Max Verstappen took control of the Bahrain Grand Prix from the jump on Sunday (March 5), outmaneuvering the two challenging Ferraris and from there showed the strength of this yearʻs Red Bull. By lap 2, Verstappen had pulled out to a one-second gap over Charles Leclerc, freeing him from the latter gaining any DRS advantage. And that was that.
Verstappen claimed his first win in Bahrain, his first win of the year (obviously) and number 38 in his career. If anyone is seeking some kind of optimism that Verstappen will not win the title this year, there is a seven-year trend of the winner of the first race finishing the year second in the points. Of course, all trends eventually falter.
Red Bull scored a one-two by having Sergio Perez take second after a solid drive. Fernando Alonso stole the spotlight by placing his Aston Martin third with a beautiful drive. Carlos Sainz earned fourth, eking his Ferrari across the line on worn-out Pirellis at the end.
Lewis Hamilton did the best he could with a Mercedes that has seemingly not taken a step forward in year two of the team’s zero-pod design. Lance Stroll gave Aston Martin a lovely points haul on the day, adding to Alonsoʻs finish in sixth.
George Russell did something rare by not finishing fifth or better, something he did 19 times last year, opening with P7. Valtteri Bottas did what he does well by scoring points with an eighth-place finish after starting 12th.
Pierre Gasly started in the last spot for his first race with Alpine and gained 11 positions to take ninth. Alex Albon scored the last points-paying position by crossing in 10th in what has to be a welcome finish for the Williams team.
Already, Red Bull opens the season with a 20-point edge over the second-place team in the constructor standings.
The Race
Perez struggled at the start but played the dutiful teammate by blocking Sainz from making a run toward Verstappen. By lap 4, the Sky Sports announcers already seemed to be giving the race to the defending champion. Their correct prescience meant that the fascinating elements of the race came from the action behind the leader.
Stroll and Alonso provided teammate drama when Stroll clipped Alonsoʻs right-rear wheel. Alonso managed to continue without issue but certainly got the attention of the
Before the midpoint of the race, Perez methodically passed Leclerc to put the Red Bulls atop the leaderboard and distance them from the rest of…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at …