Formula One: Sebastian Vettel makes 200th race special with Bahrain GP title

Courtesy: Reuters

Bahrain: Sebastian Vettel marked his 200th Formula One race with a thrilling and brilliantly-judged victory for Ferrari in Sunday`s dramatic Bahrain Grand Prix. The four-time ex-champion crossed the line with Valtteri Bottas on his tail and the Finn`s Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton in third in a nail-biting finish to an intriguing contest.

It was Vettel`s second win in as many races this season and extended his lead ahead of Hamilton in the drivers` championship after the Englishman delivered a dazzling drive from ninth on the grid to finish only six seconds adrift.

Another superb drive by Frenchman Pierre Gasly took him to a stunning fourth place for the Honda-powered Toro Rosso team ahead of Dane Kevin Magnussen of Haas. Vettel`s Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen failed to finish after colliding with a mechanic at a pit stop while both Red Bulls driven by Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo also retired. 

Nico Hulkenberg was sixth for Renault ahead of Fernando Alonso and his McLaren team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne.  Marcus Ericsson grabbed two points for Sauber by finishing ninth ahead of Esteban Ocon, who was 10th for Force India.