Reigning world champion Max Verstappen clinched the title in the Bahrain Grand Prix on Saturday, marking a robust start to the new Formula 1 season.
The Dutch driver, representing Red Bull, outperformed his Mexican teammate Sergio Perez and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz to secure victory at the Sakhir circuit.
Starting from pole position, Verstappen dominated the race from start to finish, notching his 55th career win in the Grand Prix.
The three-time world champion replicated his success from 12 months earlier when he won the Bahrain race ahead of Perez and subsequently led Red Bull to a dominant season, with 21 wins out of 22 Grand Prix races, 19 of which were claimed by Verstappen.
Today's result confirms that Verstappen and Red Bull are seemingly unbeatable competitors. The Dutchman expressed some dissatisfaction during the free practice sessions but narrowly edged out Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in the qualifiers.
Leclerc settled for fourth place after encountering difficulties, and
Mercedes' George Russell took the fifth spot, followed by his teammate Lewis Hamilton in seventh, in what will be his final season with
Mercedes before his move to Ferrari in 2025.