Leclerc impresses with defensive actions: 'No fear against Verstappen'

The battle between Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen in Bahrain had every appearance of being a consistent one for the rest of this season. There are a record 23 races on the schedule and with the rise of Ferrari, Red Bull Racing seems to have a new biggest competitor. At Ferrari, the flag is flying high as they scored their first 1-2 since Singapore 2019.

Then, too, Charles Leclerc was with the team, along with Sebastian Vettel. With Carlos Sainz, the team had yet to record any victories, but that has changed this year after only the first race. F1 journalist Lawrence Barretto is particularly pleased with the Spaniard's teammate, Leclerc. "The way he controlled the Grand Prix, fearlessly fighting defending world champion Max Verstappen and coming out on top, was a reminder that he is world champion material himself," Barretto explained on Formula1.com.

Red Bull succumbs to favorites role

For a long time it looked like Red Bull was going to take P2 and P4 behind Ferrari, which would make it exciting in the Constructors' Championship. However, both Red Bull's retired in the final few laps, leaving Sainz with Hamilton behind him.

According to Barretto, it is disappointing that Red Bull suddenly fell away from the top."Red Bull were heavy favourites for this weekend after impressing in Bahrain testing – and while they were outgunned by Ferrari for pole and the victory, they looked on course to finish second and fourth for a healthy haul of points to kickstart the year," Barretto concluded.