At the initial race start, Verstappen was passed by both George Russell and Hamilton.
The seven-time world champion failed to win a single race in 2022 and has had a lackluster start to the 2023 campaign.
There could be a similar situation brewing over at Red Bull, especially after Perez won the Saudi Arabian GP on Sunday and coming within just a point of Verstappen.
Mercedes failed to get on the podium in Bahrain as Hamilton finished P5 and teammate George Russell finished P7.
Verstappen took the lead from the go, switching his starting set of soft tyres for another set on Lap 14 before switching to hards on Lap 36.
Before the Bahrain Grand Prix, the European Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (ECDHR) wrote to Hamilton and other Formula One drivers.
After George Russell broke down on the track on the second day of official preseason testing in Bahrain, the Mercedes F1 team had a "disastrous" finish.
Russell appeared perplexed by the FIA directive, claiming that something like this made no sense in any manner.
The team's new machine for the 2023 season was tested by George Russell before any other driver.
After spending 2022 in their more conventional silver scheme, Mercedes' newest model represents a return to black.