Sebastian Vettel said Mercedes "were hiding some eggs, but we found them" after beating Lewis Hamilton to victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Fortunately for the Ferrari driver, his performance was far less laboured than his post-race Easter puns as he reaped the rewards of an early pit stop that facilitated an undercut on leader Valtteri Bottas, who was struggling with tyre pressure issues.

Hamilton, who served a five-second penalty for holding up Daniel Ricciardo in the pit lane, attempted to bridge the gap to Vettel in the closing laps, but had to settle for second and a seven-point deficit in the drivers' standings.

"A really great day. It was a team effort," said Vettel. "Right from the start I could feel we were quick.

"Valtteri didn't make any mistakes. We went for the undercut and it worked fantastically. I was surprised I came out ahead of all of them as I thought we may have lost the advantage with the safety car.

"Lewis was a bit of a threat at the end, but the car was a dream.

"The car has been a pleasure and I was a bit down that the gap was so big in qualifying. But something deep down told me that we have a good car and we can do well.

"Right from the first lap I felt the car was there and the Easter hunt was on. They were hiding some eggs, but we found them."