Sebastian Vettel’s chances of a podium finish in the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday were crushed on lap 38 following a collision with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton as the pair pursued leader Charles Leclerc.

It was an incredible period of racing as Vettel and Hamilton went wheel-to-wheel around a stretch of tight corners before the German lost the rear just as his title rival inched past him on the track.

If that wasn’t a disaster in itself, Vettel also lost his front wing shortly after and had to crawl back to the pits and enter the fray again.

After so many glaring errors last season ultimately denting his title challenge, Vettel will already know how costly that spin could prove later down the line - scroll down to see the incident below.

Ferrari’s day then went from bad to worse when race leader Leclerc suffered heartbreak as his battery power run short and his lead on Hamilton dropped from nine seconds to four-and-a-half in lap 47, before being overtaken by the Brit two laps later.

A cruel, cruel end to the Monegasque’s weekend after such a strong qualifying run and race.

Vettel's costly spin:

After going in for his pit stop, Vettel did well to move up the field again. Coming out in eighth, then leapfrogging Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo in lap 42, however, fully knowing that the best position he could probably hope four would be fifth.

A pulsating Grand Prix was to be finished behind a safety car following a huge crash which sent both Renault drivers – Nico Hulkenberg and Daniel Ricciardo – out of the race which helped Vettel to a fifth-place finish.

Lower than he would’ve hoped but he did very well to get back into it. Valtteri Bottas managed to get past Leclerc in the closing stages to add to the 21-year-old’s woes as Hamilton cruised home to take a big victory in exhilarating circumstances.