Polesitter Max Verstappen won the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix Saturday (March 2) with expected ease, leading every lap and setting sail on what appears to be an inevitable fourth consecutive world championship. Verstappen also added the extra point for fastest lap. The race result was a repeat of last year’s season opener, with Verstappen and Sergio Perez also going 1-2.
Verstappen crossed the line 22.457 seconds ahead of Perez, with Carlos Sainz over two seconds behind Perez for third. Charles Leclerc took fourth, with George Russell in fifth, followed by fellow Brits Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton in sixth and seventh, respectively. Oscar Piastri finished eighth, with the Aston Martin duo of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll closing out the points-paying position.
In the driver standings, Verstappen leads with the maximum 26 points, with Perez in second with 18, followed by Sainz with 15.
In the constructor standings, Red Bull leads with 44, followed by Ferrari with 27 points and Mercedes with 16.
The Race
Verstappen held off a determined effort from Leclerc into turn 1 on the start, while Perez overtook Sainz for fourth. Stroll and Nico Hulkenberg made contact, resulting in Stroll doing a half-spin. Hulkenberg’s qualifying effort of 10th quickly turned to dust as he dropped to last place. The Haas driver pitted for hard tires and a new front wing and began praying for a safety car.
Verstappen immediately built a one-second lead by the end of lap 1, and was clear of Leclerc and DRS by the end of lap 2.
Russell snagged second from Leclerc on lap 3, with Perez looking to do the same. Both Ferrari’s had lost places from their grid starting places of Sainz’s fourth and Leclerc’s second.
Verstappen’s lead was over four seconds by the end of lap 6, and one could understand why 19 other drivers began practicing their concession speeches well before the season started.
Russell, well back in second, was advised to manage his tires, with Mercedes all but conceding victory and eyeing a podium.
Perez slipped by Leclerc at turn 11 on lap 7, and Red Bull now ran 1-3, with Perez now attacking Russell in second, while still minding Leclerc in DRS range behind him.
Norris and Piastri ran sixth and seventh in the McLaren’s, behind the Ferrari’s in fourth and fifth.
Sainz overtook Leclerc on lap 11, but not easily, in a battle that had to make the Ferrari team cringe, with Leclerc locking up his brakes…
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