Red Bull's Max Verstappen won the opening race of the season in Bahrain, leading by almost 12 seconds over teammate Sergio Pérez and 39 seconds over Fernando Alonso, as he proved unbeatable in the first race of his title defence.
Frustration from Bahrain
Mercedes driver George Russell saw Verstappen's gigantic lead and said afterwards in Bahrain that Red Bull will go on to win every race this year.
Asked about Mercedes driver George Russell's statement that Red Bull will win every race this season, Helmut Marko said, "No. This statement by Russell can perhaps be explained by the current frustration from Mercedes' race in Bahrain." Marko refuted these statements in a conversation with Motorsport.com.
"It was a race on a specific circuit where the asphalt is extremely rough, so tyre wear plays a very big role."
Exceeding budget cap
After Red Bull exceeded its 2021 budget cap, they were granted 10% less time in the wind tunnel: "When we got this penalty, it was clear that when we went into the wind tunnel it had to be done with a good plan.
Clearly, Red Bull has, so far, not been affected by the imposed penalty. George Russel finished 55 seconds behind Verstappen in seventh place in his black car, two spots behind teammate Lewis Hamilton who finished in fifth.
Read more about:
Today
Popular on GPBlog
1
Steiner sees McLaren going one way: 'If Max keeps up the pressure'
541 times read
2
McLaren makes key move by bringing in experienced team principal
488 times read
3
'Red Bull are the much more fun team; Mercedes are more professional'
431 times read
4
'Russell and Antonelli are a safer bet to Verstappen, and a lot cheaper too'
313 times read