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

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.

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.

READ MORE: Christian Horner's wife Geri makes SHARP Bahrain arrival

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.

READ MORE: Horner and Red Bull saga has created paddock 'GOLDFISH bowl'

Bahrain Grand Prix 2024 results

The final classification from Sakhir was as follows:

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull): 1:34.671

2. Sergio Perez (Red Bull): +22.457

3. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari): +25.110

4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari): +39.669

5. George Russell (Mercedes): +46.788

6. Lando Norris (McLaren): +48.458

7. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes): +50.324

8. Oscar Piastri (McLaren): +56.082

9. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin): +74.887

10. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin): +93.216

11. Zhou Guanyu (Sauber): +1 LAP

12. Kevin Magnussen (Haas): +1 LAP

13. Daniel Ricciardo (RB): +1 LAP

14. Yuki Tsunoda (RB): +1 LAP

15. Alex Albon (Williams): +1 LAP

16. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas): +1 LAP

17. Esteban Ocon (Alpine): +1 LAP

18. Pierre Gasly (Alpine): +1 LAP

19. Valtteri Bottas (Sauber): +1 LAP

20. Logan Sargeant (Williams): +1 LAP

Fastest Lap

Max Verstappen (Red Bull): TBC

READ MORE: F1 on TV: The definitive guide to how to watch the 2024 season live

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