SAKHIR, BAHRAIN – Three-time world champion Max Verstappen began his title defense in flawless fashion on Saturday at the Bahrain Grand Prix when he guided his Red Bull team to a crushing one-two triumph.
In a statement of emphatic superiority, the 26-year-old Dutchman came home 22.5 seconds clear of teammate Sergio Perez, who started from fifth, to ease some of the pressure on team boss Christian Horner.
Japan’s Yuki Tsunoda finished out of the points in 14th in what proved to be a tumultuous race for the RB team.
The Haas duo of Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg, led by new team principal Ayao Komatsu, finished in 12th and 16th, respectively.
Pole-sitter Verstappen held off the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc to lead into the first corner and it was business as usual from there to the flag as he enjoyed the perfect start to his quest for a fourth consecutive title.
By claiming the 33rd pole of his career, fastest lap and race win, Verstappen delivered the 12th “hat-trick” of his career, leaving only the seven-time champions Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton ahead on 22 and 19 trebles, respectively.
It was Verstappen’s eighth successive win, his 55th race victory and 99th podium finish as Red Bull dominated an uneventful race on a cold evening at Sakhir’s Bahrain International Circuit.
It also extended his run as championship leader to 40 races since the 2022 Spanish Grand Prix.
“Unbelievable!” said Verstappen. “I think today went better than expected and we had a lot of pace. It was super enjoyable to drive and we stayed out of trouble. It’s a good start to the year — it couldn’t be better.
“It was a lot of fun. And it’s very special to have days like today as it doesn’t happen often, when everything is all OK with the car. It felt great today.”
Teammate Perez praised the team.
“The team definitely had good momentum. We’ve got to keep it up now for the coming weekends,” he said.
“It was the maximum we could achieve — a tricky race with the tire management and plenty to learn from the race.”
Carlos Sainz, whose seat at Ferrari is to be taken by Hamilton next year, finished a pugnacious third ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc, who profited from a rare error by Mercedes’ George Russell in the closing laps.
“I felt really good today and had good pace. We had a clear plan and it worked well,” said Sainz.
“I managed my tires and then I could overtake a few cars on the way to the podium. A good step forward compared to last year.”
Russell finished fifth ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris, Hamilton in the second Mercedes, Oscar Piastri in the second McLaren and the Aston Martin duo of two-time champion Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll.
Tsunoda was told to swap places with teammate Daniel Ricciardo five laps from the end as they chased Magnussen, a request he did not take kindly to.
“Are you kidding me?” he asked over the team radio.
After the race, Tsunoda, who has been known to have a quick temper in the past, appeared to blow past his teammate on the cool down lap.
Ricciardo was later asked what he had made of the incident.
“I don’t know. I came on the radio and was trying to stay cool. A bit of immaturity? I’m being very sensible right now, but let’s call it immaturity,” he said, according to F1’s official website.
After days of speculation, Red Bull boss Horner arrived hand in hand with his wife, former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell — a show of unity following the release on Thursday of a cache of alleged messages from him to a female member of staff.
That had come just 24 hours after he had been cleared by Red Bull’s internal investigation into allegations of inappropriate behaviour.
On track, the team showed no apparent distraction.
“Look, it’s been the best possible start to the season,” Horner said after the race.
“Very clinical from the team and a well-executed race. The perfect start.”
Asked about his own position and the confidence that Red Bull’s owners have in him, Horner was bullish.
“Do I have their backing? Absolutely, yes,” he said. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here.”
