World champion Max Verstappen claimed his first season-opening victory and first at the Sakhir circuit on Sunday when he led Sergio Perez home in a dominant Red Bull one-two at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The defending double world champion led from start to finish, barring pit stops, to establish himself as a strong favorite for a third consecutive drivers’ crown this year.
It was the Gulf nation’s first victory in the 10th attempt.
Behind the two Red Bulls, two-time champion Fernando Alonso continued to make light of his 41-year-old by storming to an impressive third place for Aston Martin in his first appearance with the team since replacing retired fourth-place champion Sebastian Vettel.
It was his record-breaking 356th race in Formula One in a career that began 22 years earlier, until the weekend, in Melbourne at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix.
Fellow Spaniard Carlos Sainz, who was passed in the final scrap for the podium, finished fourth in his second Ferrari ahead of seventh place winner Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes and Lance Stroll, racing in his second Aston Martin just weeks after cracking both wrists and breaking a toe in a cycling accident preseason.
George Russell took seventh for Mercedes ahead of Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, who started last, and Alex Albon who claimed a point for Williams who finished 10th.
Charles Leclerc, who won the race in 2022, failed to finish after an engine failure in his Ferrari on the 41st lap.
‘What do we need’
“Thanks, man,” said the 25-year-old Verstappen. “It was exactly the start I needed. I had a good start and first and then I had a gap and just took care of the tires.
Verstappen made a clean and fast start as Leclerc passed Perez for second, behind him, Stroll hit his Aston Martin teammate Alonso under the brakes at Turn Four.
Both Mercedes had good starts and passed Alonso, Hamilton moving up to fifth ahead of Russell in pursuit of Sainz while Verstappen opened up a commanding lead.
By the fifth lap, he was four seconds faster as Leclerc kept Perez at bay.
Gasly started a pit stop on lap 10, switching the Alpine from softs to hards, followed quickly by Lando Norris and Yuki Tsunoda with tire degradation taking early effect.
Hamilton pitted from fifth on lap 13, causing a classic scrap as Alonso battled past Russell to regain his original grid slot and move up to third when both Ferraris pitted. Russell followed suit.
Verstappen arrived a lap later, switched to more softs and handed the lead to Perez, while the luckless Australian rookie Oscar Piastri’s McLaren debut ended early with electrical problems.
The champion rejoined in second and regained the lead on lap 18 when Perez pitted, lifting Leclerc to second until the Mexican went through Turn One on lap 26.
Hamilton pitted again on lap 31, for another hard, followed by Sainz and Russell, as the leader prepared for the last task when, at the back, a beleaguered Esteban Ocon of Alpine, hit with the third penalty for minor infringements, stopped again.
‘no power’
Perez and Verstappen then completed their second stop, the Dutchman rejoining with a 12-second lead.
Ferrari Leclerc lost power in the straight. He parked safely, prompting a brief virtual safety car intervention, with 15 laps remaining, giving Red Bull a comfortable one-two lead, 23 seconds ahead of Sainz in third in the second Ferrari.
“No, no, no,” complained Leclerc. “Come on! What’s going on, guys? There is no power.”
All this left the two Spaniards scrapping for third, the old master squeezing through on lap 45 after the couple appeared to be touching in a frantic and dramatic melee ahead of watching the fifth man Hamilton.