With his Red Bull team in turmoil amid the furore around Christian Horner’s exoneration after a complaint about his behaviour from a female employee, Max Verstappen offered cause for brief but doubtless much-needed relief with a crushingly dominant victory at Formula One’s season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.

Verstappen kept his head down with admirable calm to deliver with clinical precision amid the clamour, the sound and the fury that has swirled around Red Bull all week. With Horner fighting to save his career, the complete mastery the three-time world champion demonstrated of just how far Red Bull are from their rivals will have added weight to those backing the ­beleaguered team principal.

At the Sakhir circuit, there were distinct displays of solidarity all around. Horner’s spouse, former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell-Horner, came to the track holding hands with her husband, showing strong unity despite potential challenges behind the scenes.

The most significant event was when Chalerm Yoovidhya, who oversees the Thai branch of Red Bull and holds a 51% stake in the company, joined Verstappen’s grid box with Horner. It is believed that Yoovidhya is supporting Horner and his presence indicated to those trying to undermine him that he has the backing of those in charge.

Following a quick exchange, Sergio Pérez is currently leading Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, while Mercedes’ George Russell holds the fifth spot and Lewis Hamilton trails in seventh. This may cause Red Bull’s competitors to feel a sense of uneasy weight, with their focus solely on racing matters.

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Max Verstappen raised his arms in excitement and hugged his mechanics and engineers as he exited the car. Despite the tumultuous events of the week, their sincere enthusiasm was evident, as they saw their hard work during the winter paying off. However, the magnitude of the achievement was still overwhelming.

Russell suggested that Verstappen could potentially have a half second advantage per lap over the other racers after qualifying. Verstappen doubted this claim. However, for a large portion of the race, Verstappen maintained a lead of eight-tenths to one second per lap after starting in pole position and successfully navigating the first corner ahead of Leclerc. This was an impressive gap between him and the rest of the field.

During the last third of the race, the driver asked his engineer if he needed to continue pushing, but it seemed like a trivial question since he had already completed the task at hand and was in a comfortable position. His engineer assured him that he could ease off and the driver still maintained a significant 22-second lead at the end of the race.

Without a doubt, it was a brilliant performance – especially since the lead was held over his teammate in a car of the same model. His skill was at a superior level, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that it was a bit disheartening. His domination was so total and the gap so large, that the remaining 23 races of the season seem to stretch endlessly and the competition appears to be far from even considering mounting a challenge.

The possibility of a Red Bull clean sweep was discussed last year after multiple races, but they missed it by one race due to Sainz winning in Singapore. This year, the idea was already being mentioned before the race had even begun.

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Verstappen expressed his satisfaction with a strong beginning to the year, stating “It’s great to see a one-two finish from the team, and I have no doubt there will be more successes to follow.”

During the chaos surrounding Horner, Verstappen showed his strong abilities once again and delivered a controlled and composed performance on the Sakhir circuit. This must have brought a sense of order to the team. The 26-year-old had expressed his hope that they would improve their weakness in slower speed corners, following a very successful season in 2023.

They exhibited great courage by choosing a drastically different design for their new car. From initial appearances, it seems to have retained all the strong points of last year’s model. If it has enhanced their speed on street tracks like Monaco and Singapore, it could be unbeatable.

The predicted and feared race speed of Red Bull’s competition has proven to be a reality. Similar to the previous season, the car may not have the fastest single lap time, but it clearly outperforms the rest of the field in race conditions, especially with Verstappen driving.

Additionally, they showcased this on a racecourse that has not been favorable to Red Bull in the past. They have only won once in the past ten years, and that was just last year. However, during that race, they proved to be a formidable competitor. This recent performance serves as a warning of their strength in a similar manner.

The Sakhir track is unique in terms of performance, being held at night and featuring a rough surface and uncommon layout. However, Red Bull has shown their clear advantage in speed, especially against Ferrari, their main competition at this point. Despite being behind, Mercedes is still a close contender, but they fall behind the Scuderia in rankings.

Verstappen is aiming for his fourth consecutive championship this season and kicked off his pursuit with a stellar drive, meeting all expectations for the performance of the new Red Bull car and his own abilities. There are clear signs that he has already established a strong start to the season.

Source: theguardian.com