The start to the 2022 season has exactly been the opposite of what Max Verstappen would’ve thought. The defending champion was left with nothing to defend his title against the onslaught of Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, and Lewis Hamilton. The Red Bull of Max Verstappen came to a complete halt just before he could complete his race.

The Dutchman lost his duel with Charles midway through the race. Leclerc was in a staunch battle with the Red Bull from Lap 16 to Lap 19. Verstappen overtook Charles at turn 1 and then Charles regained the position at turn 4 with the help of DRS. This happened three times straight.

Even though Verstappen is very aggressive and has won most of the duels he has taken part in, this time he failed. He couldn’t elbow out the Ferrari driver and keep his lead over him. Leclerc raced past and ended up winning the race.

Talking about this, Helmut Marko, Red Bull Racing’s senior advisor, conveyed, “Max was told to stay calm during the starting laps. If he had driven at normal speed, he would have been ahead of Leclerc. And when we were ahead, we could have written a completely different story. It was all about our strategy. So it was our fault, not Max’s.”

WATCH: Lewis Hamilton Shows His Utmost Respect for F1 Rival Max Verstappen Ahead of Bahrain GP

What happened in Bahrain with Max Verstappen?

The 24-year-old was asked to keep calm during the first few laps. The race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase asked the Dutchman to take care of his tires. The tarmac of Bahrain is very abrasive and drivers needed to look after their tires. The track is so rough that teams went for three Pit-stops on average.

Apart from the tire issue, Max was constantly talking to his race engineer about a problem with the battery. Soon after he pitted for the second time, Max’s track-rod suffered a blow when put down after changing the tires. To bring it into a complete misery, the Red Bull of Verstappen lost pace to give Carlos Sainz his P2.

Trending

Liam Lawson’s Surprise Contract Clause Threatens Daniel Ricciardo’s RB Seat

April 24, 2024 11:15 AM EDT

Daniel Ricciardo To Be Replaced by Liam Lawson After Miami, F1 Pundit Dishes Out Harsh Verdict After Australian’s “Amateur Mistake”

April 17, 2024 11:14 AM EDT

What Is Azzurro La Plata and Azzurro Dino? Significance of Ferrari’s Historic Change to a Blue Livery for Miami GP

April 24, 2024 04:52 PM EDT

“[Charles] Leclerc Doesn’t Care About Ferrari”: F1 Insider’s Brutal Blow to Fred Vasseur & Co. Has Racing Community Lashing Out

April 24, 2024 05:00 PM EDT

F1 Rumor: Christian Horner and Wife Geri to Publicly Reveal All Details on Leaked Chat Scandal

April 22, 2024 04:10 PM EDT

Get instantly notified of the hottest F1 stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

Watch This Story: Mercedes React To FIA’s Admission Of Human Error In The Verstappen Hamilton Scandal

Soon after Sainz overtook Max, the Dutch driver lost pace and went down the order to ultimately go back to the pit lane. Interestingly, another Red Bull of Sergio Perez spun due to the same fuel issue. As F1 goes to Saudi Arabia next week, it’ll be interesting to see how Max turns the table to take charge of the championship defense.