Charles Leclerc protected his pole position to lead a Ferrari one-two at the Bahrain Grand Prix as late Red Bull woe allowed an uncompetitive Lewis Hamilton to make the podium in the 2022 Formula One season opener.

For Leclerc, besides a three-lap battle with Max Verstappen, this was a relatively straightforward victory after making good use of Ferrari's pace again.

But there was chaos behind him in the closing stages, when Verstappen reported an issue with his handling after pitting a third time.

A late safety car had appeared to give the defending champion the chance to challenge Leclerc, but it vitally also attached the rest of the field to his tail, meaning Carlos Sainz was able to capitalise on a mechanical failure.

Sergio Perez could not cling on to third as his Red Bull also ground to a halt on the final lap, remarkably clearing a path for Hamilton.

Verstappen's first pit had been more successful in worrying Leclerc, undercutting the leader and wiping out a three-second gap to move comfortably within DRS range.

In three consecutive laps, Verstappen made late moves on the straight into Turn 1 to get ahead, only for Leclerc to swiftly respond each time – the last such scrap seeing the Red Bull lock up, seemingly damaging both brakes and tyres before falling back.

Verstappen's team sought to bring him back into the picture with another undercut but advised the driver to protect his tyres on the out lap, much to his frustration as Leclerc maintained his lead.

A fire onboard Pierre Gasly's AlphaTauri brought out the safety car, yet that ultimately worked in favour of Ferrari and Mercedes when the cars of Verstappen and Perez both bowed under the pressure and failed to finish.