RED BULL SLUMPS AS FERRARI REIGN SUPREME

An high octane Ferrari masterclass ruled the Formula 1 season opener in Bahrain full of drama as defending champion Max Verstappen and his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez both suffered suspected fuel pump issues right at the death to hand Lewis Hamilton an unpredicted podium finish.

With the sweeping new technical regulations, the fascinating 57 lap battle in Sakhir delivered the expected new dawn in F1. Ferrari were obviously the biggest beneficiary showcasing their shear dominance with an Immaculate one-Two finish with Charles Leclerc and Carlo Sainz respectively, snapping their 45 races winless streak stretching back to 2019 in Singapore when Vettel and Leclerc secured 1-2 for Ferrari.

Interestingly, four of the top six cars are powered by Ferrari in what clearly rubberstamps the power and aggression that Ferrari boast of as compared to the Mercedes powered cars.

Mercedes who have bossed the charts in recent years seemingly do have a big task on their hands despite the surprise podium finish by 7-time world champion Lewis Hamilton with their car suffering inconsistent bumps and lack of speed. However, new recruit George Russell managed his best ever finish in F1, fourth just behind his teammate Hamilton. Both Team principal Toto Wolf and Hamilton admitted that they have a huge task at hand but are optimistic the 8-time constructor champions can overcome their struggles and post good results at the end of the season.

On the flipside Red Bull racing were looking set for a big haul of points from the 2022 season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix but it all went up in smoke in the last three laps and both drivers retiring from the race. Team principal Christian Horner was left disappointed with his team who are the reigning drivers’ championship winning team failing to score points on the season opener. “It was a brutal finish to that race for us,” said Horner. “What looked like a decent haul of points for us evaporated in the last couple of laps there,” he added.

For Red Bull however, their focus shifts to Saudi Arabia for the second race of the season in the Jeddah circuit in a race that they most importantly have to secure points in their pursuit to claiming the title this season.

Max Verstappen, the defending champion rued the missed opportunity after going toe to toe with eventual winner Charles Leclerc from the early stages to almost the end of the race. “I mean, what happened at the end is obviously very frustrating, but of course before that, quite a few issues,” said Verstappen at the end of Sunday. “First of all the balance was off. I didn’t have the same feeling as on Friday on the long runs, so that was a bit disappointing.

Kevin Magnussen secured an impressive P5 finish on his return to the Formula 1 with Haas and the only rookie this season Zhou Guanyu securing a point for Alfa Romeo, becoming only the 66th debutant to secure a point on the opening race of the season. His teammate Valtteri Bottas also secured eight points after finishing 6th in his first season away from Mercedes.

McLaren Mercedes also suffered problems with their power unit a problem that saw their drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris both failing to secure points. However the power unit issue affects all Mercedes powered cars, something that needs a proper fix sooner rather than later.

After all the drama at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix eyes now turn to the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah next weekend as the Red Bull and Mercedes both try to counter the visibly powerful and power hungry Ferrari.