Sebastian Vettel has claimed his second successive win after holding off Valtteri Bottas in a thrilling race at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Fresh from victory at the Australian GP a fortnight ago, the Ferrari driver triumphed at Sakhir, while Mercedes duo Bottas and Lewis Hamilton claimed second and third respectively.

The race proved bittersweet for Ferrari, however, as Kimi Raikkonen retired from the race after a botched pit stop in which one of his team's mechanics was injured, requiring hospital treatment.

Meanwhile, Red Bull endured a disastrous evening as Daniel Ricciardo's car suffered a loss of power on the opening lap while Max Verstappen's RB14 was severely damaged after a collision with Hamilton's Mercedes.

The reigning F1 champion was hamstrung from the off due to a grid penalty for a gearbox change which had demoted him to ninth on the grid.

However, Hamilton picked his way back through the field, overtaking three cars at once in the sixth lap, before a one-stop strategy moved him up to third.

The race enjoyed a climactic finish as Vettel, whose tyres were on the brink, was made to sweat as Bottas came close to overhauling him, but the German held on to top spot by half a second.

Also noteworthy was Pierre Gasly finishing in fourth for Toro Rosso-Honda, the 22-year-old Frenchman having never finished in the points in his previous seven races.

Bahrain GP top 10:

1. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
2. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
3. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
4. Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso)
5. Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
6. Nico Hulkenberg (Renault)
7. Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
8. Stoffel Vandoorne (McLaren)
9. Marcus Ericsson (Sauber)
10. Esteban Ocon (Force India)