03/28/2021 9:57 AM
Clarín.com
sports
Updated 03/28/2021 12:12 PM
The Dutchman Max Verstappen, driver of the Red Bull team, leads this Sunday the Bahrain Grand Prix, the first competition of the Formula 1 season.
The start of the race was delayed because Sergio Checo Pérez kept his Red Bull on the previous lap.
Finally, the Mexican was able to start his car and started from the pit lane.
Thus, finally, the competition began, in which Verstappen endured the onslaught of Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) to hold the first place in a bumpy initial lap in which the Russian Nikita Mazepin (Haas) followed long in the curve 3 and forced the entry of the safety car.
The previous
The new campaign will consist of 23 races to be developed throughout the year with strict prevention rules against the pandemic and coronavirus outbreaks in almost the entire world.
Verstappen, 23, was the only rider to drop three thousandths of the 1m29 time after which the rest of the drivers were ordered in the qualifying round on a 5,412-kilometer circuit.
Lewis Hamilton, this Sunday, arrives at the Sakhir GP.
Photo: AP
The current champion of the category, the British Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), will start in second place on the grid after timing 1m29s385 and behind will his teammate, the Finn Valtteri Bottas, who set 1m29s586.
From fourth place were the Monegasque Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), the French Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri), the Australian Daniel Ricciardo and the British Lando Norris (both with McLaren) and the Spanish Carlos Sainz (Ferrari).
Newcomer Yuki Tsunoda showed his conditions with his Alpha Tauri.
Photo: Reuters.
Among the newcomers in F1 the best was the Japanese Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri), who placed thirteenth.
The German Mick Schumacher and the Russian Nikita Mazepin, members of the American team Haas, finished in the final two steps.
Hamilton will seek his fifth victory in the Bahrain Grand Prix this Sunday, where he already celebrated in 2014, 2015, 2019 and 2020. The Briton this year pursues the goal of fastening his eighth F1 championship to go down in history as the top winner , already without the company of the German Michael Schumacher.
It remains to be seen if Verstappen and his speedy Red Bull allow it.
The starting grid
- First row -
.one.
Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 1: 28.997
.two.
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1: 29.385
- Second row -
.3.
Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) 1: 29.586
.4.
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 1: 29.678
- Third row -
.5.
Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri) 1: 29.809
.6.
Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) 1: 29.927
- Fourth row -
.7.
Lando Norris (McLaren) 1: 29.974
.8.
Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) 1: 30.215
- Fifth row -
.9.
Fernando Alonso (Alpine) 1: 30.249
10. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) 1: 30.601
- Sixth row -
11. Sergio Pérez (Red Bull) 1: 30.659
12. Antonio Giovinazzi (Alfa Romeo) 1: 30.708
- Seventh row -
13. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) 1: 31.203
14. Kimi Raikkonen (Alfa Romeo) 1: 31.238
- Eighth row -
15. George Russell (Williams) 1: 33.430
16. Esteban Ocon (Alpine) 1: 31.724
- Ninth row -
17. Nicholas Latifi (Williams) 1: 31.936
18. Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin) 1: 32.056
- Tenth row -
19. Mick Schumacher (Haas) 1: 32.449
20. Nikita Mazepin (Haas) 1: 33.273.
Source: agencies