Felipe Massa took the title and Lewis Hamilton settled for another place in history.
Massa won the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday by edging Hamilton, who became the first driver to start his Formula One career with three straight podium finishes.
Ferrari's Felipe Massa races to victory in the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday.
(Paul Gilham/Getty Images)
Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari was third, and Nick Heidfeld of BMW-Sauber was fourth.
Hamilton, F1's first black driver, finished third at the Australian GP and second at the Malaysian GP. The previous best start to a career was Peter Arundell's two podiums in two starts in 1964.
"I think it is a fantastic achievement, another to add to my career," Hamilton said. "I am extremely proud."
Massa won in one hour 33 minutes 27.515 seconds. Hamilton was 2.360 seconds behind.
After dominating testing and taking two consecutive pole positions, Massa gained his first victory of the season and third of his career. He was the third winner in three races this season.
"The results of first two races was not what I expected," Massa said. "Something was missing. … I had a bit of mistakes. This time we put everything together."
Two-time defending world champion Fernando Alonso was fifth, creating a three-way tie in the drivers' standings. Alonso, Hamilton and Raikkonen each have 22 points, but Alonso and Raikkonen have already won this season. Massa is next with 17 points.
On a hazy day with swirling winds changing track conditions over the circuit, Massa was on the pole and led virtually all the way, just dropping out of first on the two pit stops.
Massa made mistakes from the pole in the last race. He was overtaken to the first turn by Alonso and Hamilton then dropped to fifth when he went off the track trying to pass Hamilton on the sixth lap.
This time he held first through the first turn with Hamilton and Alonso second and third.
"The best race is to get a good start," Massa said. "And to finish in the front."
An accident between Jenson Button and Scott Speed on Sunday brought out the safety car for two laps and Massa could not break free in the slower pace.
Robert Kubica of BMW-Sauber was sixth with Toyota's Jarno Trulli seventh and Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella eighth.
Alonso won the Bahrain GP last year to begin a stretch in which he won six of the first nine races for Renault. He switched to McLaren at the end of the season, while Raikkonen moved from McLaren to Ferrari.
After races in Australia, Malaysia and Bahrain, the series moves to Europe for the Spanish Grand Prix on May 13.
