Another year, another dominant victory for Max Verstappen.
Verstappen began 2024 with a lights-to-flag win from the pole in the Bahrain Grand Prix Saturday (March 2). His fastest lap ensured the Dutchman his fifth Grand Slam, ranking him fifth on the all-time list.
“it was a lot of fun.” Verstappen said afterwards in the podium interview. “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. It all goes perfect, you are just one with the car. Everything just feels great.”
It was an easy day for Verstappen, never having any real issues or troubles to speak of. The gaps he built up each pit stop cycle ensured he could take his time in what lap to come down pit road.
“[Verstappen] had a pit stop in his back pocket,” Martin Brundle said after the fact on the Sky Sports broadcast, summing up the domination. “He still would have won if he came down again.”
Coming in second, 22.457 seconds behind, Sergio Perez couldn’t do much to beat his teammate but to beat everybody else. Carlos Sainz was best of the rest in third, and was voted Driver of the Day thanks to some big overtakes of George Russell and Charles Leclerc throughout the race.
Leclerc had a number of early lock-ups and brake issues, but he was still able to bring his Ferrari home in fourth. Fifth place went to Russell.
In the back half of the top five, Lando Norris was able to score sixth and Lewis Hamilton was seventh. Oscar Piastri was behind both in eighth.
The Aston Martin pair of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll ended up taking the last points of the day in ninth and tenth.
There were just two big incidents in a largely clean race. Going into lap one, Stroll spun out in front of the field and Nico Hulkenberg had nowhere to go but into him. Hulkenberg had to pit due to a puncture and eventually ended the day in 16th.
The other came on lap 10, when Logan Sargeant stalled out in the run-off of turn 4. Sargeant was able to regain power and finished last in 20th.
Next up on the F1 schedule is a return to Jeddah. Lights out for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will come on Saturday, March 9th at Noon ET. Coverage will be provided on ESPN2.
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