Palmer defends Verstappen: "It was not an open goal".

Max Verstappen lost the race in Bahrain to Lewis Hamilton. The Dutchman passed the Briton but had to give back his position because he had gone off track. Did Verstappen fail in the first race?

Did Verstappen fail?

Give Verstappen a good car and he will be world champion. It was the phrase so often uttered in recent years, and with the RB16B it seems that wish of many has finally come true. Verstappen can finally take the fight to Hamilton, although he lost the first duel.

''The big question after this race weekend is of course whether Verstappen has failed? We talked beforehand about the fact that he has never been in a title fight and that sometimes he is too eager to make his move. Was this a season-defining moment where Verstappen failed? That's a question I haven't found an answer to yet,'' says Formula 2 commentator, Alex Jacques, in the podcast Chequered Flag.

The class of Hamilton

''That's a bit harsh for the man who was on pole and has only had one chance outside the seven-time world champion and goes just 30 centimetres too wide. Was it a great opportunity? It was the chance, but he probably thought he'd get more chances. He had one chance and then you can't say he has failed, that's much too hard'', says Jolyon Palmer.

The former Formula One driver, therefore, did not see Verstappen's chance as a big one. ''It was not a shot at an open goal. It was more than half a chance, but he never got another one. You could also just say that Hamilton did a fantastic job on those old tyres'', the Brit concluded.