Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc
Defending Champion Verstappen fought valiantly with eventual winner Leclerc at the Bahrain GP until the Red Bull driver had to retire due to technical issues
Max Verstappen was thoroughly disappointed with how the race turned out for him but that didn’t stop him from displaying ideal sportsmanship spirit. In a video posted by F1 Twitter handle, Verstappen is seen approaching Charles Leclerc to shake hands while the latter was giving a post-race interview. The gesture definitely won over F1 fans across the globe after we witnessed an engrossing duel between the two on the track in Bahrain.
From the very beginning of the race, Leclerc led the field away from pole position with Verstappen following closely behind. It was around the first set of the pit-stops where the first duel for the lead took place between the two.
Both the drivers were in close combat with each other which saw Verstappen overtaking Leclerc three times for the lead into the first corner on the three successive laps before Leclerc reclaimed the lead each time.
While the racers refused to leave an inch to each other on the track, it was indeed wonderful to see the camaraderie between them after the race was over.
This is certainly what sports is all about!
It was not an ideal start to the new season for either Verstappen or his Red Bull team. Verstappen drove very well throughout the race but was forced to retire on lap 54 due to technical issues. Max Verstappen was visibly upset with the proceedings. Speaking after the race, Verstappen explained the issues he faced during the race. “I mean, what happened at the end is obviously very frustrating but of course before that, quite a few issues. First of all, the balance was off. I didn’t have the same feeling as Friday on the long run, so that was a bit disappointing.”
The reigning champion further added, “Suddenly my steering, I don’t know what happened to that, it was just completely locked and the faster I was going, I could barely steer.” “I think at the end what is the biggest problem is that we scored zero points with a competitive car. And of course, on the days when you’ve tiny issues or you’re not entire happy with the balance, you’ve to consolidate and score points and what we did today is of course extremely painful”, said a visibly upset Verstappen.
Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez also failed to register a timing after spinning with his car on the final lap.
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