Max Verstappen wins Bahrain Grand Prix as Red Bull star continues F1 dominance

02 March 2024 , 16:35

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Max Verstappen eased to victory in Bahrain

Max Verstappen claimed a dominant victory in the season opening Bahrain Grand Prix, leading every lap before he took the chequered flag.

Several competitive practice sessions had given hope to a more competitive field but the Red Bull star was the class of the field with team-mate Sergio Perez completing a 1-2 for the Austrian outfit. Verstappen fended off an early Charles Leclerc attack on the first half before establishing a notable gap, which he retained throughout the race.

Perez made up several places to finish on the podium with Leclerc struggling with his tyres throughout the race before he finished fourth ahead of George Russell. Carlos Sainz took the final podium spot as Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren Mercedes and Aston Martin occupied the top ten spots.

Sainz begun his last Ferrari season with plenty of punch, twice passing Leclerc on track as he underlined his credentials, but he couldn't chase down Perez for second in the final stint. Lewis Hamilton struggled to be competitive throughout the race as he finished seventh, sandwiched between the two McLarens.

Verstappen said after his victory: "Unbelievable. I think today went even better than expected. I think the car was really nice to drive on every compound. I think we had a lot of pace and it was just super enjoyable to drive today. We stayed out of trouble and it's a great start of the year, it couldn't have been better.

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"It was a lot of fun and I felt really good in the car. It's always very special to have these kind of days because they don't happen that often where it all goes perfect and you are at one with the car."

Carlos Sainz bagged a podium for Ferrari

Second-place Perez said: "I think it was the maximum we could have achieved. It was quite a tricky race with the management of the tyres, there's plenty we will learn from tonight's race which will be important for the championship. But overall it's a great wat to start the season.

"It was really [tyre] compound to compound the amount of sliding we were having. We were having some issues with the engine braking, the driveability, which is not easy around here."

Samuel Meade