MAX GIVES NEW TERM OLD LOOK
BY MAX VERSTAPPEN picked up where he left off, by dominating the field from start to finish as he won the Bahrain Grand Prix – with Lewis Hamilton seventh.
The reigning three-time world champion pipped Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to pole position on Friday, but this first race of the season was a one-sided affair.
Verstappen took the chequered flag 22.5 seconds ahead of Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez.
“Unbelievable,” Verstappen noted. “It went even better than expected. The car was really nice to drive on every compound.
“We had a lot of pace and it was just super enjoyable to drive. We stayed out of trouble and it’s a great start of the year.”
The one-two finish was the perfect end to what has been a testing weekend for Red Bull.
Team principal Christian Horner was on the pit wall, amid speculation regarding his future, and in high spirits after the race.
“I have to say a big thank you to all the men and women back at Milton Keynes who have worked so hard over the winter,” Horner said. “It’s testimony to all that hard work that goes on behind the scenes.
“A great team performance to get that one-two finish and maximum points.”
Red Bull’s fiercest rivals were left frustrated, with Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell managing issues throughout.
Russell had climbed to second after three laps but engine cooling problems saw him slump to fifth.
Hamilton, meanwhile, fought from ninth on the grid to finish seventh.
“We probably feel a bit of disappointment within the team,” said Hamilton.
“I was definitely hoping that we would be better this weekend than we were, but it was a tough race. It was very close with everybody, and degradation is high with the car. Plenty of areas we can improve.”
There was hardly more joy for Hamilton’s Ferrari team-mate-to-be, as Leclerc also struggled in fourth.
The Monegasque driver was wellbeaten by his colleague Carlos Sainz after a brake problem.
Leclerc and Hamilton will have a chance to avenge their struggles next Saturday in Saudi Arabia.