BAHRAIN, March 28 — Russian rookie Nikita Mazepin’s Formula One race debut lasted just three corners before he crashed his Haas in today’s Bahrain Grand Prix season-opener.

Mazepin veered off into the barriers seconds after the start, with the new Aston Martin safety car deployed for the first time.

The 22-year-old had qualified last but started 18th after Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel collected a five place grid penalty for failing to respect warning flags in yesterday’s qualifying and dropped to the rear.

Red Bull’s new Mexican signing Sergio Perez started from the pit lane after his car stopped on the formation lap, forcing the others to go around one more time and reducing the race distance by one lap. — Reuters