Bahrain GP : Max continues winning

Max Verstappen continues his winning streak with another flawless drive in Bahrain. Sergio Perez came P2 and Carlos P3.

Max continues winning streak in Bahrain

So many things have changed over the season and yet so many things have not changed. The one constant being Max leading the race from the front and running away to easily win with ample time to spare. Last year he won being 12 seconds ahead of the 2nd. This year he won with 22 seconds ahead. Adrian Newey went for a radical change with the 2024 Red Bull car. This was unexpected as the 2023 car was too dominant and an evolution of the car would have been the norm. Newey the magician seems to have come up with another brilliant design with the car that seems to be ahead in the pecking order, especially in the hands of Max Verstappen.

Sergio Perez did a decent job, having started from behind but working his way up to secure P2 position. His job is on the line and needs to be close to Max as possible, if not outright compete with him.

Carlos Sainz secures P3 in Ferrari

Another person who has to work hard to secure a good seat is Carlos Sainz. Even before the season started he got a rude shock that his Ferrari seat is gone and Lewis Hamilton will be replacing him. The Spaniard has to work hard and perform strongly to prove to others that he is a good candidate for a top team. Most notably he will be eying the vacant seat at Mercedes or replace Checo at Red Bull.

Till now he has stayed remarkably calm and composed. He has said the right words and shown no bitter feelings towards Ferrari. His job would be to outgun Charles and prove his worth. Sainz starting from P4 made the right moves to overtake Charles and George to secure the final place at the podium. His team mate meanwhile had major brake-balance issues and struggled to finally finish P4.

George P5 in Bahrain

Mercedes looked promising and the drivers were upbeat in the pre-season testing. They hoped to be closer to the Ferraris. However that was not the case, at least in Bahrain. George struggled to hold on to his P3 starting position but finished P5, behind the the Bulls and the Ferraris. He would be happy to perform better than Lewis but Mercedes needs to work harder. Lewis meanwhile had an average performance, starting from P9 but couldn’t move much ahead. He finished P7.

McLaren behind the Mercs

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri performed decently as per the car’s capabilities. They do not have a podium challenger but not as bad a car as they had in Bahrain last year. Lando finished P6 and Oscar P8. Right behind were the two Aston Martins of Alonso and Stroll. So the pecking order seems to be quite clear from the first race – Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren and then Aston Martin.

HAAS, team RB and Williams were all decent. Alpine has taken a step behind in the winter season with them being firmly back of the grid. This must be a shocker to the French team. They need to work harder and get themselves at least in the mid-field.

Bahrain GP Top 10 : Max leading the way