The Red Bull cars were unbeatable at the start in Bahrain. © ANSA / ALI HAIDER / POOL

This is what the press says about the start of Formula 1

The defending champion starts the new Formula 1 season with an almost perfect race. Despite the quarrels surrounding his Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, Max Verstappen races to victory from pole in Bahrain and also sets the fastest lap of the race. What the international press writes about it can be found here.

March 03, 2024

From: dpa/sn

Great Britain

“Daily Mail”: “His Red Bull team is in the middle of the excitement surrounding Christian Horner and the dismissed complaint from an employee about his behavior, when Max Verstappen provides a short but undoubtedly urgently needed victory with an overwhelmingly dominant victory at the Formula 1 season opener in Bahrain Relief.”

"The Independent": “Max Verstappen delivered for Christian Horner's troubled team with a victory in the Formula 1 season opener in Bahrain on Saturday. (...) Verstappen has won the last three world championships and it looks like his successful streak will continue in 2024 with the confident start-to-finish victory.”

Spain

“Mundo deportivo”: “Verstappen continues in 2023 mode. Everything began the same way 2023 ended: with the insoluble binomial Verstappen-Red Bull, which gave the competition no chance from the start.”

“Ace”: “Just because we were warned doesn’t make the slap hurt any less. The Red Bull was scary when it arrived and Verstappen made it even scarier this Saturday in a race that was as flawless as it was lonely for him.”

Italy

“Gazzetta dello Sport”: “He’s still an alien. Verstappen is equally destructive. The Dutchman imposes a frightening rhythm from the first round. The illusion of being able to witness another great duel between Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc has held exactly one corner. Perez makes Red Bull's triumph perfect. Ferrari tries, Sainz comes third. Leclerc is in crisis with his brakes.”

Carlos Sainz came third in the Ferrari. © ANSA / ALI HAIDER

“Tuttosport”: “You can almost see red behind Max and the Red Bull. Sainz comes third, Leclerc fourth with anger.”

“Corriere dello Sport”: “Verstappen never brakes. Max is instantly unstoppable.”

France

“Le Parisien”: “The season promises to be long and strenuous for 19 out of 20 drivers in the 1 Formula 2024 World Championship. Because one place, the first place, seems to be promised to one man at every or almost every Grand Prix: Max Verstappen (Red Bull), the three-time world champion, who logically won the first event of the season in Bahrain.

"L'Equipe": “The outrageous dominance of Max Verstappen and Red Bull despite tensions. The season promises to be a long one with a Red Bull driven by the Dutch champion.”

RMC Sports: “Verstappen is already alone in the world.”

Austria

"Courier": “Many Formula 1 fans had great hopes that the current season would not be quite as one-sided as 2023. Max Verstappen had won 19 of 22 races, and the Dutchman stormed towards his third world title without any competition. (...) But Max Verstappen will also make the difference in 2024. Starting from pole position, the 26-year-old didn’t show any weakness.”

"Small newspaper": “Hope arose in the paddock in Bahrain in the last few days when Red Bull and especially Max Verstappen appeared anything but dominant in training. Even after the pole position, some still thought they had good chances, as the Bulls were not untouchable in qualifying. The hope: Maybe the world champion team will be vulnerable this year, if not beatable? Hope was short-lived. (...) Verstappen does not represent excitement or hope, but rather the dominance and desperation of the competition.”

Switzerland

"View": “A double victory that suits Red Bull. The team world champion may have a bad luck, but things are going ideally in terms of sport – a double victory at the Formula 1 season opener in Bahrain.”

“Tagesanzeiger”: “Verstappen wins – but the explosive affair surrounding the team boss continues. The Dutchman also wins the first race of the new season. Christian Horner is very grateful, but not exempt from the accusations made by an employee. (...) Horner's hope that sporting success would cover it all up is probably in vain. This Saturday at Red Bull they will forget all the excitement, at least for a few moments.”