Christian Horner appeared in Bahrain while they investigate a complaint against him for "inappropriate behavior" Red Bull's sports director was on the Asian circuit after being accused by a team employee. Verstappen, meanwhile, was the fastest with the new car.
Mercedes, the only one who turned was George Russell, finishing 12th in 121 laps. Bahrain's traffic light will change from red to green on March 2 to start a new season of the top category of motorsport. The teams took as their starting point the Red Bull car in 2023, which only lost one race.