If there were any doubts about the clear supremacy of Max Verstappen and Red Bull, the Bahrain Grand Prix of Formula 1 dispelled them. The Dutchman won dominantly in Sakhir, leading every lap from pole position and setting the fastest lap. It’s called a “grand slam,” with Verstappen also achieving the record feat of leading from start to finish for the 13th time.
Race summary
Verstappen (Red Bull) had a good start, not only maintaining the lead but also gaining a one-second advantage over Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) in the first lap, protecting himself from potential DRS attacks. Verstappen’s lead continued to grow, while Leclerc made a mistake and later lost positions to George Russell (Mercedes) and Sergio Pérez (Red Bull).
In the first start of the season, there was already the first incident, a collision between Lance Stroll (Aston Martin/Mercedes) and Nico Hülkenberg (Haas/Ferrari) – in the case of the German, the damage to the car required a pit stop at the end of the opening lap.
In addition to not having the means to prevent Verstappen from pulling away, Russell also saw Pérez closing in on his second place. Leclerc, unable to keep up with the podium pace, even lost fifth place to his teammate Carlos Sainz. The pit stops started on lap 12, with Russell and Leclerc changing to the hard compound tires.
LAP 11/57
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A stunning moment as the two Ferrari drivers duel down into Turn 1 ⚔️🍿
Leclerc puts up a fight but Sainz squeezes past #F1 #BahrainGP pic.twitter.com/akeiSbe7N8
In the next lap, more drivers completed this operation, including Pérez and Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) who was further behind. It was the 14th lap when Pérez took advantage of Russell’s poor approach to overtake the British driver, taking the virtual second place. Moments later, Sainz changed tires and, despite making a mistake earlier when he had brake problems, Leclerc successfully undercut him to regain the position. However, the Spaniard responded on lap 17, the same lap in which Verstappen made a tire change without any problems: he returned to the track in the lead. #55 was strong in this phase and shortly after, exchanged positions with Russell to take third place.
LAP 21/57
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⚔️ Battle for 4th ⚔️
Charles Leclerc, who is still struggling with a front brake issue, has his pedal to the metal in pursuit of George Russell #F1 #BahrainGP pic.twitter.com/glhygGCMTN
The positions at the front did not change from then on, nor were there any major battles, making the race somewhat monotonous with Verstappen in first, Pérez in second, followed by Sainz and Leclerc. Leclerc #16 was the first of the front-runners to make the second tire change on the 35th lap – one lap before Sainz. Pérez was the next to do so. The positions did not change, but Sainz got slightly closer to the Mexican’s second place.
It didn’t take long for Verstappen to make his second pit stop, which once again went smoothly, and he returned to the track comfortably in the lead. If the Red Bulls were untouchable in the first two positions, the same applied to Sainz in third. Leclerc #16 reacted well in this last stint, pressed hard, and regained fourth place from Russell on lap 46.
LAP 46/57
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 2, 2024
Leclerc’s pressure pays off. Russell locks up and runs wide as he tries to defend
Leclerc’s up to P4 behind his team mate Sainz in P3#F1 #BahrainGP pic.twitter.com/7zeooHZUeB
Until the end, nothing changed in the fight for the top positions, with Verstappen achieving a clear victory and also setting the fastest lap. Pérez finished second over 20 seconds behind, with Sainz completing the podium. After overtaking Russell, Leclerc comfortably held onto fourth place ahead of #63.
Lando Norris (McLaren/Mercedes) recovered to sixth, beating Hamilton, while the other McLaren driver, Oscar Piastri, started the season with an eighth-place finish. Aston Martin started with both drivers in the points, with Fernando Alonso in ninth and Lance Stroll in tenth… a result that may not be the most satisfactory for the Spaniard, who started sixth and seemed to have the potential for better.
It’s worth noting that all drivers reached the end of the race. The last classified was Logan Sargeant (Williams/Mercedes), who was also the only one behind the Alpine drivers Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly. A disastrous start for the French constructor, who will not have an easy time in the coming months.
