2024 F1 Round 1, Bahrain GP: Verstappen Wins from Pole by 22.457 Seconds for 55th Career Victory, Red Bull One-Two, Tsunoda Fourteenth After Team Order

The 2024 Formula 1 season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix concluded after 57 laps at Sakhir early on 3 March Beijing time. Starting from pole, Max Verstappen led every lap and crossed the line 22.457 seconds ahead of the runner-up. He also set the fastest lap, completing a perfect Grand Slam start to the season with pole, victory and the lead throughout. It was the 55th Grand Prix victory of his career.

Red Bull secured a one-two finish. Sergio Pérez started fifth and made steady progress to finish second. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz was third and was voted Driver of the Day by the fans.

In sharp contrast to the tension of qualifying, Verstappen faced almost no challenge in the race. After Charles Leclerc’s unsuccessful attempt around the outside at Turn 1 on the opening lap, the contest for the lead was effectively over. Leclerc then struggled with brake problems, the car pulling to the right under braking, and complained over the radio that he could not fight like that. Within a few laps, he was passed by George Russell, Pérez and Sainz, dropping as low as fifth. Leclerc gradually recovered his rhythm in the second half and eventually repassed Russell to finish fourth.

Mercedes suffered a double setback. Russell reported an overheating ERS during the race and lost ground, eventually finishing only fifth. Lewis Hamilton, who started ninth, had to contend with a broken seat and discomfort throughout the race, finishing seventh. McLaren delivered a solid result, with Lando Norris sixth and Oscar Piastri eighth, both scoring points.

RB’s Yuki Tsunoda endured a frustrating evening. He moved up to tenth on the opening lap following Nico Hülkenberg’s collision, but both of his pit stops came later than those of his main rivals, leaving him vulnerable to undercuts. Late in the race, the team ordered him to swap places with Daniel Ricciardo. Tsunoda was clearly unhappy and sarcastically said “thank you, everyone” over the radio after giving up the position. He finished fourteenth, with Ricciardo thirteenth. Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu was eleventh, just outside the points.

Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso started sixth and finished ninth, while Lance Stroll used an early-stop strategy to climb from twelfth to tenth and score a point. All 20 cars finished without a retirement, a first for an F1 season opener. Williams’ Logan Sargeant briefly stopped off the track at Turn 4 with a steering-wheel problem but was able to rejoin after it was addressed.