Red Bull driver Max Verstappen left BBC F1 pundit Alice Powell in awe with his ‘just unreal’ levels of consistency en route to a dominant victory at the 2024 Bahrain GP.
The 26-year-old sent a clear message of intent to the Formula 1 grid in Sakhir as Verstappen cruised to victory. He took the finish line with a 22.457-second lead over Sergio Perez in the other Red Bull. Axed Ferrari ace Carlos Sainz took the final podium spot 25.11 seconds back.
Verstappen simply picked up where the three-time drivers’ champion left off after achieving the most dominant season in Formula 1 history last term. He won 19 of the 22 Grand Prix in 2023 and might fancy his chances of going even better in a record-breaking 24-race year.
Max Verstappen dominates to win the 2024 Bahrain GP from Sergio Perez
No driver would match what Verstappen offered in Sakhir as the Dutchman often ran almost one second per lap faster than his rivals while he was still pushing. While Red Bull’s superior tyre management against their rivals allowed both of their drivers to finish on the soft tyres.
Verstappen also further hammered home his advantage over the field by posting the fastest lap of the race. He starts the year with a perfect 26 points, having also led every lap from his 33rd career pole position. It marks the Hasselt, Belgium-born racer’s fifth career grand slam.
Max Verstappen blows Alice Powell away with the Red Bull racer’s consistency
Verstappen achieved two grand slams in 2023 having led every lap to win from pole position at the Spanish GP and Qatar GP. He also achieved the feat at the 2021 Austrian GP and 2022 Emilia Romagna GP. He could eye another grand slam at the Saudi Arabian GP next Saturday.
But one of the major trends to come from Verstappen’s dominant Bahrain GP victory for ex-GP3 and W-Series driver Powell was the Red Bull racer’s sheer consistency. While his fastest lap, albeit on a compound two grades softer, was 1.482 seconds faster than Charles Leclerc.
She told BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra: “It’s tight all the way through the field if you are going to exclude Max Verstappen – who continues to set some good lap times. His consistency is just unreal, super impressive.”
Such was the extent of Verstappen’s dominance throughout the Bahrain GP that Powell also added following the Red Bull ace’s second pit stop: “He’s having a little look right and a little look left, checking out the scenery as he heads down into Turn 11. Nice, easy and gentle.”
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