5 things we learned as F1's new era made an action-packed start at the Bahrain GP

 • The Formula One season-opening race in Bahrain was packed with thrilling racing. • Ferrari ended their 46-race drought, while Red Bull suffered a double DNF. • Here are five key take-away points from the race. 

Formula One fired up for a new season in Bahrain on Sunday, 98 days after last December's contentious finale in Abu Dhabi.

We take a look at five things we learned from the opening round of the campaign.

1. Red Bull implosion papers over Mercedes cracks

It is not often Lewis Hamilton celebrates third like a victory. Still, his podium finish, coupled with rival Max Verstappen's no-score, has to be considered a strong result for the British driver and his struggling Mercedes team.

Hamilton became the first F1 driver to appear on the podium for 16 consecutive years and the first to score points in 250 races, but he will be well aware of the seismic task he now faces to compete for a record eighth championship. Mercedes were the best part of a second off the pace in Bahrain, and without the late safety car and Red Bull's double DNF, Hamilton would have finished a very distant fifth.

READ | Charles Leclerc wins dramatic Bahrain GP opener in Ferrari 1-2

It seems unfathomable that Mercedes will not improve, but it is also difficult to recall a season where a team has started so far behind and ended it by producing a world champion.

2. Ferrari is back

Charles Leclerc delivered possibly the best weekend of his F1 career to convert his 10th pole position into a third victory.

Ferrari is convinced that Leclerc is the man to end a championship drought that stretches back 15 years. To his credit, the Monegasque did not put a foot wrong in Bahrain, with teammate Carlos Sainz following him home to complete a dream 1-2 finish for the