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Red Bull Racing has revealed that Sebastian Vettel's chances of winning the Bahrain Grand Prix were hit by an engine problem, and not by an issue with the exhaust as the team initially reported.

Vettel was leading the event from Ferrari drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa when he reported a loss of power in his Renault engine.

Although the team initially believed the problem was in the exhaust, further analysis has revealed that in fact it was an eletrical problem with the engine, caused by a faulty spark plug.

The team said, however, that there had been no damage to the unit.

After the problem, Vettel dropped three places and finished the race in fourth position while Ferrari went on to score a one-two.