Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen was crowned first after taking first place in the first and opening round of the Formula One World Championship for the 2024 season at the “Home of Motorsport in the Middle East” Bahrain International Circuit through the FORMULA 1 race – Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2024, The race, which marks the twentieth anniversary of Formula One racing in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
His Highness Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Representative of His Majesty the King for Humanitarian Works and Youth Affairs, crowned Max Verstappen champion of the 20th edition of the Bahrain Gulf Air Formula One Grand Prix after taking first place at the Bahrain International Circuit. The race concluded its activities yesterday amid a large crowd of 100. One thousand people on the total days of the race, with an attendance of 37 thousand people on the day of the race.
Zayed Rashid Al Zayani, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Gulf Air Holding, crowned the winning team, and Rawan bint Najeeb Tawfiqi, Minister of Youth Affairs, crowned Red Bull driver Sergio Perez, who won second place, while His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah bin Isa Al Khalifa, President of the Bahrain Motor Federation, crowned Ferrari team driver. Carlos Sainz took third place.
Yesterday, the fans enjoyed another busy and special day at the Formula One Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2024, and the “Formula One Village” in the entertainment area witnessed a large crowd attending to experience the atmosphere of the largest sporting event in the Middle East and enjoy all the fun activities aimed at individuals and families, with a total of On Saturday, the race attracted 37,000 people, for the first time ever in the circuit’s 20-year history.
The 2024 Formula One Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix was launched as the opening round of the Formula One World Championship for the 24-round season, as this was the 20th edition of the world-famous race.
Verstappen begins his title defense campaign with a remarkable victory
Dutch driver Max Verstappen began his title defense campaign with a comfortable victory in the Formula One Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix, the opening round of the 2024 World Championship, which concluded its activities on Saturday at the Bahrain International Circuit, “the home of motorsport in the Middle East.”
The Red Bull driver finished the 57-lap race in 31 minutes and 44.742 seconds, ahead of his teammate Sergio Perez, who finished in second place by 22.457 seconds, while Spanish Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz finished in third place, 25.110 seconds behind the lead. Verstappen did not give up the extra point after setting the fastest lap in the race at one minute and 32.608 seconds.
Charles Leclerc finished fourth, 39.669 seconds behind, confirming that Ferrari is the preferred team after Red Bull, after the Mongasque driver prevailed in the last third of the race over Mercedes driver George Russell, who finished fifth, 46.788 seconds behind.
McLaren driver Lando Norris finished sixth, 48.458 seconds behind first, ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who finished seventh, and behind him again was McLaren driver Oscar Piastri, who finished eighth, indicating a rivalry that may extend throughout the season between McLaren and Mercedes at the top of the midfield teams.
Despite the pessimism surrounding Aston Martin’s ability to compete this season after the poor performance it showed in the preparatory tests that preceded the season, Fernando Alonso, despite losing many positions after starting from sixth place, he and his teammate Lance Stroll succeeded in placing their cars. Within the points area, Alonso ranked ninth and Stroll tenth.
The Kick Sauber, Haas, RB, Williams and Alpine teams are looking forward to a lot of work for the upcoming rounds after the poor performance shown by their car, with drivers Guanyu Guo from Kick Sauber in 11th place, Kevin Magnussen from Haas, and RB drivers Daniel Ricciardo, Yuki Tsunoda, Alexander Albon from Williams and Nico Hulkenberg. Alpine drivers Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, Kick Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas, and Williams’ Logan Sargent are in positions eleventh to twentieth, respectively, a full lap behind the leader, thus leaving the race empty-handed.
Verstappen scored an easy victory on the Sakhir track after starting from first place and was able to expand the gap to 30 seconds over his closest competitor in the first third of the race and before entering the pit area, taking advantage of his absolute advantage to enter and exit without losing his position at the front of the standings.
Verstappen, who left the pit area 5 seconds behind his teammate Perez, quickly widened the gap again, imposing absolute control over the race.
Meanwhile, the midfield battle was intense between Mercedes driver George Russell and Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc for fourth place on the one hand, and McLaren driver Lando Norris and Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso for sixth place.
The mission of the Haas and Kick Sauber teams, through their drivers Magnussen and Joe, was limited to trying to enter the points area, while Williams’ performance declined in the last third of the race as its driver, Albon, fell outside the points positions.
Obtaining a points position was a very difficult task after Fernando Alonso fell to the last positions after the pit stop and then advanced to tenth place for one of the most difficult drivers to defend his position.
The McLaren team seemed convinced of the midfield positions and its rival, Mercedes, was at the top of the group after the Red Bull and Ferrari teams. Norris and Piastri competed with Russell and Hamilton during the last ten laps for the positions from fifth to eighth, directly in front of the Aston Martin drivers.
The RB team disappointed expectations after a modest performance from the cars of Tesoda and Ricciardo, who were content to compete for the thirteenth and fourteenth places, far from the points positions, until the last five laps.
On the other hand, the Alpine team was unable to rise from the level it showed throughout the weekend, and its drivers continued to compete for one or two places before the last, especially since the decline of the driver of William Logan Sargent and his occupation of the bottom of the standings came after a car malfunction and he stopped for a while on the side of the track before returning to the race. .
With this result, the Oracle Red Bull Racing team leads the team standings with 44 points, ahead of Ferrari, which ranked second with 27 points, while the Mercedes team ranked third with 16 points, followed by McLaren with 12 points, and Aston Martin, the last team to score points, with 3 points.
In the drivers’ standings, Verstappen occupies first place with 26 points, ahead of his colleague Perez, who scored 18 points, followed by Carlos Sainz with 15 points, Charles Leclerc in fourth with 12 points, George Russell in fifth with 10 points, Hamilton with 6 points in seventh place, and Oscar Piastri in eighth place. With 4 points, Alonso has two points each and Lance Stroll has one point in tenth place.
The 2024 Formula One World Championship will resume its activity directly next week with the holding of the Saudi Grand Prix in Jeddah, which is also scheduled to be held on Saturday.
For more information about the Formula One Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix, you can call the Bahrain International Circuit hotline 17450000 or visit our website www.bahraingp.com.
