It was a dominant performance by Red Bull as Verstappen claimed victory in the season opener in Bahrain, with Perez finishing 2nd, giving the team a strong start to the year.
On Saturday, Verstappen secured pole by two-tenths of a second, with Leclerc taking 2nd place. However, on Sunday, Red Bull showcased a different level of performance, and it's safe to say that Red Bull has indeed built a rocket ship.
The race pace demonstrated by Red Bull was astonishing, with Verstappen maintaining the lead he grabbed in Turn 1 throughout the entire 57 laps. Even after the pitstop, he maintained a comfortable lead, securing victory by 22.4 seconds. Verstappen led the Bahrain GP from start to finish, extending his Grand Prix winning streak to eight. He also secured the fastest lap, earning an additional bonus point.
Sergio Perez, although relatively slower, finished 22 seconds behind Verstappen, contributing to Red Bull's first 1-2 finish in 2024.
The race had a somewhat chaotic start as Hulkenburg tipped Stroll at Turn 1, resulting in both drivers losing positions. While there was an incident involving Bottas pushing Hulkenburg, stewards later deemed no further action necessary.
Stroll showcased remarkable skill by recovering from being spun by Hulkenburg, dropping to 19th but finishing 10th in the points. He earned the title of "Driver of the Day." In contrast, his teammate Alonso had a forgettable start, losing three places early in the race and settling for 9th, 20 seconds behind McLaren's Oscar Piastri and 40 seconds behind Ferrari.
Ferrari had a strong weekend but might be disappointed as they aimed to challenge Red Bull. Nevertheless, they secured 3rd and 4th places, with Sainz finishing 3rd and Leclerc, who faced early struggles, finishing 4th.
Leclerc encountered difficulties managing his rear tires from the start and was having breaking issues leading to continuous time loss. George Russell capitalized on this, making a move for 2nd place. Later, Perez impressed with a switchback at turn 4 after his pitstop, securing the 2nd position behind Verstappen.
As for Mercedes, they displayed strength in the early laps, outpacing the Ferraris. However, they struggled to maintain positions, with Russell dropping from 2nd to 4th, ultimately finishing 5th. Lewis Hamilton had a decent race, starting 9th and finishing 7th. He maintained a consistent pace throughout the race, suggesting that his struggles over the race might have been due to a broken seat.
McLaren performed better than the last two years in Bahrain as Lando finished 6th and Oscar 8th, exceeding expectations on a track that historically hasn't suited their car. Bahrain has been a challenging venue for McLaren, where they failed to score points in the past two seasons.
An interesting point to note was Red Bull's instruction to Tsunoda to swap places with Ricciardo, which Tsunoda did not appreciate. Ricciardo was in pursuit of Magnussen for 12th place but was unable to overtake in the final lap.
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