Verstappen wins Bahrain GP while Red Bull 1-2 gives Horner something to smile about
MAX VERSTAPPEN started his F1 title defense with a crushing victory in the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The 26-year-old crossed the line with a whopping 22 second lead over his teammate Sergio Perez.
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He was congratulated by his Red Bull boss Christian Horner, who smiled for the first time in weeks after being dogged by controversy.
The run-up to this race has been dominated by one topic: the internal investigation into Horner surrounding claims of inappropriate behavior towards a female colleague.
But he was given the green light to continue in his role after the complaint was rejected by an independent report, but was thrown into crisis when an anonymous email claimed to have leaked the contents of WhatsApp exchanges.
Horner, who had denied the allegations, would only say he would not respond to “anonymous speculation”.
There had also been another tension with rumors of a simmering feud with Verstappen’s father Jos, potentially driving a wedge between his star driver and Horner.
But there was a clear show of support for Horner, who had arrived early at the track in Bahrain.
He had remained in his office in the Red Bull hospitality unit until he went to the paddock gate to greet his wife Geri Halliwell at around 4.15pm.
She wore an elegant cream dress and they walked hand in hand through the meadow as the snappers got their photos before sharing a kiss.
This was a message that shouted loud and clear that their relationship had not been damaged by the anonymous leak.
They chatted with Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken, the Dutch billionaire businesswoman who owns 25 percent of the world’s second-largest brewer that bears her surname, making her the richest person in the Netherlands.
Heineken is just one of many team partners, but perhaps the most important business support came from Chalerm Yoovidhya, Red Bull’s Thai co-owner.
He has been in Horner’s corner for several years and owns 51 percent of the energy drink company founded by his father.
The remaining 49 percent once owned by Austrian tycoon Dietrich Mateschitz is now owned by his son Mark.
Yoovidhya and his wife had a photo in front of Verstappen’s car on the grid and stood on either side of Horner.
Before the race, there was still some fear that a second salvo of WhatsApp files would arrive in yet another anonymous email.
There were rumors about the same thing the day before, but they never materialized.
Once the grid was clear and we finally started the 2024 season, it quickly became clear that Verstappen remained in a class of his own.
He thundered away from the lights at a speed almost a second per lap faster than his rivals.
By lap ten he had extended his lead to eight seconds and by the time he pitted on lap 18 it was a terrifying lead of 30.4 seconds.
He stopped for tires and started to rebuild his lead. It was impressive and demoralizing in equal measure.
Last year, Verstappen was unstoppable and won 19 of the 22 races.
Based on pre-season testing, there had been some hope that Ferrari and even Mercedes would give him more of a fight.
But on this evidence it seems all too easy as he cruised to victory, ahead of his second-place Perez.
As the TV camera panned to Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, his somber face now told a familiar story for the Silver Arrows.
George Russell, who started in third place, finished fifth. Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, finished seventh with McLaren’s British driver Lando Norris ahead of him.
The rest of the grid has work to do if they want to prevent the Dutchman from taking four titles on the spin.
It was a one-two for Red Bull and Verstappen, who had started on pole, also set the fastest lap and earned a bonus point.