ReReigning Formula One champion Max Verstappen opened his bid for a fourth consecutive title in dominant style with an undisputed victory towards a Red Bull double victory at Saturday’s Bahrain Grand Prix.
The 26-year-old Dutchman enjoyed a perfect day as he led from pole position and earned a bonus point for fastest lap and finished 22.4 seconds ahead of Mexican teammate Sergio Perez.
Carlos Sainz, who will make way for seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari next year, took the final podium in third place, ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc.
The win under the Sakhir floodlights was the 55th win of Verstappen’s career and the second in a row in Bahrain.
Mail Sport’s Aadam Patel takes a look at some of the things you may have missed.
Christian Horner was accompanied by his wife Geri at the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix.
Netflix licking their lips
With hours left before the race, Red Bull confirmed that Geri Halliwell would be here alongside Christian Horner, so the fight began between the media to capture her arrival.
When this reporter asked the Drive to Survive camera crew if they knew where it would come in, the response was that “Red Bull won’t even tell us.” With two entrances on either side of the paddock, most assumed the former Spice Girl would reach the entrance closest to Red Bull headquarters and head there, but then word spread that she might arrive through a closed door. behind the headquarters to avoid attention.
No way! Instead, it was Horner who quietly slipped behind that door into the parking lot to meet his wife at the entrance before the couple walked 100 meters hand in hand in front of the world’s cameras. They were later photographed kissing.
Max Verstappen insisted earlier in the week that the focus was on performance and not Horner. Well, before the race, all the attention was certainly on Horner. Netflix will be licking its lips. There are still 23 races left!
Neymar crashes on the grid
You don’t have to be a Formula One fan to enjoy Martin Brundle’s tour of the grid and the Bahrain 2024 edition included interviews with Jeremy Clarkson, Sarah Ferguson (Duchess of York) and Patrice Evra.
Although his chat with Evra was interrupted by none other than Neymar, who came in to hug the former Manchester United defender.
Brundle didn’t worry about Neymar, who has 220 million followers on Instagram, and went looking for another famous face.
Martin Brundle’s chat with Patrice Evra (left) was interrupted by Brazilian star Neymar (right)
Being your camera operator has to be one of the most challenging and yet stressful jobs in sports. When Brundle asked Clarkson whose money was on him for the race, Clarkson responded with “Adrian Newey.” Newey is the technical director of Red Bull and designed the RB20 car that seems almost ready to compete in the World Championship double again.
Todd Boehly was also on the grid, but unfortunately Brundle did not get around to questioning the Chelsea owner, who chose Bahrain instead of Brentford, where his Chelsea team earned a late equaliser.
The race for second
“Ultimately the race for all of us is for second place.” Those were George Russell’s words after qualifying and it was no surprise that he was right.
It took Max Verstappen just five seconds to build a four-second lead over Russell in second place and after passing Charles Leclerc at the end, Verstappen won by 22 seconds and a mammoth 25 seconds separated him from a driver who wasn’t Red Bull. Not enough time to stop for a cup of tea, but you know what I mean.
Verstappen’s margin of victory of 22 seconds was 10 seconds longer than the margin of victory in this race last year. For the rest it already seems sinister.
Hamiton surprised by the McLaren couple
There was a funny moment mid-race on the radio when Lewis Hamilton said: ‘These guys are fast, mate!’
Yes, this is Formula One, Lewis.
The seven-time world champion was referring to the McLaren pair, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, each on either side of Hamilton and thus ended with Norris in sixth place, Hamilton in seventh and Piastri in eighth.
Lewis Hamilton finished between McLaren pair Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
Gerrard misses the action
Bahrain is now the home of Steven Gerrard, who managed Al Ettifaq. The Saudi Pro League team is based in Dammam, which is an hour’s drive from Manama, the capital of Bahrain.
And although Al Ettifaq has gifted Gerrard a luxury villa in Dammam, his family has settled in neighboring Bahrain, which is much less conservative than Saudi Arabia.
Gerrard and Gini Wijnaldum, who plays for Al Ettifaq, were guests of McLaren earlier in the week here, but missed the race because they had a match against Damac, which they won.
The pressure has eased slightly on Gerrard with two wins in three games since signing a contract extension until 2027 in January.
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Slow stops offer hope
Red Bull is famous for its pit stops, but if there is a glimmer of hope for its competitors, then its pit stop times are worth noting, as British driver Alice Powell pointed out on BBC radio.
“It seems that for now at least Red Bull are slower than in 2023 and 2022 in their pit stops, another slow stop for Red Bull, normally they are around the 2.1 second mark but that was 2.7, another stop slow,” Powell said.
“They’re usually the king and queen of pit stops.”
Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda had to follow team orders and swap with Daniel Riccardo
Tsunoda sees red for the exchange
Consider Yuki Tsunoda, who was asked in the closing stages by the Red Bull engineer to switch with Daniel Riccardo.
“Yuki, change drivers now,” the engineer said. Tsunoda’s response: ‘Are you kidding? Now?’ hHe later added sarcastically, “Thanks guys, I appreciate it.”
In the end, neither finished in the points, Ricciardo was unable to overtake Kevin Magnussen and the Red Bull pair finished 13th and 14th.