Max Verstappen has set the tone for the rest of the season by winning the season-opener at Bahrain. If anyone was in doubt whether Red Bull had plans to continue their domination this season, the Bahrain race was solid proof, with Verstappen finishing 22 seconds ahead of everyone else, as teammate Sergio Perez crossed the finish line second before Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz to make up the first podium of the season.
Red Bull had a perfect outing for the first Grand Prix of the season, as they lead all leaderboards and rankings. The team’s performance sent a different message from internal issues affecting the team, particularly team principal, Christian Horner, which has been a source of contention for weeks now. The issue was quite distracting, as Verstappen admitted after Saturday’s race, adding he had to keep his mind on the race at hand.
The Bahrain Grand Prix was one of two races scheduled to hold their main race on Saturday rather than the usual Sunday. Verstappen won the qualifying race on Friday and entered Sunday’s race in pole position, and, aside a minor challenge from Charles Leclerc around the second lap, Verstappen maintained that position until the end of the race. The race was everything we have come to expect from an era dominated by Red Bull.
Ferrari began the season posing as a challenger to Red Bull and even though they were unsuccessful in stopping Verstappen, Sainz coming third was a sort of validation of their effort in the first race. Leclerc suffered some mishap early on in the race but was able to move on fast from that, eventually ending the race in fourth place.
Mercedes George Russell finished fifth, while Lewis Hamilton came seventh. McLaren duo Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri finished sixth and eighth, respectively, as Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll finished ninth and tenth to take the last points for Aston Martin.
The Bahrain GP was quite an exciting way to begin the season, and we can only sit back and anticipate what the rest of the season brings our way.
Leon Osamor
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