Formula 1 saw another all-time record tied in the 2021 season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix at Bahrain International Circuit.
The 2021 Formula 1 season opened up with a thrilling Bahrain Grand Prix at Bahrain International Circuit, and it was a slower Lewis Hamilton who held off a quicker Max Verstappen to deliver the victory to Mercedes after Red Bull had dominated every session at the track leading up to the event.
Hamilton held off Verstappen by 0.745 seconds to win this 56-lap race around 15-turn, 3.363-mile (5.412-kilometer) road course in Sakhir, Bahrain.
Hamilton’s teammate, Valtteri Bottas, finished in third place, 36.638 seconds behind Verstappen, after making a late pit stop for new tires to secure the bonus point for recording the fastest lap of the race.
Bottas crossing the finish line in third place tied an all-time Formula 1 record.
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The trio of Hamilton, Verstappen and Bottas finished on the podium twice together in the 2018 season, three times together in the 2019 season and eight times together in the 2020 season. They are now one for one in doing so this year, giving them 14 shared podiums together. No trio have ever shared more podiums than these three.
Entering the year, the record of 14 had been held solely by the trio of Hamilton, four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel and 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg.
Among active drivers, Hamilton and Bottas had shared the top spot, but with Vettel, not Verstappen, until late last season. This trio secured 12 podium finishes together, which is tied for fourth place on the all-time list with the trio of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, two-time world champion Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard.
The trio currently sitting third on the list with 13 includes Hamilton, two-time world champion Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber.
Will this record fall in the next race on the 2021 Formula 1 schedule? Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari is set to host the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on Sunday, April 18, and this race is set to be broadcast live on ESPN beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET.