Before the Grand Prix, Valtteri Bottas led the World Drivers' Championship by 8 points over his teammate Lewis Hamilton, held a 22-point lead over Ferrari in the World Constructors' Championships.
The drivers and teams for the race were the same as the season entry list. Ferrari's main title sponsor, Mission Winnow, returned for this race after not being used at the previous race in Australia due to legal reasons.
An extra drag reduction system (DRS) zone was added to the circuit before the race. This new zone was located between turns 3 and 4, in addition to the existing DRS zones between turns 15 and 1 and between turns 10 and 11. This change was expected to increase overtakes and promote more pit stops.
The first practice session concluded with a Ferrari one-two, with Charles Leclerc leading Sebastian Vettel. Leclerc comfortably beat the next fastest constructor by nearly one second. The second and third practice sessions also ended with a comfortable Ferrari one-two, with Leclerc leading Vettel in the third practice.
Charles Leclerc achieved his first pole position in Formula 1 at the 2019 Bahrain Grand Prix Weekend, with his Ferrari teammate Sebastian Vettel qualifying second, 0.3 seconds slower. Mercedes managed to close the gap to Ferrari after free practice, with Lewis Hamilton qualifying ahead of teammate Valtteri Bottas on the second row. Max Verstappen was 0.5 seconds behind Valtteri Bottas in fourth place. Kevin Magnussen was only 0.005 seconds slower than Verstappen. Carlos Sainz Jr. split the two Haas cars in seventh, and Kimi Räikkönen qualified ninth, just ahead of Lando Norris’ McLaren in tenth.
Pierre Gasly missed out on Q3 in Bahrain, qualifying 13th in the Red Bull, behind Daniel Ricciardo in 11th and Alexander Albon in 12th. Sergio Pérez qualified 14th, 0.3 seconds quicker than Daniil Kvyat in 15th in his Toro Rosso. Nico Hülkenberg (Renault) was a surprise exit in Q1 in 17th place, behind Antonio Giovinazzi’s Alfa Romeo and ahead of Lance Stroll once again qualified on the back row, with George Russell 1.5 seconds away from Stroll qualifying last with a 1:31.799.
Charles Leclerc started from pole position but lost two positions to Sebastian Vettel and Valtteri Bottas at the start. Romain Grosjean and Lance Stroll car. By the end of the first lap, Leclerc was on Bottas' tail and passed him on lap 2, which also allowed Lewis Hamilton to take third place. On lap 4, Carlos Sainz Jr. collided with Max Verstappen, causing a puncture for Sainz. On lap 6, Charles Leclerc overtook Vettel for the lead and began to pull away. Antonio Giovinazzi sent Daniil Kvyat into a spin.
Hamilton caught Vettel on lap 38, making a move around the outside. Vettel spun on corner exit, flat-spotting his tires and leading to a front wing failure. He pitted, dropping him to ninth place. The Renaults were running sixth and seventh and made contact while battling for position, leaving Daniel Ricciardo with front wing damage.
On lap 46, Leclerc reported an engine issue and slowed significantly, allowing Hamilton to take the lead on lap 48. On lap 54, Leclerc was passed by Bottas, dropping him to third. With four laps remaining, the two Renaults retired with mechanical issues, bringing out the safety car, which stayed out until the end of the race. As a result, Leclerc held on to third place, claiming his first Formula 1 podium. This was the first Formula One World Championship podium for a Monégasque driver since Louis Chiron in 1950. Leclerc also had the fastest lap of the race, earning an extra point for himself and Ferrari.
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