Bahrain F1 Grand Prix 2024 Results: Max Verstappen Cruises to Dominant Win in Opener

Max Verstappen’s quest for a fourth consecutive Formula One title started in style Saturday, as he won the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix in dominant fashion at the Bahrain International Circuit.

Verstappen, who started on the pole, led all 57 laps and beat second-place finisher and Red Bull Racing teammate Sergio Pérez by 22.457 seconds.

Here is a full rundown of how the 20 drivers competing in Saturday’s race fared:

Verstappen won a remarkable 19 of the 22 races that were run last year, and Pérez won two, so it came as little surprise that they opened the 2024 season in familiar territory.

During the 2023 campaign, Verstappen and Pérez finished first and second on six occasions, and they are already on their way to perhaps equaling for surpassing that number in 2024.

Given how clearly Verstappen outclassed the field in Bahrain, there was a great deal of social media reaction regarding how easy the 26-year-old superstar made it look:

With his eighth race win in a row, Verstappen is in the midst of the third-longest winning streak in F1 history. Only Sebastian Vettel (nine) and Verstappen himself (10) have won more consecutive races.

The all-time F1 record for most points titles in a row is five by Michael Schumacher. Lewis Hamilton, Juan Manuel Fangio and Vettel are second on that list with four, and Verstappen is aiming to join that elite group.

Pérez is perhaps the driver with the best chance of interrupting Verstappen’s championship streak, but even he didn’t pose a threat on Saturday.

Carlos Sainz, who was the only driver besides Verstappen and Pérez to win a race last season, could also be in the mix over the course of the season after finishing third in Bahrain.

Hamilton, who is tied with Schumacher for the most career championships with seven, kicked off his final season at Mercedes with a seventh-place result.

The 39-year-old veteran, who will join Ferrari next year, finished third in the standings last year, but he didn’t win a race for the first time in his F1 career.

Although Hamilton had nothing for Verstappen on Saturday, he is one of a handful of drivers that may have a chance to provide some competition on a week-to-week basis.

Verstappen will look to make it nine wins in a row next Saturday when the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix takes place in Jeddah.