Yesterday, the two-time world champion earned his first win in Bahrain in what was his 10th start in the race.

Verstappen beat his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez by 11.987 seconds, while the biggest surprise was Fernando Alonso finishing third in his first start for Aston Martin.

Alonso's drive may just be an indicator that the Silverstone-based team Aston Martin could be a serious contender this season.

Verstappen said it was the perfect start to his title defence.

"It was a very good first stint where I basically made the gap, and from there onwards, it was all about just looking after my tyres, because you never know what is going to happen later in the race. "So, we just wanted to make sure that we had the right tyres and that they were in good condition. Of course, I'm very happy to get my first win here in Bahrain.

"A big thank you to the team over the winter and what they have done again to give us such a quick race car again."

Meanwhile, for the Ferrari driver, Charles Leclerc, it was another heartbreaking race as he was forced to retire due to a power loss in his car.

Next week, the teams head to Jeddah for the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix.

Morgan Piek/OFM Sport