Oscar Piastri has driven a flawless race from pole position to win the Bahrain Grand Prix, his second win this Formula 1 season.
The Australian was in a class of his own to beat Mercedes' George Russell in second and McLaren teammate Lando Norris third.
Norris produced a nice recovery drive after being penalised five seconds for a false start, while world champion Max Verstappen suffered two horror pit stops to place sixth.
A safety car on lap 33 of 57 bunched the field after Piastri had built a big lead, but once racing resumed, the Australian proved he was quickest in the Bahrain desert.
Piastri's victory was the first Bahrain Grand Prix victory for McLaren.
"Great to have this result out here, it's been an incredible weekend," the Australian said post-race.
"To finish the job today, in style, was nice.
"I can't thank the team enough for the car they've given us. It's pretty handy out there."
Piastri moves into second in the drivers' championship standings, just three points behind Norris.
As Piastri got a brilliant launch off the line, his teammate Norris was penalised for a false start.
Norris jumped from sixth to third in the opening corners, but his McLaren rolled beyond his grid box as the British driver engaged first gear before the lights went out.
Mercedes driver George Russell was able to jump from third to second off the start, as most drivers started on the soft compound tyre.
Ferrari opted to start on the medium compound, a deviation from their rivals.
Norris pitted on lap 10 of 57, attempting a massive undercut to offset serving his five-second penalty for the false start.
As Piastri and Russell drove off into the distance, the difference in pit strategy allowed Leclerc to overtake Norris for third.
A safety car on lap 33 to clear debris on the track bunched the field and turned the race into a 21-lap shootout when racing resumed on lap 36.
Both McLaren drivers had medium tyres, and the Ferraris had the hard compound, while Russell drove the final stint on the soft tyre.
Norris initially fell to fifth off the restart behind both Ferraris but was able to fight his way through to claim the podium finish.
Russell battled gear and computer issues with his Mercedes towards the end, leading to the rear wing incorrectly opening late in the race.
He was investigated after the race but was found not to be at fault, as his car was suffering a brake-by-wire and other technical faults.
"We were having all sorts of failures, one lap I clicked the radio button and the DRS opened," Russell said post-race.
"I hit close and backed off, so didn't gain any advantage."
But there were no issues for Piastri, who made every post a winner, claiming victory by over 15 seconds.
[Bahrain race widget]Red Bull pit stops cost Verstappen dearly
The Bahrain Grand Prix was a race to forget for defending world champion Max Verstappen, who cut a furious figure as he watched his rivals drive off into the distance.
The Red Bull struggled for pace all weekend around the Bahrain International Circuit, with Verstappen starting seventh on Monday morning, AEST.
But any hope of a Verstappen masterclass was curtailed by two horrid pit stops, which sent him down the grid.
Verstappen's first stop came on lap 10 of 57, but he was stationary for nearly five seconds as the automated green light, supposed to shine to let the driver know to leave the pits, never flashed for the world champion.
The Red Bull ace had hard compound tyres bolted to his car, a deviation from his rivals who went for mediums, and proved the wrong choice.
Stuck in traffic, Verstappen was complaining about a lack of grip and overheating in his car.
Red Bull called Verstappen in for his next stop much on lap 27, earlier than expected, but issues with detaching his right front tyre kept him stationary for 6.7 seconds — an eternity in modern F1.
Verstappen was able to jump from 13th to eighth when he did not stop under the safety car on lap 33.
Despite having older tyres for the final stint, Verstappen was able to climb to sixth, passing Alpine's Pierre Gasly on the final lap.
