The much-awaited 2022 season has finally begun with the Bahrain Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc finishes first while the reigning champion Max Verstappen had to retire from the race. But even if Verstappen could have continued racing he had a tough time with Leclerc.

Undoubtedly, the Italian constructor is the favorite this season. Charles Leclerc secured a pole in the Bahrain Qualifying while Verstappen secured a P2. However, the Ferrari man has a big job in hand and that is to keep the Dutchman behind him.

Verstappen has tried to overtake Leclerc many times in the race but all his efforts went in vain because of his team’s advice. The 2021 champion believes that he could have taken the lead from the Ferrari driver in both his attempts. But he failed both his attempts because his team asked him to take it easy on the medium tires he was on.

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Max Verstappen venting his frustration on team radio, “Okay, that is TWO times I have taken it easy on the out lap and not been in front. I am never, ever doing that again!”

Will Max Verstappen win the 2022 season?

The 24-year-old Dutchman is one of the best drivers in the world. He has already proved his worth last season after lifting his maiden World Championship. However, Verstappen failed to win the season-opener in Bahrain last season, losing to Lewis Hamilton. But Verstappen had it much harder this season, he had to retire from the race.

The Red Bull driver was unable to take the lead of the race. Therefore, it seemed like he had to satisfy with a second-place finish again this year. But Max had to retire near the end of the race because of running into a battery issue.

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After Max retired from the race, Carlos Sain took his place and Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez ended up in the P3. At least Red Bull could have got one podium with Checo finishing third but that didn’t happen either. During the final lap, Checo also started having issues with the power unit and he spun because of an engine failure. Eventually, Lewis Hamilton finished at P3 behind both the Ferraris.

Red Bull struggled with the RB18 in the pre-season in Barcelona. They only showed some outstanding performance on the last day of Bahrain testing. The Austrians are among the favorites in the 2022 season but they should face strong competition from Ferrari this season. But after the first race, it seems the Milton Keynes base has some work to do with their power unit before they can think about dominating the 2022 season.

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It would be fascinating to see whether Max Verstappen would be able to keep his champion title this season. It’s just the beginning. So, let’s see what’s next for Red Bull in Saudi Arabia!