Max Verstappen and Red Bull carried on where they left off in 2023 as the Dutch reigning Formula 1 World Champion won the first race of the 2024 season in Bahrain.

Having started from pole position after a close qualifying battle with Charles Leclerc, Verstappen cruised to victory ahead of teammate Sergio Perez in second and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz in third.

However, the weekend was dominated by talk of Red Bull team principal Christian Horner who has been at the centre of a complaint of inappropriate behaviour from a female colleague for the last month. Red Bull's head office had announced on Wednesday that the complaint had been dismissed however, messages allegedly involving Horner had leaked to the world’s media on Saturday night. Horner was joined by wife Geri trackside ahead of Sunday’s race.

On track, it was a typically commanding display that we’ve come to expect from Verstappen in recent years. He opened up a strong lead after a brief early battle with Leclerc to win his 55th grand prix.

Leclerc then allowed George Russel, Perez and Sainz to pass after issues with locking front brakes, though he was later able to recover with efficient pit stops and overtake Russell on lap 46 and finish fourth after he suffered the same issue.

British drivers Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton finished behind Russell in sixth and seventh place, respectively. The event was also notable for being the first time that all cars had completed the opening race of a season in Formula 1 history.

The Formula 1 World Championship continues with the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix on March 9th.

Full race results:

1. Max Verstappen - Red Bull - 1:31:44.742
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 - +1:14.887
10. Lance Stroll - Aston Martin - +1:33.216
11. Zhou Guanyu - Kick 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 - Kick Sauber - +1 lap
20. Logan Sargeant - Williams - +1 lap

words: Mike Booth
pictures: Red Bull