World champion Max Verstappen claimed his maiden season-opening victory and first on the Sakhir circuit on Sunday when he led Sergio Perez residence in a dominant Red Bull one-two on the Bahrain Grand Prix.

The defending double world champion led from begin to end, bar the pit stops, to determine himself as a powerful favorite for a 3rd consecutive drivers’ crown this 12 months.

It was his first win within the Gulf state on the tenth try.

Behind the 2 Red Bulls, two-time champion Fernando Alonso continued to make gentle of his 41 years by storming his solution to a rousing third place for Aston Martin in his first look with the staff since succeeding the retired four-time champion Sebastian Vettel.

It was his record-increasing 356th race in Formula One in a profession that began 22 years earlier, to the weekend, in Melbourne on the 2001 Australian Grand Prix.

Fellow Spaniard Carlos Sainz, who he handed in a late scrap for a podium end, completed fourth within the second Ferrari forward of seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes and Lance Stroll, racing within the second Aston Martin simply weeks after cracking each wrists and breaking a toe in a pre-season biking accident.

George Russell took seventh for Mercedes forward of Valtteri Bottas of Alfa Romeo, Pierre Gasly of Alpine, who had began final, and Alex Albon who claimed a degree for Williams ending tenth.

Charles Leclerc, who received the race in 2022, failed to complete after engine failure on his Ferrari on the forty first lap.

“Thank you, guys,” mentioned 25-year-old Verstappen. “It’s exactly the start we needed. I had a good start and first stint and then had a gap and just looked after the tyres.”

Verstappen made a clear, fast begin to pull clear as Leclerc handed Perez for second whereas, behind them, Stroll hit his Aston Martin team-mate Alonso, below braking at Turn Four.

Both Mercedes had good begins and handed Alonso, Hamilton climbing to fifth forward of Russell in pursuit of Sainz as Verstappen opened up a commanding lead.

By lap 5, he was 4 seconds clear as Leclerc stored Perez at bay.

Gasly started the pit stops on lap 10, switching his Alpine from softs to hards, adopted rapidly by Lando Norris and Yuki Tsunoda with tyre degradation taking early impact.

Hamilton pitted from fifth on lap 13, prompting a basic scrap as Alonso battled previous Russell to regain his authentic grid slot and climb to 3rd when each Ferraris pitted. Russell adopted.

Verstappen got here in a lap later, switching to extra softs and handing the result in Perez, whereas luckless Australian rookie Oscar Piastri’s McLaren debut ended early with electrical issues.

The champion re-joined in second place and regained his lead on lap 18 when Perez pitted, elevating Leclerc to second till the Mexican handed him into Turn One on lap 26.

Hamilton pitted once more on lap 31, for extra hards, adopted by Sainz and Russell, because the leaders ready for his or her last stint whereas, on the again, a beleaguered Esteban Ocon of Alpine, hit with three time penalties for minor infringements, stopped once more.

Perez and Verstappen then accomplished their second stops, the Dutchman re-joining with a 12-second lead.

Leclerc’s Ferrari misplaced energy on the straight. He parked it safely, prompting a short digital security automobile intervention, with 15 laps remaining, handing Red Bull the prospect of a comfortable one-two, 23 seconds away from third-placed Sainz within the second Ferrari.

“No, no, no,” wailed Leclerc. “Come on! What happened, guys? No power.”

All this left the 2 Spaniards scrapping for third, the outdated grasp squeezing by means of on lap 45 after the pair appeared to the touch in a frantic and dramatic tussle forward of the watching fifth man Hamilton.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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