Max Verstappen not seriously challenged in Bahrain en route to season-opening F1 win

02.03.2024 - 18:39 cbc.ca

Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen eased to victory in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix on Saturday despite the turmoil surrounding his Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.

Verstappen started on pole position and was never seriously challenged on his way to a commanding one-two win for Red Bull ahead of his teammate Sergio Perez. "Today went even better than expected," Verstappen said. "It was a lot of fun." He said he felt "one with the car." Carlos Sainz Jr.

was third for Ferrari after fighting hard with teammate Charles Leclerc. At the start of the longest-ever F1 season at 24 races, Verstappen already shows signs of repeating his near-perfect record from 2023, when the Dutch driver won 19 of 22 races on his way to a third straight title.

Saturday was the eighth win in a row for Verstappen going back to September last year. He set an F1 record of 10 consecutive wins last season.

rowing FIA Racing Fighting record show Pop route Max Verstappen Christian Horner Mohammed Ben-Sulayem Sergio Perez Charles Leclerc Liberty Media Carlos Sainz-Junior Netherlands Bahrain

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc went quickest ahead of world champion Max Verstappen in second practice at the Australian Grand Prix on Friday, with Carlos Sainz third barely two weeks after surgery. Leclerc clocked a best lap round the Albert Park circuit of one minute 17.277 seconds, 0.381 clear of Red Bull's Verstappen, who won in Melbourne last year from pole. Verstappen ran over a kerb late in first practice and damaged the floor of his car, meaning the team were still working on the issue when the second session started.

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