Bahrain F1 Grand Prix 2024 results: Verstappen survives early scrap to win as rivals suffer NIGHTMARE

start, Bahrain, Verstappen, Red Bull, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

Bahrain Grand Prix

Bahrain F1 Grand Prix 2024 results: Verstappen survives early scrap to win as rivals suffer NIGHTMARE

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Cal Gaunt

Saturday 2 March 2024 17:46 Updated: 18:28

Max Verstappen continued his exceptional form from the 2023 season into the Bahrain Grand Prix, securing victory in the much anticipated curtain raiser.

After a brief battle with Charles Leclerc in the opening laps, Verstappen scampered off into the distance and enjoyed a trouble-free cruise to the chequered flag from then on.

His under-pressure team-mate Sergio Perez clinched a solid one-two finish for Red Bull after skillfully overtaking both George Russell - who finished fifth - and Leclerc during the initial laps.

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It was a challenging day for Ferrari's Leclerc, who, despite starting in second position, struggled with oversteer and lock-ups in the early stages. A quick pit-stop to address the issues allowed him to somewhat recover, taking advantage of a Russell error on lap 46 to steal P4 late on.

On the bright - if not a little nervy - side for the Italian outfit, Carlos Sainz engaged in two significant battles with Leclerc and ultimately secured a third-place finish, marking his first podium in what will be his final season with Ferrari before being replaced by Lewis Hamilton in 2025.

Hamilton was unable to recover his disappointing qualifying performance, moving up only two spots into P7.

The season-opener was largely incident-free, barring a first-lap spin from Aston Martin's Lance Stroll following a bump from Haas' Kevin Magnussen.

Some late drama came by the way of the newly-named RB, as Yuki Tsunoda was enraged by team orders to swap positions with Daniel Ricciardo, who was similarly irked by the timing of the request from the pitwall. The pair remained outside the points and finished 13th and 14th.