After a heart-stopping qualifying, the Bahrain Grand Prix started with a very unusual starting grid compared to recent seasons. Given the equality of the front zone and also the rest of the grid, a race with very close rhythms was predicted that could inevitably trigger very close fights and finally it was.
The opening race of the 2022 Formula 1 season gave us the first big duel of the year between Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen when they were fighting for the lead. The Ferrari driver started the race from pole after setting the fastest time in qualifying on Saturday, but the Dutchman stood up to him in the opening laps of the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Verstappen entered the pits before Leclerc in search of an undercut that was very close to being successful. The Ferrari driver came out of the pits just ahead of the Red Bull driver and despite having colder tires, he defended himself tooth and nail against the Dutchman’s attacks.
For several laps, both were fighting for position, but after several failed attempts, Verstappen over-braked at the first corner and blocked his left front tire, seeing his chances of taking the lead vanish at a stroke.
However, both left us with a great battle on the track, the first of a season that promises to give a lot of spectacle, with these two drivers precisely as protagonists, without losing sight of Carlos Sainz and Sergio Pérez, their respective teammates who were fighting at that time for the third and final podium position.
