Starting in pole position, the three-time world champion ideally launches his season with a victory, ahead of his teammate at Red Bull, Sergio Pérez, and Carlos Sainz (Ferrari).
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First Grand Prix of the Formula 1 season, first demonstration and therefore first victory for Max Verstappen, Saturday March 2, 2024, at the Bahrain GP. On another planet, the Dutch driver flew through the proceedings, after starting from pole position. At the wheel of his Red Bull, the Dutchman took off in the first laps and was never worried. On the line, he is ahead of his Mexican teammate Sergio Pérez and the Spaniard Carlos Sainz (Ferrari).
Leclerc in reverse
In 57 laps of the track, the only danger for Max Verstappen would have been to doze off, as the three-time world champion wandered after resisting Charles Leclerc in the first corner of the race. A start marked by Nico Hülkenberg’s failure. The German driver from the Haas team, 10th on the grid, managed to lose ten places in one corner, after a collision with Lance Stroll (Aston Martin).
For the rest, not much to remember from a Grand Prix that quickly fell in front, but punctuated by a few duels for the places of honor, often with the same loser: Charles Leclerc. At the wheel of his Ferrari, the Monegasque, who started in second position, kept falling back, overtaken first by George Russell, then by Sergio Pérez before fighting against his teammate Carlos Sainz.
The two teammates even came close to colliding after eleven laps of the race. Charles Leclerc finally finished 4th, ahead of George Russell (5th) and Lando Norris (6th). In the peloton, multiple world champions Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) and Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) also engaged in a rhythmic duel, which ultimately turned in favor of the Briton (7th).
No miracle for Ocon and Gasly
At the front of the race, while Max Verstappen continued to race on his planet, completing certain laps with two seconds less than his competitors, his teammate Sergio Pérez brought the power of the Red Bulls to the fore, patiently working his way back to second place. On the French side, Pierre Gasyly (17th) and Esteban Ocon (18th) finished far from the points, driving an Alpine that was struggling at the start of the season.