosso - Renault 22 laps

r. Carlos Sainz Jr (Spain) Toro Rosso - Renault 27 laps

r. Jenson Button (Britain) McLaren 57 laps

(rank: r = retired, nc = not classified)

Fastest Lap: Kimi Raikkonen,1:36.311, lap 42.

His goal is to match Sir Jackie Stewart’s record of three titles, as we were all reminded when the Scot, who competed in a different and more dangerous age, conducted the podium interviews.

Stewart has occasionally been a critic of Hamilton, and not without his reasons, but he was happy to acknowledge on Sunday night that the reigning double world champion is ‘the best out there at the moment’.

Hamilton’s faultless behaviour extended to the celebratory spraying of rose water — the substitute drink in these religiously more abstemious countries. There was no repeat of his turning the fizz on a somewhat trapped stewardess as he did in China seven days earlier. In place of that unchivalrous act, he acted with total restraint, looking at the grey-suited women at the side of the presentation party but studiously keeping his distance.

Hamilton’s joy must have been immense though. He had beaten Rosberg, a specialist in Bahrain, in qualifying and in the race. Whether the German can recover from this kind of mauling is open to question. However well he drives, he may never be a match for Hamilton at his greatest

The championship dynamic developed in another important way: the Ferraris of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen look set to stay in the hunt. The internal rivalry at Ferrari may be as important to the outcome of the title as the one, albeit potentially fading, at Mercedes.

Raikkonen was second with a strong drive from fourth on the grid, a place ahead of Rosberg, who drove with real gusto but struggled with brake problems.

It was always going to be hard to match the front-to-back excitement of last year’s race here. This edition did not reach those towering standards, but there was still a smattering of thrills during the 57 laps of a race whose efficient organisation, friendly paddock, and perfectly choreographed lights are a model of excellence for all grand prix hosts to emulate.

The race started with a close dance between the leading cars. Rosberg, in desperate need of a spark to light his championship challenge, dived down the right of the straight, was blocked by Vettel, and then overtaken by Raikkonen as the second corner swept round to the left.

But Rosberg harried Raikkonen’s red machine until he made his brave — arguably reckless — move going into the first corner at the start of the fourth lap. It worked, just. 

Hamilton turned in a strong display at the Sakhir International Circuit to win in Bahrain for the second consecutive year  

Hamilton leads the early phase of the grand prix from the Ferrari pair of Sebastian Vettel, who finished fifth, and Kimi Raikkonen  

Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene was unimpressed, the Italian mouthing a few words of pure Anglo-Saxon.

Hamilton, meanwhile, was running serenely at the front. Rosberg was on a charge. He got close to Vettel when the German ran wide. Then Rosberg attacked. It was a fine move, with the titanium underbellies of both cars sparkling in the dark. Rosberg held Vettel off and powered through.

He was now running second behind Hamilton, who was in clear command.

Next came the opening round of pit stops. Vettel was first in of the front-runners. Rosberg was in next but emerged from the pits behind the man he had just sweated blood passing.

Hamilton was soon in but a slow wheel change delayed him — a mistake for which the team apologised over the radio — as Vettel and Rosberg were now flying around. Suddenly, Hamilton’s gap had narrowed to under a second from more than five seconds 

Hamilton leads the pack on the run down to Turn 1 ahead of Vettel and Rosberg as sparks fly in Bahrain 

Hamilton leads the field round on the pardare lap in Bahrain, the fourth round of the championship

Hamilton is now 27 points clear of Mercedes team-mate Rosberg as he bids to win his third championship 

Rosberg immediately passed Vettel again with another close-your-eyes, hold-on-to-your-hats move.

Could Rosberg conjure something special and catch Hamilton? No. If the opportunity was ever there, it did not last long. Hamilton was away, Rosberg’s hopes of victory evaporating in an instant.

The next round of stops came along. Vettel was again first in; Rosberg was next, only to come out behind Vettel again; Rosberg then passed Vettel once more when the Ferrari ran wide. But up front now, having stopped only once, was Raikkonen on a different tyre strategy. He would stay out longer before putting in a final burst on the faster soft tyres.

Raikkonen was left with about 20 seconds to make up in 17 laps. His deficit was 16.2sec with 15 laps remaining. He was now three seconds quicker than the Mercedes and on course. He continued to eat into those in front of him — Hamilton and Rosberg (who finally got his place from a sometimes erratic Vettel when the Ferrari car needed a new nose).

Raikkonen could not catch Hamilton, but Rosberg, suffering brake problems, ran wide and the Ferrari went through for second.

Watching from the McLaren hospitality area was Jenson Button. His car, which broke down in qualifying, did not recover from its electrical gremlins to allow him to race. It was only the third race of the last 272 staged the Briton has missed.

He tweeted his thoughts from his chair in the paddock, as his countryman shone brighter than all the stars. 

Hamilton crosses the start-finish line to win his third race of the season under the lights in Bahrain 

The Briton, who now has 36 career wins, celebrates his victory with an air golf swing after leaping out of his Mercedes 

Pastor Maldonado and Max Verstappen battle for position with sparks flying off their cars